The real issue with chronic tinnitus isn’t just that you have a ringing in your ears. It’s the continuous non-stop ringing, that’s the real problem.
The continuous noise, perhaps rather moderate in volume, may begin as little more than an annoyance. But the ringing can become aggravating and even incapacitating if it persists for days or months or more.
That’s why it’s essential to have some tips to fall back on, tips that make living with tinnitus less difficult. When you’re lying in bed, having trouble falling asleep because you keep hearing ringing from your right ear, having a plan is going to help you a lot.
Your Tinnitus Can be Exacerbated
Chronic tinnitus, after all, is commonly not a static problem. There are spikes and valleys in the presentation of symptoms. Sometimes, your tinnitus might be an afterthought, lost in the background of daily life. At other times, that ringing could be as difficult to ignore as a full-blown, individualized symphony.
That can leave you in a rather scary place of anxiety. Perhaps you even experience panic attacks while driving to work because you’re worried about your tinnitus flaring up during a meeting. And the very panic attack caused by this worry can itself trigger the tinnitus.
Tips For Living With Tinnitus
You will be in a better position to plan for and manage tinnitus the more you understand about it. And, because there’s no known cure for tinnitus, management of symptoms is vital. With the correct management, 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 sound of rain on a roof is a common analogy: very apparent at the beginning of a storm, but you stop focusing on it after a while and that rain-on-rooftops sound fades 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.
Perfecting this technique can take some practice.
Distract Your Brain
One reason tinnitus can be so infuriating is because your brain is continuously searching for the source of that noise, attempting to signal you to its presence. So supplying your brain with more (and varied) stimulation to concentrate on can be helpful. You could:
- Do some drawing or painting while listening to music.
- Take a bubble bath and read a book.
- Bring a book to the park and listen to the birds while reading.
You get the point: Your tinnitus may be able to be reduced by engaging your brain.
Alternately, many individuals have found that meditation helps because it concentrates your attention on something else, your breath, a mantra, and etc. Some individuals have discovered that meditation decreases their blood pressure, which can also be helpful with tinnitus.
Manage Tinnitus With a Hearing Aid
Many hearing aid companies have developed hearing aids that help minimize the ringing in your ear. Hearing aids are a great solution because you put them in and can forget about it 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 manage the ringing for you.
Have a Plan (And Stick to it)
The impact of some tinnitus episodes can be minimized, and your stress response can be controlled if you have a good plan for any surges in your symptoms. Pack a bag of practical 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 practical exercises, will go a long way toward management.
The Key is Management
There is no cure for tinnitus which is usually chronic. But that doesn’t mean that people cannot manage and treat their tinnitus. These daily tips (and more similar to 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