Tinnitus in Daily Life
Tinnitus can be challenging to deal with on a daily basis, but you can develop several coping strategies to help you deal with the constant buzzing in your ears. Tinnitus is known as a hearing condition that brings about a ringing sensation in the ears in the absence of any such auditory stimulus in your surroundings. Around 15% of the American population experiences varied types of tinnitus.
The most common trigger of tinnitus is stress. Experiencing stress can heighten the sensation of tinnitus, and increased tinnitus may lead to higher levels of stress, which leads to a seemingly never-ending cycle! You can break this cycle by using different methods to reduce stress such as relaxation techniques, meditation, or by playing white noise in the background while you sleep.
Yet another big trigger that can lead to tinnitus is the use of alcohol as well as illicit drugs. Even high levels of caffeine can cause tinnitus, so keep an eye on the cups of coffee you drink each day. Keeping your alcohol intake to a medium level is acceptable and should not be problematic, but binge drinking is definitely not recommended. Keep drug use at bay as well to prevent tinnitus.
Tinnitus can often be a symptom of underlying hearing damage. If this is the case, make sure you get your hearing tested by a hearing care professional and see whether you require hearing aids. The use of hearing aids has been shown to reduce tinnitus.
Hearing aids can even help you relax by using hearing aid applications on your smart-phone that enable you to listen to soothing ambient sounds. These sounds can help lessen your sensation of tinnitus by providing you with an alternative sound to shift your attention to.
Tinnitus does not have to be botheration. All you have to do is take proactive steps to eliminate the stressors that may be triggering your tinnitus. This will give you active control and help you successfully reduce your tinnitus so that you can make the most of your day.