How can I stop the ringing in my ears? There’s no cure for tinnitus, but learning about what causes or aggravates your symptoms can help you lessen or prevent episodes.
A consistent buzzing, whooshing, or ringing in the ears is experienced by 32 percent of people according to experts. This condition is called tinnitus, and it can lead to real problems. Individuals who have this condition could have associative hearing loss and often have difficulty sleeping and concentrating.
There are measures you can take to minimize the symptoms, but because it’s usually linked to other health conditions, there is no immediate cure.
What Should I Avoid to Minimize The Ringing in My Ears?
The first step in addressing that constant ringing in your ears is to steer clear of the things that are known to cause it or make it worse. Loud noise is one of the most prevalent things that intensify tinnitus. Try to avoid using headphones, and if you are exposed to noise at work or at home, use some high-quality earplugs to minimize the damage.
You should also talk to your doctor concerning your medications, as some antibiotics, anti-inflammatory drugs, and high doses of aspirin can make the ringing in your ears worse. Never stop taking your medications without first speaking to your health care professional.
Here are some other typical causes:
- problems with the jaw
- other medical issues
- allergies
- excessive earwax
- infections
- high blood pressure
- stress
Tinnitus And Issues With The Jaw
Your ears and jaw are closely linked. That’s why problems with your jaw can lead to tinnitus. The best example of this is a condition called Temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJ for short), which involves a breakdown of the shock-absorbing cartilage around the joints in your jaw. Tinnitus can be the result of the stress of simple 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.
How is The Ringing in my Ears Related to Stress?
The impacts of stress on the body are very real and very serious. Intensification of tinnitus symptoms can be brought on by surges in breathing, heart rate, and blood pressure. As a result, stress can cause, exacerbate, and extend tinnitus episodes.
What can I do? If stress is a significant cause of the ringing or buzzing in your ears, you can try remedies such as yoga and meditation to try to de-stress. Taking some time to reduce the stress in your life (where and when you can) can also help.
Excessive Earwax
Earwax is completely normal and healthy. But buzzing or ringing can be the result of too much earwax pressing on your eardrum. The resulting tinnitus can intensify if the earwax continues to accumulate or becomes hard to wash away normally.
How can I deal with this? The simplest way to minimize 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.) Some individuals produce more earwax than others; if this sounds like you, a professional cleaning might be in order.
High Blood Pressure Makes Tinnitus Worse
Hypertension, or high blood pressure, can create a myriad of health conditions, such as tinnitus. It becomes hard to dismiss when high blood pressure escalates the ringing or buzzing you’re already experiencing. There isn’t a cure for tinnitus, but there are treatment options for high blood pressure.
What can be done? Disregarding high blood pressure isn’t something you should do. Medical treatment is suggested. But a lifestyle change, including staying away from foods with high salt content and getting more exercise, can go a long way. Stress can also increase your blood pressure, so practicing relaxation techniques or making lifestyle changes can also help hypertension (and, thus, hypertension-related tinnitus).
Will Using a White Noise or Masking Device Help my Tinnitus?
If you distract your ears and brain, you can decrease the impact of the continual noise in your ears. Your TV, radio, or computer can be used as a masking device so you won’t even need any special equipment. You can, if you choose, get special masking devices or hearing aids to help.
If you experience a constant ringing, buzzing, or whooshing sound in your ears, be serious about the problem. 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 worsens. Take steps to safeguard your ears from loud noises, look for ways to distract your ears, and see a professional before what began as a nagging concern results in bigger problems.