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According to research, thirty-two percent of individuals described tinnitus as constant whooshing, buzzing, or ringing in the ears. Tinnitus is a condition that can lead to real problems. People who experience these sounds have trouble sleeping and concentrating, and sometimes can even be connected to hearing loss.
Although tinnitus has no cure, its effects can be minimized by recognizing what triggers and worsens it. One of the most prevalent things that worsen tinnitus is loud noise. Some medications, such as anti-inflammatory drugs, antibiotics, and even high doses of aspirin, can aggravate the ringing. Alcohol, smoking, artificial sweeteners and caffeine are also triggers. To determine if any of these triggers affects your tinnitus, try switching to decaf and see what happens. If your tinnitus is triggered by a glass of red wine, try switching to white wine and see what happens. If you drink, diet soda, try ones that use the more “natural” sweeteners rather than they heavy-duty aspartame.
The effects of stress on the body are very real and very substantial. An increase in tinnitus symptoms can be caused by spikes in breathing, heart rate, and blood pressure. Stress, therefore, can activate, exacerbate, and lengthen bouts of tinnitus. If your tinnitus is caused by stress, you should determine ways of unwinding. Reducing your life’s stress (whenever possible) will also help. Turning the TV or radio on at low levels to mask your tinnitus can be helpful, as can noise machines that generate ocean sounds are also beneficial.
It’s normal and healthy to produce earwax. However, excessive earwax can aggravate your eardrum and begin to cause buzzing or ringing in your ears. If the patient’s earwax cannot be washed out in a typical way due to accumulating too much, the resulting tinnitus can worsen. The easiest way to reduce the ringing in your ears caused by too much earwax is to make sure the ears are clean! (Don’t use cotton swabs to clean your ears.) Some people produce more earwax than others; professional cleaning may be in order if this is the case.
Many health conditions, such as tinnitus, can be caused by hypertension and high blood pressure. High blood pressure can amplify the ringing or buzzing already being experienced, making it hard to ignore. High blood pressure has treatment options that decrease tinnitus symptoms in related circumstances. Avoid foods with high fat or salt content and get more exercise. Stress can also increase blood pressure, practicing relaxation techniques or lifestyle changes can also improve hypertension (and, thus, tinnitus caused by hypertension). Constant ringing, buzzing, or whooshing in the ears is reported. It may be a warning sign that hearing loss may also be present or that a medical problem needs to be dealt with before it worsens. Taking steps to safeguard ears from loud noises and getting in touch with a hearing specialist before what began as a nagging concern leads to more significant issues.
Hearing aids are the first line of defense when trying to minimize the tinnitus. 80% of people with tinnitus achieve relief when wearing hearing aids. Since you don’t wear your hearing aids when you sleep, we recommend two devices:
1. Sleepphones www.sleepphones.com this device is a headband with speakers embedded in it. It is very comfortable and you can stream music from your cell phone to the headband which masks your tinnitus and allow you to fall asleep more easily. There are also many tinnitus apps you can download and stream to the headphones.
2. Sound pillow www.soundpillow.com was developed with the VA to provide relief for Veterans that suffer with tinnitus. It is a pillow with speakers embedded in it that elicits sounds that have been determined to be the most beneficial for tinnitus sufferers. If you are a Veteran, ask your Audiologist about getting a sound pillow. If you are not a Veteran, they are available for sale through their website.
Tinnitus can cause serious disruptions of a person’s life so if you are suffering and are looking for some help, please call Audiology with a Heart at 561-366-7219 to see how we can help you.
For more information, please visit the American Tinnitus Association at www.ata.org or you can call them 1-800-634-8978.
(561) 366-7219
audiologywithaheart.com
2324 S. Congress Ave.
Suite 2G Palm Springs, FL 33406
