Tinnitus, that irksome ringing or buzzing in your ear, can negatively impact your life in more ways than you realize. Let’s take a look at a few management strategies and how improving tinnitus symptoms can benefit your life.
Tinnitus Management Strategies
Three standard approaches for managing tinnitus include:
- Sound masking. Sound masking involves listening to a calming external noise to distract your brain from the internal ringing. You can do it with a noise machine, a fan, a phone app or hearing aids.
- Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). A mental health professional can use CBT to help you reframe your negative response to tinnitus.
- Tinnitus retraining therapy (TRT). Like sound masking, TRT uses noise to desensitize the brain to tinnitus. Instead of a constant, soothing sound, TRT uses patterned tones to distract the brain.
Stress relief is another form of tinnitus management you can do at home. A 2023 study found that psychosocialstress has the same probability of causing tinnitus as occupational noise exposure. Unfortunately, tinnitus can also cause stress, leading to a hard-to-leave cycle. Try a few of the following stress-relieving activities:
- Take a weekly class at Truth In Motion Yoga
- Listen to a nightly meditation
- Write in a journal
- Read your favorite book
Tinnitus relief is often multifaceted. You may need to try a few things to find the right combination to suppress the ringing.
The Benefits of Tinnitus Relief
A few ways tinnitus relief can benefit your quality of life include:
- Better sleep. Many people with tinnitus struggle to fall asleep when their ringing flares up. Playing soothing ocean noises from a sound machine or running a fan next to your bed can set the stage for better rest.
- Reduced stress. Using effective stress-relief techniques doesn’t just reduce tinnitus symptoms—it can help you stay calm at work, sleep better and more.
- Decreased irritability. The constant ringing in the ear can make anyone a little irritable. Trying something like sound masking, CBT or TRT can help you minimize that negative reaction and improve your mood.
- Improved concentration. Tinnitus can be a distracting and intrusive presence in your life, leading to poorer concentration and limited information recall. When tinnitus relief strategies help you ignore the ringing, you can spend your brain power on more important things like work, school or watching your favorite movie at the end of the day.
If you’re ready to enjoy all the benefits of tinnitus management, contact Advanced Hearing today to schedule an evaluation with one of our trusted experts.