The real issue with chronic tinnitus isn’t just that you have a ringing in your ears. It’s the continuous non-stop ringing, that’s the real issue.
The continuous noise, perhaps rather modest in volume, might begin as little more than an annoyance. But the ringing can become aggravating and even debilitating if it goes on for days or months or more.
That’s why it’s essential that if you are living with tinnitus you adhere to some tips to make life easier. When you’re lying in bed, having trouble falling asleep because you keep hearing ringing from your right ear, having a plan is going to help you a lot.
How You Can Worsen Your Tinnitus
Chronic tinnitus, in fact, is often not a static condition. Symptoms manifest themselves in spikes and valleys. There are times when your tinnitus is minor and practically lost in the background. At other times the noises will be screeching in your ears so loudly it’s impossible to ignore.
That can leave you in a pretty scary place of anxiety. Perhaps you even experience panic attacks while driving to work because you’re concerned about your tinnitus flaring up while you’re in a meeting. That panic attack, in and of itself, can cause the very episode you’re worried about.
Tips For Coping With Tinnitus
The more you know about tinnitus, the better you can plan for and control the effects. And management is the real key since tinnitus doesn’t have a known cure. With the proper treatment, there’s no reason that chronic tinnitus has to negatively affect your quality of life.
Tinnitus Retraining Therapy is One Option
Several treatment options for tinnitus incorporate some kind of tinnitus retraining therapy (or TRT). The analogy that gets floated around frequently is the sound of rain on your roof: it’s very loud and noticeable when it first starts but by the time the storm is ending you stop focusing on it and recedes into the background. TRT uses the same principle to train your brain to move the tinnitus symptoms into the background of your thoughts so you will have an easier time tuning it out.
It can take practice to master this method.
Get Your Brain Distracted
One of the reasons that tinnitus can be so infuriating is because your brain is continuously searching for the source of that sound, attempting to signal you to its presence. So giving your brain a variety of different sounds to focus on can be really helpful. Try these:
- Take a book to the park and listen to the birds while you read.
- Have music playing while painting a picture.
- Take a bubble bath while reading a book.
You get the gist: Your tinnitus might be able to be decreased by engaging your brain.
Meditation, as an alternate path, helps you concentrate your attention on a mantra, or your breathing which helps take your focus away from your tinnitus. Some individuals have found that meditation reduces their blood pressure, which can also be helpful with tinnitus.
Consider a Hearing Aid For Tinnitus Management
Several hearing aid companies have developed hearing aids that help reduce the ringing in your ear. Hearing aids are a great option because you put them in and can forget about it the entire day, you don’t need to carry around a white noise machine or constantly listen to an app. The ringing will be managed by the hearing aid and you can relax and enjoy your life.
Have a Plan (And Follow-Through)
The impact of some tinnitus episodes can be lessened, and your stress reaction can be controlled if you have a practical plan for any spikes in your symptoms. Pack a bag of practical items to take with you. Anything that can help you be ready for a tinnitus surge, even creating a list of helpful exercises will be good because it will keep you from having a panic attack!
The Key is Management
There is no cure for tinnitus which is often chronic. But management and treatment of tinnitus is a very real possibility. These daily tips (and more similar to them) can help make certain you are living with tinnitus, and not suffering from tinnitus.
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References
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3303565/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5050200/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17956798/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4447068/
https://journals.plos.org/ploscompbiol/article?id=10.1371/journal.pcbi.1008664