How can I stop 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 episodes.
Experts calculate that 32 percent of individuals suffer from a nonstop ringing, buzzing, or whooshing noise in their ears. This condition, which is called tinnitus, can be a real problem. People who hear these noises have trouble sleeping and concentrating, and they could also have associated hearing loss.
There are steps you can take to decrease the symptoms, but because it’s commonly linked to other health conditions, there is no immediate cure.
What Should I Stay Away From to Minimize The Ringing in My Ears?
The first step in dealing with that persistent ringing in your ears is to avoid the things that have been shown to cause it or make it worse. Loud noise is one of the most common things that worsen tinnitus. If you deal with a loud work place, use earplugs and also try to avoid using headphones or earpods.
Certain medications such as anti-inflammatory drugs, antibiotics, and even high doses of aspirin can worsen the ringing so check with your doctor. Never stop taking your medications without first consulting your health care professional.
Other typical causes of tinnitus include:
- allergies
- excessive earwax
- infections
- jaw issues
- high blood pressure
- other medical problems
- stress
Jaw Problems And Tinnitus
Your ears and jaw are closely associated. This is the reason jaw issues can lead to 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 caused 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 brought on by TMJ, is to seek medical or dental help.
Stress And That Ringing in my Ears
The affects of stress on the body are very real and very serious. Intensification of tinnitus symptoms can be brought on by surges in heart rate, blood pressure, and breathing. Consequently, stress can trigger, exacerbate, and lengthen tinnitus episodes.
What can be done? If your tinnitus is triggered by stress, you should find ways of reducing stress. It might also help if you can reduce the overall causes of your stress.
Excessive Earwax
It’s totally healthy and normal for you to produce earwax. But too much earwax can aggravate your eardrum, and start to cause buzzing or ringing in your ears. If you can’t wash away the earwax in a normal way because it has built up too much, the resulting tinnitus can become worse.
What can I do? The simplest way to decrease the ringing in your ears caused by too much earwax is to make sure your ears are clean! (Do not use cotton swabs to clean your ears.) Some individuals generate more earwax than others; if this sounds like you, a professional cleaning may be necessary.
Tinnitus is Worsened by High Blood Pressure
Hypertension, or high blood pressure, can cause numerous health concerns, including tinnitus. It becomes hard to ignore when high blood pressure intensifies the buzzing or ringing you’re already experiencing. High blood pressure has treatment options which could decrease tinnitus symptoms in related situations.
What’s my solution? Ignoring high blood pressure isn’t something you should do. You’ll likely need to get medical treatment. But a lifestyle change, like staying clear of foods with high salt content and getting more exercise, can help a lot. Hypertension and stress can increase your blood pressure leading to tinnitus, so try to find lifestyle changes and relaxation techniques to decrease stress (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 decrease the impact of the continual noise in your ears. You don’t even need to get special equipment, your radio, TV or computer can act as masking devices. If you prefer, there are hearing aids or special devices you can purchase to help.
If you’re experiencing a constant ringing, whooshing, or buzzing sound in your ears, be serious about the problem. It may be a warning sign that you also have hearing loss, or that you are experiencing a medical problem that needs to be resolved before it worsens. Before what began as an aggravating problem becomes a more severe concern, take measures to protect your ears and if the ringing persists, find professional hearing help.