The actual problem with chronic tinnitus is not simply that you have a ringing in your ears. It’s the constant never ending ringing, that’s the real problem.
The constant noise, possibly somewhat modest in volume, may start as little more than a nuisance. But the ringing can become frustrating and even incapacitating if it persists for days or months or more.
That’s why it’s crucial that if you are living with tinnitus you follow some tips to make life easier. When you’re lying in bed, having difficulty falling asleep because you keep hearing ringing from your left ear, having a plan is going to help you a lot.
How You Can Worsen Your Tinnitus
It’s important to remember that tinnitus is often not static. There are spikes and valleys in the presentation of symptoms. There are times when your tinnitus is minor and virtually lost in the background. At other times the sounds will be screeching in your ears so loudly it’s impossible to disregard.
This can be a really uncertain and frightening situation. Perhaps you even get panic attacks while driving to work because you’re worried about your tinnitus flaring up during a meeting. That panic attack, in and of itself, can lead to the very episode you’re worried about.
Tips For Living With Tinnitus
The more you know about tinnitus, the better you can plan for and manage 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 needs to negatively affect your quality of life.
Tinnitus Retraining Therapy is One Option
Tinnitus retraining therapy (TRT) is a standard approach to tinnitus management. The analogy that gets used most often is the sound of rain on your rooftops: it’s very loud and obvious when it first begins but by the time the storm is ending you stop paying attention to it and fades into the background. TRT uses the same concept to train your brain to move the tinnitus symptoms into the background of your thoughts so you will have an easier time ignoring them.
It can take training to master this method.
Distract Your Brain
One of the reasons that tinnitus can be so frustrating is because your brain is continuously looking for the source of that noise, trying to alert you to its presence. So supplying your brain with a range of different sounds to concentrate on can be quite helpful. You could:
- Do some drawing or painting while playing music.
- Enjoy some time outdoors listening to the sounds of nature.
- Take a bubble bath while reading a book.
You get the idea: engaging your brain can help you control your tinnitus.
Alternately, many individuals have found that meditation helps because it focuses your attention on something else, your breath, a mantra, and etc. Another advantage of meditation, at least for some, is that it can reduce blood pressure which is a known cause of tinnitus symptoms.
Manage Tinnitus With a Hearing Aid
Several hearing aid companies have manufactured hearing aids that help decrease the ringing in your ear. This option is very convenient because they are small and out of your way compared to other strategies. The ringing will be managed by the hearing aid and you can relax and enjoy your life.
Make a Plan (And Follow-Through)
The effect of some tinnitus episodes can be minimized, and your stress response can be managed if you have a good plan for any spikes in your symptoms. Pack a bag of useful items to bring with you. Anything that will help you be more prepared and keep you from having a panic attack, like making a list of helpful exercises, will go a long way toward management.
The Key is Management
There’s no cure for tinnitus which is often chronic. But that doesn’t mean that individuals cannot manage and treat their tinnitus. These everyday tips (and more like 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