Do you notice a strange ringing, whooshing or other obnoxious sound at various times? You may have tinnitus. Tinnitus is a condition that afflicts people around their senior years usually, from 55 to around 65 years of age. Keep reading for insight on how to deal with this sometimes disturbing condition.
It’s imperative to remain calm when you begin to hear a ringing sound in your ears. It is not always a sign of a condition you should worry about. If the ringing persists, consider contacting a doctor. Even if a doctor’s visit is necessary, continue to remain calm for the benefit of your overall health.
Avoid instances where you are exposed to loud sounds. If this is not possible, consider using earplugs. Many times tinnitus can be caused by being exposed to noises that are too loud. Avoid damaging your hearing further by using protection. This can also prevent the occurrence of an attack from an existing case of tinnitus.
Make it a goal to drift off into sleep within 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, get out of bed and go into another room right away. Don’t do any activity that is stressful or takes too much strength. Do something enjoyable and relaxing. Preserving your bed for a place of sleep only, you will help to avoid the annoying tossing and turning when you hope to be sleeping.
Go through a course of cognitive behavioral therapy run by a licensed counselor. The reason to get help is to find ways to get your attention off your tinnitus. Therapy is an occasion to talk about your frustrations and anger related to your tinnitus. This helps you cope with it better. You can’t live a happy life if all you think about is tinnitus.
See a counselor for cognitive behavioral therapy. The goal of going to therapy is to not focus on you tinnitus. Seeing a professional therapist will help you get past life issues, like anger or depression, that might be contributing to your tinnitus. It’s important to learn these coping skills to help you manage your tinnitus better and live a higher-quality life. The main goal is to use whatever means necessary to take control of how you feel about your tinnitus instead of letting it control you.
Wear ear plugs when you go swimming in order to not exacerbate your tinnitus symptoms. This is because when water enters your ear, it can worsen symptoms of tinnitus. As silly as it may sound, you may want to also wear ear plugs when you take a shower.
Get a physician to wash out your ears as a first step against tinnitus. A build-up of wax will block your ear canal, causing the sound in your ears to swell and grow louder.
One of the first treatment methods you should try if you develop tinnitus is to get your ears cleaned by a physician or other health care expert. Wax build up can make tinnitus significantly worse, and the use of cotton swabs in your ears can compact it against your ear drum.
Tinnitus is characterized by an incessant noise in your ears that only you can hear. The more severe cases can be debilitating. If your tinnitus is preventing you from sleeping, some background noise can help to muffle the ringing or distract your mind from it. Try turning on a fan or playing some soft, calming music, and see if that helps you get to sleep more easily.
Many prescription meds can cause tinnitus, so consider whether your symptoms started with a new medication. Certain prescription and over-the-counter drugs may cause tinnitus, after awhile. By ceasing the doses of these drugs, your tinnitus symptoms can disappear. Consult a physician and inquire as to whether your medications could be the culprit. If so, request a new prescription for something different.
Purchase something that produces white noise, like a fan or a noise machine. Noise items can help put you to sleep when you suffer from tinnitus. Try listening to different noises, and choose something you find relaxing. White noise can cause a distraction from your tinnitus until you fall asleep.
Tinnitus is a condition that can make you feel like you are losing your mind. If you cannot sleep at night due to your tinnitus, use some white noise like relaxing music or a fan to mask the sound.
There is evidence indicating that tinnitus is caused by inflammation. Taking this into consideration, switching to a dietary regimen with anti-inflammatory elements is a wise strategy to adopt in your symptom management attempts. A dietary regimen such as this would include plentiful servings of both fruits and vegetables, but also known anti-inflammatories like flax seed oils and salmon.
Use other sounds to drown out the sounds you hear from tinnitus, if it bothers you while you are trying to sleep. Try the different noises, and find one that is the most relaxing to you. White noise is a great way to distract your mind from the sound in your ears so you can relax and fall asleep.
If you have had tinnitus before, you should let any new doctor know this. Many medicines can make your condition worse. By informing your doctor of your condition, you are alerting them to the necessity to consider your tinnitus when prescribing any medications.
Try making a change in your diet. Some people have found relief from tinnitus by carefully scrutinizing their diet. Some suggest Vitamin B-12, giving up coffee, and supplementing your diet with gingko biloba. You should adopt one new habit at a time, so you can monitor the results and possibly negative changes.
Do not turn the volume too loud when you are listening to something. Loud music may sound good, but continued exposure to loud noises can cause hearing loss, as well as putting you at risk for developing or worsening tinnitus. If loud noise is unavoidable, wear earplugs. Set all your music and other entertainment devices to reasonable levels.
If you have ever gotten a tinnitus diagnosis, it is critical to notify your doctor on your first visit with him or her. The symptoms of tinnitus can be caused or increased by the use of certain types of prescription medications. By reminding your doctor about your condition, hopefully you can ensure that he or she does not prescribe or recommend a medication that might make the ringing more intense.
Fill your schedule with exciting activities in which you like to participate. This can distract you from the constant ringing in your ears. While some people allow tinnitus to take over your lives, you don’t have to. Instead of focusing on your condition, allow yourself to get out of the house and enjoy some quality time with friends and family.
Get enough sleep every night to help calm your tinnitus. Don’t let your life run you down and exhaust you. Pay attention to the amount of sleep you get each night, and take naps if you need to, in order the lessen the symptoms of tinnitus.
You need to have a positive attitude if you are going to fight tinnitus. You will only be discouraged if you lay around thinking about the ringing in your ears. If you are sad about your problems, it actually fuels them and exhausts you since you stay focused about your problems. Stay in a positive frame of mind and you won’t be as bothered by your tinnitus symptoms.
One way to deal with tinnitus is to minimize the effect it has on you while you are at home. You should turn on your air conditioning, but only the fan part and your heating system, so you have a little sound in background for you at all times. Practically any device that makes a low, pleasant sound can be used to produce white noise. Consider buying an aquarium or table top fountain. When each room of your home is filled with soothing background noise, your tinnitus may only bother you when you are away from home and too distracted to be bothered.
Having the TV or radio on softly, while working, could seem distracting, but it can mask the ringing sounds of tinnitus and become an effective coping strategy. If you can drown the ringing out, you’ll be able to accomplish your work.
Now that you are aware of new knowledge about this affliction, you are enlightened as to the initial steps you can take towards a better quality of life. But, keep in mind that what you think is tinnitus could be something else, such as an ear infection, which is why it is wise to speak with a doctor.
Most people who experience tinnitus find hypnotherapy very helpful. Hypnosis works best for individuals who experience their tinnitus symptoms at night. In some cases, it is efficient enough to make all the symptoms disappear. Meeting regularly with an experienced hypnotherapist may be the most effective means of treating or eliminating tinnitus.