How can I eliminate the ringing in my ears? There’s no cure for tinnitus, but learning about what causes or aggravates your symptoms can help you reduce or prevent flare-ups.
Researchers estimate that 32 percent of people experience a constant ringing, buzzing, or whooshing noise in their ears. This affliction, which is called tinnitus, can be a serious problem. People who suffer from this condition may have associative hearing loss and frequently have difficulty sleeping and concentrating.
There are measures you can take to reduce the symptoms, but because it’s usually related to other health problems, there is no immediate cure.
What Should I Avoid to Decrease The Ringing in My Ears?
The first step in addressing that persistent ringing in your ears is to avoid the things that have been shown to cause it or make it worse. One of the most prevalent things that worsen tinnitus is loud noises. Try to avoid using headphones, and if you are exposed to noise at work or at home, get some high-quality earplugs to minimize the damage.
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 consult your doctor before you stop taking your medication.
Here are some other common causes:
- excessive earwax
- high blood pressure
- jaw issues
- stress
- infections
- allergies
- other medical issues
Jaw Problems And Tinnitus
If for no other reason than their how close they are, your ears and jaw exhibit a certain amount of interplay between each other (they’re excellent neighbors, usually). That’s why problems with your jaw can cause tinnitus. TMJ, which is a condition that causes the cartilage of the jaw to deteriorate, is a good example of this kind of jaw problem. The resulting stress created by simple activities such as chewing or speaking can ultimately result in tinnitus symptoms.
What can I do? The best thing you can do, if your tinnitus is brought on by TMJ, is to seek medical or dental assistance.
Stress And That Ringing in my Ears
Stress can impact your body in very real, very tangible ways. Increase of tinnitus symptoms can be caused by surges in breathing, heart rate, and blood pressure. Stress, as a result, can activate, exacerbate, and extend bouts of tinnitus.
Can I do anything to help? If your tinnitus is caused by stress, you need to find ways of de-stressing. It may also help if you can lessen the general causes of your stress.
Excessive Earwax
It’s completely normal and healthy for you to have earwax. But ringing and buzzing can be the result of too much earwax pushing on your eardrum. The resulting tinnitus can intensify if the earwax keeps accumulating or becomes hard to wash away in a normal way.
How can I deal with this? Cleaning without using cotton swabs is the easiest way to decrease ringing in the ears induced by earwax. Some people produce more earwax than others; if this applies to you, a professional cleaning may be necessary.
High Blood Pressure Makes Tinnitus Worse
Many health conditions, including tinnitus, can be caused by high blood pressure and hypertension. It becomes difficult to ignore when high blood pressure escalates the buzzing or ringing you’re already hearing. There isn’t a cure for tinnitus, but there are treatment options for high blood pressure.
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 somewhat: steer clear of foods with high salt or fat content and exercise more. Stress can also increase your blood pressure, so practicing relaxation techniques or changing your lifestyle can also improve hypertension (and, thus, hypertension-related tinnitus).
Will Using a Masking Device or White Noise Device Help my Tinnitus?
If you distract your ears and brain, you can reduce the effects of the constant noise in your ears. You don’t even need to purchase special equipment, your radio, TV or laptop can act as masking devices. You can, if you like, get specialized masking devices or hearing aids to help.
You should take it seriously if you have constant ringing, buzzing, or whooshing in your ears. It might be a warning sign that you also have hearing loss, or that you are experiencing a medical issue that needs to be addressed before it gets worse. Take measures to protect your ears from loud noises, look for ways to distract your ears, and get in touch with a hearing specialist before what started out as a nagging concern leads to bigger issues.