With chronic tinnitus, it isn’t the ringing in your ears that’s the actual problem. The real issue is that the ringing won’t stop.
Initially, this may be a mild noise that’s not much more than a bit annoying. But the ringing can become frustrating and even incapacitating if it goes on 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. It can make a big difference if you have a plan when you’re lying in bed unable to fall asleep because of the buzzing or ringing in your ear.
Your Tinnitus Can be Exacerbated
Chronic tinnitus, in fact, is frequently not a static problem. There are increases and decreases in the manifestation of symptoms. 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.
This can be a really uncertain and frightening situation. Perhaps you even experience panic attacks while driving to work because you’re worried about your tinnitus flaring up while you’re in a meeting. And the very panic attack caused by this worry can itself trigger the tinnitus.
Tips For Coping With Tinnitus
You will be in a better position to prepare for and manage tinnitus the more you understand about it. And management is the key since tinnitus doesn’t have a known cure. With the correct management, there’s no reason that chronic tinnitus needs to negatively impact your quality of life.
Tinnitus Retraining Therapy is One Option
Many treatments for tinnitus involve some kind of tinnitus retraining therapy (or TRT). The analogy that gets used most often is the sound of rain on your rooftops: it’s very loud and obvious when it first starts but by the end of the storm you stop paying attention to it and recedes into the background. It’s the same basic idea with TRT, teaching your brain to move that ringing into the background of your attention where it’s easier to ignore.
It can take training to master this technique.
Distract Your Brain
One reason tinnitus can be so infuriating is because your brain is constantly looking for the source of that noise, trying to signal you to its presence. So supplying your brain with more (and varied) stimulation to concentrate on can be helpful. You could:
- Enjoy a book while soaking in a bubble bath.
- Bring a book to the park and listen to the birds while reading.
- Play music while painting a picture.
You get the gist: Your tinnitus might 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. Another advantage of meditation, at least for some people, is that it can lower 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 developed 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 deal with the ringing for you.
Have 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 good plan for any spikes in your symptoms. Pack a bag of practical items to bring with you. Anything that will help you be more prepared and keep you from having a panic attack, like making a list of practical exercises, will go a long way toward management.
The Key is Management
There’s no cure for tinnitus which is usually chronic. But management and treatment of tinnitus is a very real potential. These everyday tips (and more similar to them) can help make certain you are living with tinnitus, and not suffering from tinnitus.
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
