With chronic tinnitus, it’s not the ringing in your ears that’s the real problem. It’s the continual never ending ringing, that’s the real issue.

The constant noise, possibly somewhat moderate in volume, might begin 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 follow some tips to make life easier. It can make a big difference if you have a plan when you’re lying in bed struggling to fall asleep because of the ringing or buzzing in your ear.

Your Tinnitus Can be Made Worse

Chronic tinnitus, after all, is often not a static condition. There are increases and decreases in the presentation of symptoms. At times, your tinnitus may be an afterthought, lost in the background of daily life. At other times, that ringing could be as hard to dismiss as a full-blown, individualized symphony.

This can be a really uncertain and scary situation. You may be so concerned about your tinnitus flaring up while you’re in a meeting that you have a panic attack while you’re driving to work. 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 prepare for and control tinnitus the more you know about it. And, because there’s no known cure for tinnitus, management of symptoms is vital. With the appropriate treatment, there’s no reason that chronic tinnitus has to negatively affect your quality of life.

Tinnitus Retraining Therapy is One Option

Several treatment options for tinnitus incorporate some kind of tinnitus retraining therapy (or TRT). The sound of rain on a roof is a common analogy: very apparent 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. TRT uses the same principle to teach your brain to move the tinnitus symptoms into the background of your thoughts so you will have an easier time tuning it out.

Mastering this method can take some practice.

Distract Your Brain

One reason tinnitus can be so frustrating is because your brain is continuously looking for the source of that sound, trying to signal you to its presence. So giving your brain a variety of different sounds to concentrate on can be really helpful. You could:

• Read a book while soaking in a bubble bath.
• Do some drawing or painting while listening to music.
• Take a book to the park and listen to the birds while you read.

You get the gist: Your tinnitus might be able to be reduced by engaging your brain.

Alternately, many people have found that meditation helps because it focuses your attention on something else, your breath, a mantra, and so on. Another benefit of meditation, at least for some people, is that it can reduce blood pressure which is a known cause of tinnitus symptoms.

Think about a Hearing Aid For Tinnitus Management

Hearing aids that help reduce tinnitus symptoms are already being manufactured by a number of hearing aid companies. This solution is really convenient because they are small and out of your way compared to other approaches. The ringing will be managed by the hearing aid and you can relax and enjoy your life.

Have a Plan (And Follow-Through)

Making a plan for unforeseen surges can help you handle your stress-out reaction, and that can help you decrease certain tinnitus episodes (or at least keep from exacerbating them). Plan on having a “go bag” containing things you might need. Anything that can help you be ready for a tinnitus spike, even making a list of helpful exercises will be beneficial because it will keep you from panicking!

The Key is Management

Chronic tinnitus is a condition that has no known cure. But that doesn’t mean that people can’t regulate and treat their tinnitus. Make sure you are dealing with your tinnitus not suffering from it by using these tips and any others that you find helpful.

Call Today to Set Up an Appointment

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