The actual problem with chronic tinnitus is not simply that you have a ringing in your ears. It’s the continuous never ending ringing, that’s the real issue.
Initially, this may be a moderate noise that’s not much more than a bit annoying. But after a day or a week or a month, that ringing or buzzing can become aggravating, frustrating, even incapacitating.
That’s why it’s essential to have some tips to fall back on, tips that make living with tinnitus simpler. It can make a huge difference if you have a plan when you’re lying in bed struggling to fall asleep because of the ringing or buzzing in your ear.
How You Can Exacerbate Your Tinnitus
Chronic tinnitus, in fact, is often not a static condition. Symptoms present themselves in spikes and valleys. There are times when your tinnitus is minor and virtually lost in the background. At other times, that ringing could be as difficult to ignore as a full-blown, individualized symphony.
This can be a very uncertain and frightening situation. You may be so worried about your tinnitus flaring up while you’re in a meeting that you get a panic attack while driving to work. 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 prepare for and manage the effects. And, because there’s no known cure for tinnitus, control of symptoms is essential. There’s no reason that your quality of life needs to suffer if you put in place the proper treatment.
Consider Tinnitus Retraining Therapy
Several treatment options for tinnitus include some form of tinnitus retraining therapy (or TRT). The analogy that gets floated around frequently is the sound of rain on your rooftops: very apparent at the start of a storm, but you stop paying attention to it after a while and that rain-on-rooftops sound goes into the background. TRT uses the same concept to teach your brain to push the tinnitus symptoms into the background of your thoughts so you will have an easier time ignoring them.
Mastering this technique can take a bit of practice.
Distract Your Brain
Your brain is constantly looking for the source of the sound and that’s one of the reasons why tinnitus can be so aggravating. So giving your brain more (and varied) stimulation to focus on can be helpful. Try these:
- Take a bubble bath and read a book.
- Enjoy some time outside listening to the sounds of nature.
- Do some drawing or painting while playing music.
You get the gist: Your tinnitus might be able to be reduced by engaging your brain.
Meditation, as an alternate path, helps you focus your attention on a mantra, or your breathing which helps take your focus away from your tinnitus. Some individuals have discovered that meditation reduces their blood pressure, which can also be helpful with tinnitus.
Think about a Hearing Aid For Tinnitus Management
Many hearing aid companies have manufactured hearing aids that help decrease the ringing in your ear. This solution is really convenient because they are small and out of your way compared to other strategies. You can relax and let a discreet hearing aid take care of the ringing for you.
Make a Plan (And Follow-Through)
The effect of some tinnitus episodes can be decreased, and your stress response can be controlled if you have a good plan for any spikes in your symptoms. Plan on having a “go bag” containing stuff you might need. Anything that can help you be ready for a tinnitus surge, even making a list of helpful exercises will be beneficial because it will keep you from panicking!
The Key is Management
There is no cure for tinnitus which is usually chronic. But management and treatment of tinnitus is a very real potential. Make certain you are dealing with your tinnitus not suffering from it by using these tips and any others that you find helpful.
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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