The real problem with chronic tinnitus is not simply that you have a ringing in your ears. It’s the continual non-stop ringing, that’s the real issue.
The constant noise, possibly somewhat moderate 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 critical 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 left ear, having a plan is going to help you a lot.
How You Can Exacerbate Your Tinnitus
It’s beneficial to remember that tinnitus is commonly not static. There are spikes and valleys in the presentation of symptoms. Sometimes, your tinnitus might be an afterthought, hidden in the background of daily life. At other times the sounds will be screeching in your ears so loudly it’s impossible to disregard.
That can leave you in a rather scary place of uncertainty. You may be so worried about your tinnitus flaring up while you’re in a meeting that you have a panic attack while you’re driving to work. That panic attack, in and of itself, can trigger the very episode you’re concerned about.
Tips For Coping With Tinnitus
You will be in a greater position to plan for and control tinnitus the more you understand about it. And, because there’s no known cure for tinnitus, management 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
Many treatment options for tinnitus incorporate some kind of tinnitus retraining therapy (or TRT). The sound of rain on a roof is a common analogy: 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. It’s the same basic concept with TRT, training your brain to move that ringing into the background of your thoughts where it’s easier to ignore.
Mastering this strategy can take some practice.
Get Your Brain Distracted
Your brain is continuously 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 a variety of different sounds to concentrate on can be really helpful. Try these:
- Take a book to the park and listen to the birds while you read.
- Take a bubble bath while reading a book.
- Do some drawing or painting while listening to music.
You get the gist: Your tinnitus might be able to be decreased by engaging your brain.
Alternately, many individuals have discovered that meditation helps because it concentrates your attention on something else, your breathing, a mantra, and so on. Some people have discovered that meditation decreases their blood pressure, which can also help with tinnitus.
Consider a Hearing Aid For Tinnitus Management
Hearing aids that help minimize tinnitus symptoms are already being developed by a number of hearing aid companies. Hearing aids are a great solution because you put them in and can forget about them the entire day, you don’t need to carry around a white noise generator or constantly listen to an app. You can relax and let a discreet hearing aid deal with the ringing for you.
Have a Plan (And Stick to it)
Making a plan for unexpected spikes can help you handle your stress-out response, and that can help you decrease certain tinnitus episodes (or at least keep from worsening them). Pack a bag of useful items to take 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
Chronic tinnitus is a condition that has no known cure. But control and treatment of tinnitus is a very real possibility. These daily 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