With chronic tinnitus, it’s not the ringing in your ears that’s the actual issue. The real problem is that the ringing doesn’t stop.

The constant noise, perhaps somewhat moderate in volume, may start as little more than an annoyance. 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 coping with tinnitus you adhere to 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 Worsen Your Tinnitus

Chronic tinnitus, in fact, is often not a static condition. There are spikes and valleys in the presentation of symptoms. There are times when your tinnitus is mild and practically lost in the background. At other times the noises will be screeching in your ears so loudly it’s impossible to disregard.

That can leave you in a rather frightening place of anxiety. Maybe you even experience 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 trigger the very episode you’re worried about.

Tips For Living With Tinnitus

The more you know about tinnitus, the better you can plan for and control the effects. And, because there’s no known cure for tinnitus, control of symptoms is essential. There’s no reason that your quality of life has to suffer if you establish the proper treatment.

Tinnitus Retraining Therapy is One Approach

Tinnitus retraining therapy (TRT) is a standard strategy for tinnitus management. The analogy that gets used most often is the sound of rain on your roof: it’s very loud and noticeable when it first begins but by the time the storm is ending you stop paying attention to it and fades into the background. It’s the same basic concept with TRT, teaching your brain to move that ringing into the background of your thoughts where it’s easier to ignore.

Mastering this method can take a bit of practice.

Distract Your Brain

One of the reasons that tinnitus can be so infuriating is because your brain is continuously 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 concentrate on can be very helpful. You could:

• Do some drawing or painting while playing music.
• Bring a book to the park and listen to the birds while you read.
• Take a bubble bath while reading a book.

You get the point: Your tinnitus might be able to be decreased by engaging your brain.

Alternately, many people have found that meditation helps because it concentrates your attention on something else, your breath, a mantra, and so on. Another benefit of meditation, at least for some, 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 reduce tinnitus symptoms are already being manufactured by numerous hearing aid companies. Hearing aids are an ideal option because you put them in and can forget about them the entire day, you won’t need to carry around a white noise generator or constantly listen to an app. 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 handle your stress-out response, and that can help you decrease certain tinnitus episodes (or at least keep from exacerbating them). Pack a bag of practical items to take with you. Anything that can help you be ready for a tinnitus spike, even generating a list of useful exercises will be good because it will keep you from having a panic attack!

The Key is Management

There is no cure for tinnitus which is often chronic. But that doesn’t mean that people cannot manage and treat their tinnitus. Make sure you are dealing with 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