Woman with her eyes closed trying to get relief from tinnitus with retraining therapy.

The actual issue with chronic tinnitus is not 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 somewhat moderate in volume, may begin as little more than an annoyance. But after a day or a week or a month, that ringing or buzzing can become aggravating, frustrating, even incapacitating.

That’s why it’s crucial 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 buzzing or ringing in your ear.

How You Can Exacerbate Your Tinnitus

Chronic tinnitus, in fact, is commonly not a static problem. Symptoms present themselves in spikes and valleys. At times, your tinnitus might be an afterthought, hidden in the background of everyday life. In other moments, that ringing could be as difficult to ignore as a full-blown, personalized symphony.

This can be a really uncertain and scary situation. 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 situation you’re concerned about.

Tips For Coping With Tinnitus

You will be in a greater position to prepare for and manage tinnitus the more you know about it. And, because there’s no known cure for tinnitus, management of symptoms is vital. There’s no reason that your quality of life needs to suffer if you establish the proper treatment.

Consider Tinnitus Retraining Therapy

Tinnitus retraining therapy (TRT) is a standard strategy for 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 end of the storm you stop focusing on it and fades into the background. TRT uses the same concept 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 technique can take some practice.

Get Your Brain Distracted

One reason tinnitus can be so frustrating is because your brain is constantly searching for the source of that sound, attempting to alert you to its presence. So supplying your brain with more (and varied) stimuli to focus on can be helpful. You could:

  • Bring a book to the park and listen to the birds while reading.
  • Play music while painting a picture.
  • Take a bubble bath while reading a book.

You get the gist: engaging your brain can help you control your tinnitus.

Meditation, as an alternate approach, helps you concentrate your attention on a mantra, or your breathing which helps take your focus away from your tinnitus. Another benefit of meditation, at least for some people, is that it can decrease blood pressure which is a known cause of tinnitus symptoms.

Manage Tinnitus With a Hearing Aid

Many hearing aid companies have developed hearing aids that help decrease the ringing in your ear. Hearing aids are an ideal solution because you put them in and can forget about them the whole day, you won’t need to carry around a white noise machine or constantly use an app. You can relax and let a discreet hearing aid deal with the ringing for you.

Make a Plan (And Stick to it)

The effect of some tinnitus episodes can be lessened, 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 often chronic. But control 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.

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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

The site information is for educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. To receive personalized advice or treatment, schedule an appointment.