It is common for a person to have ringing in the ears sometimes. It may be the result of a sporting event, loud concert, or prolonged noise at work. While a short-term effect can be annoying, experiencing this more frequently can be a serious medical issue known as tinnitus. There are many potential causes of tinnitus, such as repeated exposure to loud noises, stress, or as a side effect of some medications. Keep reading for useful tips on dealing with tinnitus.
If a doctor tells you that there is nothing he or she can do to help you with your tinnitus, go speak with another doctor. Many doctors are inexperienced in this area, and someone else such as an ear, nose and throat specialist may have the answers you need.
White noise machines used while sleeping can be helpful. White noise many help you cope with tinnitus when you are falling asleep. Unfortunately, there are those whose tinnitus is worsened by white noise. You simply need to experiment to find out what will work best for you.
When you begin to hear the ringing, you must stay calm. Fortunately, tinnitus is more typically an annoyance than it is associated with any type of serious underlying problem. Even if it does abate, though, it’s a good idea to see your physician.
Cognitive-behavior therapy from a counselor may help. The purpose of this therapy would be to train you on how to not obsess and concentrate on your tinnitus every moment of every day. If you are experiencing frustration and discouragement because of your condition, it may be helpful to attend therapy of some sort. Doing so will make it easier to manage your emotions. Don’t let tinnitus control you. If you do, it will be hard to live a happy life.
When your tinnitus is acting up, your first step should be to visit an ear, nose and throat doctor (ENT) and to have your ears cleaned out. If you have wax buildup in your ears, it can increase your tinnitus, especially if you have compressed the wax against your ear drums by using cotton swabs.
If you have tinnitus, you should wear ear plugs whenever you go swimming. When swimming, it is very easy for water to seep into one or both of your ears. This can worsen tinnitus symptoms. Wearing ear plugs while showering can also prove beneficial.
Try to determine if your tinnitus symptoms began around the time that you started taking any new medications. A wide variety of prescription drugs have been known to cause tinnitus. By discontinuing your dosage of such drugs, your troubles with tinnitus might be resolved. If you are able to, in conjunction with a doctor, try quitting taking each drug one at a time to see if it helps.
Tinnitus Symptoms
Get organized so that you won’t cause yourself unnecessary stress. Stress makes tinnitus symptoms worse. Find a new job that you can do at your own pace, and try to spend as much time as possible relaxing with the people that you love.
It probably won’t help, but it can’t hurt to have your ears cleaned by a doctor if you are experiencing tinnitus symptoms. Wax can increase the severity of tinnitus symptoms, and in some cases, cotton swabs can hit the eardrum and cause temporary tinnitus symptoms.
Look carefully at stress and determine how to eliminate it to help relieve tinnitus symptoms. Sometimes, tinnitus can be symptomatic of emotional problems. Give yourself more time to do things and plan your life out ahead of time to minimize stress. Gradually add deep relaxation techniques to your daily routine until they become a simple part of your life that you practice habitually.
Try and remember when your tinnitus first appeared. Determine if you started taking a prescription medication around the same time. A lot of drugs have been known to cause tinnitus, and the symptoms can stop by quitting the medication. Talk to your doctor about stopping or switching medications. If you take more than one drug, try switching one medication at a time. Wait about a week after stopping or switching a medication to see if tinnitus symptoms disappear.
Make some changes in your diet. Some people have found relief from tinnitus by carefully scrutinizing their diet. Some people have found relief by avoiding caffeinated drinks like coffee. Both gingko biloba and vitamin B12 have been suggested as helpful for relieving tinnitus symptoms. You should adopt one new habit at a time, so you can monitor the results and possibly negative changes.
Tinnitus can be exacerbated by stress, so maintaining an organized, low-stress lifestyle is important. Finding employment that allows you to work at a personally optimized pace, and spending all available hours with those you cherish are both good tactics.
If you have a diagnosis of tinnitus, be sure to mention it on the first visit if you see a new doctor. Tinnitus is listed as a symptom in more that 200 different medications on the market. A gentle reminder will help medical professionals keep your condition in mind when treating other issues with medications.
Tinnitus, which is a ringing sound in the ears, is a disturbing condition that can make you feel like you are losing your mind! If you have a hard time going to sleep, turn on the TV, listen to some music to help you fall asleep.
Seek out other people who suffer from tinnitus as well. You can find fellow sufferers via online support groups, classified ads, and through other means. Finding others dealing with the same thing you are can help you to cope and to find answers. Your peers will have been through what you’re going through and may have ideas which can help you ease your suffering, reduce the symptoms of your condition and start living life freely again.
If you were diagnosed as having tinnitus by another physician, let any other doctor you see know about this condition. There are many medications, over-the-counter and prescription, which can worsen the symptoms of tinnitus. Tell your doctor if you have tinnitus so that he does not prescribe you one of those medications that can worsen your tinnitus.
Think positively to combat tinnitus. If all you ever do is focus on the ringing in your ears, the problem will consume you. Feeling sorry for yourself will exacerbate the condition and cheat you out of happiness. When you focus on positive thinking, you will change your perception of your tinnitus symptoms.
Always listen to music or TV with a moderate volume. While it may seem like a lot more enjoyable, when you are listening to things that are at a high volume over and over, you have the chance of getting permanent hearing loss, or you may make your tinnitus worse. Get some earplugs, and turn the volume on your TV or radio to a reasonable level.
Get actively involved in stress reduction. Tinnitus can magnify small stress into big stress. This can leave you more susceptible to becoming aggravated by even the smallest things. You’ll be able to work to treat your tinnitus as soon as your stress levels are under control.
Stress management techniques are very important for anyone who fights tinnitus. Tinnitus is stressful enough and you should not make your stress worse. Time management can help you reduce stress. Leave enough time so that you don’t have to rush to be someplace on time. This will help you stop yourself from stressing every time you leave the house. It’s also important to deal with depression, sadness or anger so that these problems don’t cause you unnecessary stress. By taking these steps, your overall stress levels will be lower when you are forced to deal with your tinnitus.
Look into using a hearing aid. A hearing aid can reduce your tinnitus if it is caused by a hearing problem. If your tinnitus keeps you from hearing properly, then the aid will be beneficial in improving this.
Tinnitus has many causes but no cure. These are some of the triggers that may be the cause of that ringing in your ears. Luckily, there are ways to treat and maybe even permanently cure tinnitus. This can be done if the right methods are taken. Keep the useful advice of this article in mind and talk to a medical professional if your tinnitus persists.
A lot of people drink alcohol, whether it’s due to a celebration or social gathering, or simply a way to relax. The dilation of blood vessels, which results in a more forceful blood flow, is something you should keep in mind. Tinnitus is just an amplification of the sound of the blood rushing through your veins, so the faster and stronger it moves, the more sound you’ll hear. Reducing your alcohol intake is a good idea if you want to help solve your tinnitus problem.