With chronic tinnitus, it’s not the ringing in your ears that’s the real issue. It’s the continuous non-stop ringing, that’s the real issue.
The constant noise, perhaps rather moderate in volume, may begin as little more than a nuisance. But after a day or a week or a month, that buzzing or ringing can become aggravating, frustrating, even incapacitating.
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 trouble falling asleep because you keep hearing buzzing from your right ear, having a plan is going to help you a lot.
How You Can Exacerbate Your Tinnitus
Chronic tinnitus, in fact, is commonly not a static problem. There are spikes and valleys in the manifestation of symptoms. At times, your tinnitus might be an afterthought, hidden in the background of daily life. At other times, that ringing could be as hard to dismiss as a full-blown, personalized symphony.
This can be a very uncertain and scary 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 situation you’re concerned about.
Tips For Living With Tinnitus
The more you know about tinnitus, the better you can prepare for and control the effects. And, because there’s no known cure for tinnitus, control of symptoms is essential. With the appropriate treatment, there’s no reason that chronic tinnitus has to negatively affect your quality of life.
Think About Tinnitus Retraining Therapy
Tinnitus retraining therapy (TRT) is a standard approach to tinnitus management. The sound of rain on a roof is a common analogy: very obvious at the start 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 idea with TRT, training your brain to move that ringing into the background of your thoughts where it’s easier to dismiss.
It can take training to master this method.
Get Your Brain Distracted
One of the reasons that tinnitus can be so frustrating is because your brain is continuously searching for the source of that sound, trying to alert you to its presence. So supplying your brain with more (and varied) stimulation to concentrate on can help. Try these:
- Bring a book to the park and listen to the birds while you read.
- Take a bubble bath and read a book.
- Have music playing while painting a picture.
You get the gist: Your tinnitus may be able to be decreased by engaging your brain.
Meditation, as an alternate path, helps you concentrate your attention on a mantra, or your breathing which helps take your attention away from your tinnitus. Some people have found that meditation reduces their blood pressure, which can also be helpful with tinnitus.
Manage Tinnitus With a Hearing Aid
Hearing aids that help minimize tinnitus symptoms are already being developed by several hearing aid companies. This solution is really convenient because they are small and out of your way compared to other strategies. The ringing will be handled 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 decreased, and your stress reaction can be managed if you have a practical plan for any surges in your symptoms. Pack a bag of practical items to bring with you. Anything that can help you be prepared for a tinnitus spike, even creating a list of useful exercises will be beneficial because it will keep you from having a panic attack!
Management is Key
There’s no cure for tinnitus which is often chronic. But that doesn’t mean that individuals cannot manage and treat their tinnitus. 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