What’s the best way to get rid of the ringing in my ears? There’s no cure for tinnitus, but knowing what causes or aggravates your symptoms can help you minimize or eliminate flare-ups.
Experts estimate that 32 percent of people suffer from a constant ringing, buzzing, or whooshing sound in their ears. This affliction, which is known as tinnitus, can be a real problem. Individuals who have this condition could have associative hearing loss and commonly have problems sleeping and concentrating.
There are steps you can take to minimize the symptoms, but because it’s commonly related to other health problems, there is no immediate cure.
Avoid These Things to Reduce The Ringing
The first step in dealing with that continuous ringing in your ears is to steer clear of the things that have been shown to cause it or make it worse. One of the most common things that worsen tinnitus is loud sounds. If you’re exposed to a loud work place, use earplugs and also try to avoid using headphones or earpods.
Some medications like anti-inflammatory drugs, antibiotics, and even high doses of aspirin can worsen the ringing so consult your doctor. Never stop taking your medications without first speaking to your health care professional.
Other common causes of tinnitus include:
- infections
- high blood pressure
- other medical problems
- issues with the jaw
- too much earwax
- allergies
- stress
Tinnitus And Issues With The Jaw
Your ears and jaw are closely linked. That’s why problems with your jaw can result in tinnitus. TMJ, which is a condition that causes the cartilage of the jaw to deteriorate, is the best example of this kind of jaw problem. Tinnitus can be the result of the stress of basic activities like chewing.
Is there anything that can be done? If your tinnitus is caused by TMJ symptoms, then the best way to get relief is to seek out dental or medical treatment for the root cause (no pun intended).
Stress And The Ringing in my Ears
Stress can impact your body in very real, very physical ways. Increase of tinnitus symptoms can be caused by spikes in heart rate, blood pressure, and breathing. As a result, stress can trigger, exacerbate, and extend tinnitus episodes.
What can I do? If your tinnitus is triggered by stress, you should determine ways of de-stressing. It will also help if you can lessen the general causes of stress in your life.
Excessive Earwax
It’s totally normal and healthy for you to produce earwax. But excessive earwax can aggravate your eardrum, and begin to cause buzzing or ringing in your ears. The ensuing tinnitus can intensify if the earwax keeps accumulating or becomes hard to wash away in a normal way.
What can I do? The easiest way to decrease the ringing in your ears caused by excessive earwax is to keep your ears clean! (Don’t use cotton swabs in your ears.) Some individuals produce more earwax than others; if this applies to you, a professional cleaning might be in order.
High Blood Pressure Makes Tinnitus Worse
All sorts of health conditions, such as tinnitus, can be caused by high blood pressure and hypertension. It becomes hard to ignore when high blood pressure escalates the ringing or buzzing you’re already hearing. High blood pressure has treatment options which could reduce tinnitus symptoms in relevant situations.
What’s my solution? Disregarding high blood pressure isn’t something you want to do. Medical treatment is advisable. But a lifestyle change, such as avoiding foods with high salt content and getting more exercise, can go a long way. Hypertension and stress can elevate your blood pressure resulting in tinnitus, so try to find lifestyle changes and ways of relaxing to reduce stress (and, thus, tinnitus brought about by hypertension).
Will Using a White Noise or Masking Device Help my Tinnitus?
If you distract your ears and brain, you can minimize the effects of the continual 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, buy special masking devices or hearing aids to help.
If you experience a continuous ringing, buzzing, or whooshing sound in your ears, be serious about the problem. It could be a warning sign that you also have hearing loss, or that you are experiencing a medical issue that should be addressed before it worsens. Take steps 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 concern leads to bigger issues.
