The actual problem with chronic tinnitus is not simply that you have a ringing in your ears. It’s the constant never ending ringing, that’s the real issue.
Initially, this might be a moderate noise that’s not much more than a bit annoying. But after a day or a week or a month, that buzzing or ringing can become aggravating, frustrating, even debilitating.
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
Chronic tinnitus, in fact, is commonly not a static problem. Symptoms present themselves in spikes and valleys. Sometimes, your tinnitus may be an afterthought, hidden in the background of daily life. In other moments, that ringing could be as difficult to dismiss as a full-blown, individualized symphony.
That can leave you in a pretty scary place of uncertainty. Maybe you even get panic attacks while driving to work because you’re concerned about your tinnitus flaring up while you’re in a meeting. That panic attack, in and of itself, can cause the very episode you’re worried about.
Tips For Living With Tinnitus
The more you understand about tinnitus, the better you can plan for and manage the effects. And, because there’s no known cure for tinnitus, management of symptoms is essential. With the proper management, there’s no reason that chronic tinnitus has to negatively affect your quality of life.
Consider Tinnitus Retraining Therapy
Tinnitus retraining therapy (TRT) is a common approach to tinnitus management. The sound of rain on a rooftop is a common analogy: it’s very loud and obvious when it first starts but by the time the storm is ending you stop paying attention to it and fades into the background. It’s the same basic strategy 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 get this technique down.
Get Your Brain Distracted
Your brain is continuously looking for the source of the noise and that’s one of the reasons why tinnitus can be so aggravating. So giving your brain a range of different sounds to focus on can be very helpful. Try these:
- Read a book while taking a bubble bath.
- Have music playing while painting a picture.
- Bring a book to the park and listen to the birds while you read.
You get the gist: Your tinnitus might be able to be decreased by engaging your brain.
Alternately, many individuals have found that meditation helps because it focuses your attention on something else, your breath, a mantra, and etc. 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 manufactured by numerous hearing aid companies. This option is very 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)
Having a plan for unexpected spikes can help you control your stress-out response, and that can help you minimize certain tinnitus episodes (or at least keep from worsening them). Plan on having a “go bag” full of stuff you might need. Anything that will help you be more prepared and keep you from panicking, like making a list of helpful 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 sure you are dealing with your tinnitus not suffering from it by utilizing these tips and any others that you find helpful.
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
