There are few conditions that are more difficult to comprehend for people who don’t suffer from tinnitus. The problem with tinnitus is that if you are not afflicted with it, you won’t hear, see or feel the symptoms in the same way you would other ailments.
Tinnitus is a very real and extremely difficult experience for the nearly 50 million Americans who have it. Ringing in the ears is the best classification of tinnitus, but the American Tinnitus Association says, it can present sufferers with clicking, whistling, hissing, swooshing, and buzzing. These sounds aren’t noticeable by others and that might be the most disheartening part of tinnitus, which can lead to confusion, disorientation, depression and delayed diagnosis.
While that 50 million number is big, it’s even more staggering when put in the context that it means about 15 percent of the overall public battles with tinnitus. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control estimates that approximately 20 million of those individuals have what’s known as burdensome chronic tinnitus, while another two million experience symptoms that are extreme and debilitating.
In order to enhance their hearing and drown out the ringing, people with tinnitus often turn to hearing aids. There are everyday things you can do to reduce the ringing along with using hearing aids.
If you have tinnitus here are 10 things to avoid:
- Poor sleeping habits; When mom said you should get your eight hours of sleep every night, she wasn’t joking. Getting enough sleep can help you to avoid tinnitus triggers and also offers a wide variety of other health benefits.
- Harmful blood pressure levels; Monitoring your blood pressure is an essential preventive tip that can help keep you safe from many illnesses, but it also just may keep your tinnitus symptoms at bay. You should be persistent about routinely checking your blood pressure because both high and low blood pressure can make tinnitus worse.
- Excess earwax; There’s no doubt that earwax serves a beneficial role in the in the overall health of your ears. In fact, the crud we all hate actually catches dirt and protects your ears. Even so, tinnitus can get worse if too much wax accumulates. Your doctor may be able to help you relieve some of the accumulation and supply prevention tips to ensure it doesn’t build up to an unsafe level again.
- Caffeine; Once again, a spike in tinnitus levels comes along with this influence due to a rise in blood pressure. You may also find that too much caffeine alters your sleeping habits.
- Smoking; Smoking is another habit that can increase your blood pressure. Also, it can make the tinnitus worse by narrowing the blood vessels to the ears.
- Certain medicines; Particular medications such as aspirin, as an example, are good at relieving pain but they could also trigger tinnitus. There are other prescription medications including antibiotics and cancer drugs that can also have an impact on tinnitus. But before you quit using a medication that was prescribed by your doctor, you should set up a consultation.
- Jaw issues; You should seek advice from a doctor if you have jaw pain and even more so if you are experiencing tinnitus. Because the jaw and ears share components such as nerves and ligaments, reducing jaw pain may have an impact on your tinnitus.
- Loud sounds; This one most likely seems obvious, but it’s worth reiterating that loud noises can exacerbate the sounds you’re already hearing internally. If a situation happens where you will be exposed to loud sounds, be careful. This includes concerts, loud restaurants, and construction sites. Consider shielding your ears with earplugs if you can’t avoid the noise. People who have loud jobs are especially benefited by ear plugs.
- Infections; There’s a long-running commentary about the need to cure the common cold, specifically since a lingering cold can quickly morph into a sinus infection. Infections in both the sinus and ears have been known to aggravate tinnitus, so be certain you’re doing everything you can to control your exposure to infections.
- Alcohol; There’s a common adage that says drinking a small glass of wine every day can have a positive effect on heart health and cholesterol levels, and that may be true; however, you absolutely can have too much of a good thing when it comes to alcohol and tinnitus. Drinking too much alcohol increases your blood pressure, which makes the ringing more evident for many people.
Even though there’s no official cure for tinnitus, there are ways to manage the symptoms and take back your life. Give these 10 recommendations a try, and you might be pleasantly surprised with the improvements in your symptoms and your overall health. If these don’t help, make an appointment with a hearing specialist.
