What’s the best way to eliminate the ringing in my ears? There’s no cure for tinnitus, but understanding what causes or exacerbates your symptoms can help you reduce or eliminate flare-ups.
A consistent buzzing, whooshing, or ringing in the ears is experienced by 32 percent of individuals according to researchers. This condition, which is called tinnitus, can be a real problem. People who have this condition may have associative hearing loss and commonly have problems sleeping and concentrating.
There are steps you can take to decrease the symptoms, but because it’s commonly related to other health conditions, there is no direct cure.
What Should I Avoid to Reduce The Ringing in My Ears?
There are some things that are known to cause or worsen tinnitus symptoms and these are the things you need to avoid. One of the most prevalent things that aggravate tinnitus is loud sounds. Avoid using headphones, and if you are exposed to noise at work or at home, get some high-quality earplugs to reduce the damage.
You should also talk to your doctor concerning your medications, as certain antibiotics, anti-inflammatory drugs, and high doses of aspirin can make the ringing in your ears worse. Never stop taking your medications without first talking with your health care professional.
Other common causes of tinnitus include:
- high blood pressure
- other medical problems
- infections
- jaw problems
- excessive earwax
- stress
- allergies
Tinnitus And Problems With The Jaw
If for no other reason than their physical proximity, your ears and jaw have a certain amount of interplay between each other (they’re ideal neighbors, normally). That’s why problems with your jaw can cause tinnitus. The best example of this is a condition called Temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJ for short), which entails a breakdown of the shock-absorbing cartilage around the joints in your jaw. Tinnitus can be the result of the stress of basic activities like chewing.
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 impacts of stress on the body are very real and very serious. Increase of tinnitus symptoms can be brought on by surges in heart rate, blood pressure, and breathing. Stress, consequently, can activate, worsen, and lengthen bouts of tinnitus.
Can I do anything to help? If stress is a significant cause of the ringing or buzzing in your ears, you can try solutions like yoga and meditation to try to unwind. Taking some time to reduce the stress in your life (where and when you can) can also help.
Excessive Earwax
Earwax is absolutely normal and healthy. But buzzing or ringing can be the result of too much earwax pressing on your eardrum. If you can’t wash out the earwax normally because it has accumulated too much, the resulting tinnitus can become worse.
How can I deal with this? The simplest way to reduce the ringing in your ears caused by excessive earwax is to make sure your ears are clean! (Don’t use cotton swabs to clean your ears.) In certain cases, you may need to seek out a professional cleaning so that you can get the ringing or buzzing to go away (some people just naturally produce a lot more earwax than others).
Tinnitus is Worsened by High Blood Pressure
Hypertension, or high blood pressure, can create various health issues, including tinnitus. High blood pressure can intensify the buzzing or ringing you’re already hearing, making it difficult to ignore. High blood pressure has treatment options which might reduce tinnitus symptoms in relevant situations.
What can I do? Neglecting high blood pressure isn’t something you want to do. Medical treatment is recommended. But you could also change your lifestyle somewhat: stay away from 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, tinnitus triggered by hypertension).
Can I Alleviate my Tinnitus by Using a White Noise Generator or Masking Device?
You can minimize the impact of the constant noise in your head by distracting your ears and your brain. Your TV, radio, or computer can be used as a masking device so you don’t even need any special equipment. You can, if you like, buy special masking devices or hearing aids to help.
You should take it seriously if you have constant ringing, buzzing, or whooshing in your ears. If you’re suffering from hearing loss or have health problems that are acting up, it may be a warning sign. Take measures to protect your ears from loud noises, find ways to distract your ears, and get in touch with a hearing specialist before what started as a nagging problem causes bigger issues.
