The actual issue with chronic tinnitus is not just that you have a ringing in your ears. The real problem is that the ringing won’t stop.
Initially, this may be a mild noise that’s not much more than a little 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 crucial that if you are coping with tinnitus you adhere to some tips to make life easier. It can make a big difference if you have a plan when you’re lying in bed unable to fall asleep because of the ringing or buzzing in your ear.
Your Tinnitus Can be Exacerbated
It’s important to remember that tinnitus is frequently not static. Symptoms manifest themselves in spikes and valleys. There are times when your tinnitus is mild and virtually lost in the background. At other times, that ringing could be as difficult to ignore as a full-blown, individualized symphony.
That can leave you in a very scary place of uncertainty. You may be so worried about your tinnitus flaring up while you’re in a meeting that you get a panic attack while you’re driving to work. And the very panic attack brought on by this worry can itself cause the tinnitus.
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, management of symptoms is essential. With the right treatment, there’s no reason that chronic tinnitus has to negatively affect your quality of life.
Tinnitus Retraining Therapy is One Option
Tinnitus retraining therapy (TRT) is a common strategy for tinnitus management. The analogy that gets floated around frequently is the sound of rain on your roof: very apparent at the beginning of a storm, but you stop focusing on it after a while and that rain-on-rooftops sound goes into the background. It’s the same basic concept with TRT, training your brain to move that ringing into the background of your attention where it’s easier to dismiss.
Mastering this technique can take a bit of practice.
Get Your Brain Distracted
One reason tinnitus can be so frustrating is because your brain is constantly searching for the source of that noise, trying to alert you to its presence. So supplying your brain with a range of different sounds to focus on can be quite helpful. Try these:
- Take a bubble bath and read a book.
- Do some drawing or painting while playing music.
- Bring a book to the park and listen to the birds while reading.
You get the point: Your tinnitus might be able to be reduced by engaging your brain.
Alternately, many individuals have found that meditation helps because it focuses your attention on something else, your breathing, a mantra, and so on. Another benefit of meditation, at least for some people, is that it can reduce blood pressure which is a known cause of tinnitus symptoms.
Manage Tinnitus With a Hearing Aid
Hearing aids that help decrease tinnitus symptoms are already being manufactured by numerous hearing aid companies. This option 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 Stick to it)
The effect of some tinnitus episodes can be lessened, and your stress reaction can be managed if you have a good plan for any surges in your symptoms. Think about having a “go bag” full of things you might need. Anything that can help you be ready for a tinnitus surge, even generating a list of useful exercises will be good because it will keep you from panicking!
The Key is Management
Chronic tinnitus is a condition that has no known cure. But control and treatment of tinnitus is a very real potential. Make sure you are managing your tinnitus not suffering from it by utilizing 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