With chronic tinnitus, it’s not the ringing in your ears that’s the real problem. It’s the continuous non-stop ringing, that’s the real problem.
The constant noise, possibly somewhat moderate in volume, might begin as little more than an annoyance. 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 crucial to have some tips to fall back on, tips that make living with tinnitus easier. When you’re lying in bed, having difficulty falling asleep because you keep hearing ringing from your right ear, having a plan is going to do you a world of good.
How You Can Worsen Your Tinnitus
It’s beneficial to keep in mind that tinnitus is often not static. Symptoms manifest 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 dismiss as a full-blown, personalized symphony.
That can leave you in a pretty frightening place of anxiety. Maybe you even get panic attacks while driving to work because you’re concerned about your tinnitus flaring up during a meeting. That panic attack, in and of itself, can cause the very situation you’re worried about.
Tips For Coping With Tinnitus
You will be in a better position to prepare for and control tinnitus the more you understand about it. And management is crucial since tinnitus doesn’t have a known cure. There’s no reason that your quality of life needs to suffer if you establish the right treatment.
Tinnitus Retraining Therapy is One Option
Tinnitus retraining therapy (TRT) is a common strategy for tinnitus management. The sound of rain on a roof is a common analogy: very apparent at the beginning of a storm, but you stop focusing on it after a while and that rain-on-rooftops sound fades into the background. TRT uses the same concept to train your brain to push the tinnitus symptoms into the background of your thoughts so you will have an easier time tuning it out.
It can take training to master this method.
Get Your Brain Distracted
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 supplying your brain with more (and varied) stimulation to concentrate on can be helpful. Try these:
- Bring a book to the park and listen to the birds while you read.
- Take a bubble bath while reading a book.
- Play music while you paint a picture.
You get the point: engaging your brain can help you control your tinnitus.
Alternately, many people have found that meditation helps because it focuses your attention on something else, your breath, a mantra, and so on. Another benefit of meditation, at least for some, is that it can lower blood pressure which is a common cause of tinnitus symptoms.
Consider a Hearing Aid For Tinnitus Management
Numerous hearing aid companies have developed hearing aids that help reduce the ringing in your ear. This option is really convenient because they are small and out of your way compared to other approaches. You can relax and let a discreet hearing aid take care of the ringing for you.
Have a Plan (And Follow-Through)
Making a plan for unexpected surges can help you control your stress-out response, and that can help you decrease certain tinnitus episodes (or at least keep from exacerbating them). Think about having a “go bag” full of things you may need. Anything that will help you be more ready and keep you from having a panic attack, like making a list of practical exercises, will go a long way toward management.
Management is Key
Chronic tinnitus is an affliction that has no known cure. But management and treatment of tinnitus is a very real potential. Make certain you are managing 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