Are you being kept awake by ringing in your ears? It’s not necessary. If you want to sleep better, think about these tricks to tone down this irritating unrelenting noise.
Your sleep habits can be dramatically impacted by moderate to severe tinnitus. During the day, tinnitus is often less obvious because you’re distracted by noise and activity. But tinnitus can seem louder and more disturbing at night when it’s not as loud.
The good news is, if you would like to fall asleep easier, there are some techniques you can use.
Below are 5 tips to falling asleep despite your tinnitus.
1. Stop Resisting The Noise
Though this might sound impossible, if you focus on it, it gets worse. If you begin to become irritated, your blood pressure rises and this causes tinnitus symptoms to get worse. You will feel worse the more you think about it and your aggravation will increase. Focusing on something else and using the strategies below can help make the noise seem softer.
2. Follow a Nighttime Routine
Formulating good sleep habits such as winding down at least 30 minutes before bed, dimming the lights and going to bed at the same time every night helps condition your body to feel sleepy at the right time. When you’re ready to fall asleep it will be easier.
Tinnitus has also been associated with stress. Developing habits to lessen your stress level before bed can also be helpful, such as:
- Making your bedroom slightly cooler
- Doing deep breathing or a quick meditation
- Concentrating on thoughts that make you relaxed and happy
- Listening to soft music or gentle sounds
- Doing yoga and stretching
- At least an hour before going to bed, dim the lights
- Sitting in a quiet room and reading a book
- Avoiding alcohol
- Bathing
- Avoiding eating a few hours before you go to bed
Getting into a predictable routine before going to bed helps you shift away from the stresses of the day into night and trains your body to transition into sleep.
3. Pay Attention to What You Eat
Artificial sweeteners and alcohol are well-known triggers for tinnitus. Avoid certain foods if you discover, after monitoring your diet and symptoms, that they trigger or worsen your tinnitus. Caffeine is also a trigger so at least avoid drinking it in the afternoon and at night.
4. Avoid Common Causes of Tinnitus
Ringing or other noises in your ears can be caused by many things. Dealing with the cause of tinnitus can help it get better or even stop it altogether. Here are a few things you can do to help:
- Use ear protection
- Use headphones at a lower volume instead of earbuds
- Review your medications with your doctor to see if one may be causing tinnitus symptoms
- Go for your annual checkup
- Get treatment for depression or anxiety
- Get help for underlying conditions such as high blood pressure
- so that you can determine whether your subjected to loud noises, and how to limit that exposure, you need to assess your lifestyle
You might be able to better deal with it if you can determine what’s causing the ringing.
5. Get Examined by a Hearing Care Specialist
A professional hearing test can help you discover what’s causing your tinnitus and suggest possible treatments. There are several ways hearing professionals can help you manage your tinnitus including:
- Help you train your brain to not hear tinnitus by signing you up for therapy
- Suggesting cognitive behavioral treatment to deal with thought patterns shown to make tinnitus worse
- Fitting you for hearing aids created to cancel out the noise
To speed up healing and sleep better at night, seek professional help. To find out if you can get some help with your tinnitus, schedule your appointment with a hearing care expert.
