What’s the best way to eliminate the ringing in my ears? There’s no cure for tinnitus, but recognizing what causes or exacerbates your symptoms can help you lessen or prevent flare-ups.
Scientists calculate that 32 percent of people suffer from a constant ringing, buzzing, or whooshing noise in their ears. This disorder, which is known as tinnitus, can be a serious problem. People who hear these sounds have difficulty sleeping and concentrating, and they may also have associated hearing loss.
Because it is normally related to some other affliction, there is no real cure for the tinnitus itself, but there are strategies you can take to quiet the noise.
What Should I Avoid to Minimize The Ringing in My Ears?
There are some things that have been shown to cause or worsen tinnitus symptoms and these are the things you need to stay away from. Loud noise is one of the most common things that intensify tinnitus. If you’re exposed to a noisy work place, wear earplugs and also try to avoid using headphones or earpods.
Some medications such as anti-inflammatory drugs, antibiotics, and even high doses of aspirin can make the ringing worse so talk to your doctor. Make sure you speak with your doctor before you stop taking your medication.
Other common causes of tinnitus include:
- stress
- high blood pressure
- allergies
- too much earwax
- infections
- other medical problems
- problems with the jaw
Jaw Problems And Tinnitus
If for no other reason than their how close they are, your jaw and ears have a certain amount of interplay between each other (they’re excellent neighbors, normally). That’s why issues with your jaw can result in tinnitus. The best example of this is an affliction called Temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJ for short), which involves a breakdown of the shock-absorbing cartilage around the joints in your jaw. The ensuing stress created by simple activities like speaking or chewing can ultimately lead to tinnitus symptoms.
What can I do? The best thing you can do, if your tinnitus is caused by TMJ, is to seek medical or dental help.
How is The Ringing in my Ears Related to Stress?
The affects of stress on the body are very real and very serious. Increase of tinnitus symptoms can be brought on by spikes in heart rate, blood pressure, and breathing. As a result, stress can trigger, worsen, and lengthen tinnitus episodes.
What can be done? If your tinnitus is triggered by stress, you need to determine ways of reducing stress. It may also help if you can reduce the general causes of your stress.
Excessive Earwax
It’s totally healthy and normal for you to have earwax. But ringing and buzzing can be the result of excessive earwax pushing on your eardrum. If you can’t wash away the earwax normally because it has accumulated too much, the resulting tinnitus can worsen.
How can I deal with this? The easiest way to minimize the ringing in your ears caused by too much earwax is to make sure your ears are clean! (Don’t use cotton swabs to clean your ears.) In some instances, you may need to seek out a professional cleaning in order to get the ringing or buzzing to go away (some people just normally make a lot more earwax than others).
Tinnitus is Worsened by High Blood Pressure
All kinds of health issues, such as tinnitus, can be caused by high blood pressure and hypertension. High blood pressure has a way of intensifying the buzzing or ringing you’re already hearing, making it difficult to ignore. High blood pressure has treatment which could lessen tinnitus symptoms in related situations.
What’s my solution? Ignoring high blood pressure isn’t something you want to do. You’ll likely need to get medical treatment. But you can also change your lifestyle a little: stay away from foods with high salt or fat content and exercise more. Stress can also raise your blood pressure, so try doing relaxation techniques or making lifestyle changes can also improve hypertension (and, thus, tinnitus caused by hypertension).
Will Using a Masking Device or White Noise Device Help my Tinnitus?
If you distract your ears and brain, you can decrease the effects of the constant noise in your ears. You don’t even have to purchase special equipment, your radio, TV or computer can work as masking devices. You can, if you choose, buy special masking devices or hearing aids to help.
If you experience a constant ringing, whooshing, or buzzing sound in your ears, be serious about the problem. If you’re suffering from hearing loss or have health problems that are acting up, it might be a warning sign. Before what started as an annoying problem becomes a more serious concern, take measures to protect your ears and if the ringing continues, get professional hearing help.