For people who don’t have tinnitus, there are few conditions more difficult to understand. The problem with tinnitus is that if you are not afflicted with it, you won’t hear, see or feel the symptoms in the same way you would other ailments.
Tinnitus is a very real and extremely difficult experience for the almost 50 million Americans who suffer from it. Tinnitus is best described as ringing in the ears, but the American Tinnitus Association says, it can present sufferers with whistling, hissing, swooshing, clicking, and buzzing. Maybe the most frustrating part of tinnitus is that these sounds aren’t perceptible by others, which can lead to disorientation, delayed diagnosis, confusion, and depression.
While that 50 million number is huge, it seems even more astounding when put in the context that it means about 15 percent of the overall public battles with tinnitus. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control estimates that approximately 20 million of those individuals have what’s known as burdensome chronic tinnitus, while another two million experience symptoms that are severe and debilitating.
In order to enhance their hearing and drown out the ringing, people with tinnitus often try hearing aids. There are commonplace things you can do to minimize the ringing along with using hearing aids.
Here are 10 things to stay away from if you suffer from tinnitus:
- Jaw issues; If you’re having pain in your jaw, you should already be contacting a doctor, but especially if you also have tinnitus. Minimizing jaw pain may have some impact on your tinnitus because the jaw and ears share nerves and ligaments.
- Excess earwax; There’s no doubt that earwax serves a beneficial role in the grand scheme of how your ears work. In fact, the gunk we all hate actually traps dirt and protects your ears. Even so, tinnitus can get worse if too much wax builds up. To make certain it doesn’t build up to a dangerous amount, your doctor can clean some of it out and help with prevention.
- Alcohol; There’s a well-known adage that says drinking a small amount of wine every day can have a positive influence on heart health and cholesterol levels, and that could be true; however, you absolutely can have too much of a good thing when it comes to alcohol and tinnitus. For some people drinking too much alcohol causes tinnitus symptoms to be more evident because it tends to increase your blood pressure.
- Smoking; Your blood pressure can definitely be raised by smoking. In addition, it can narrow the blood vessels to the ears, which can cause tinnitus symptoms to get worse.
- Dangerous blood pressure levels; Keeping track of your blood pressure is an important preventive strategy that will help keep you safe from many conditions, but it also just may keep your tinnitus symptoms at bay. It’s significant to note that both high and low blood pressure levels can make your tinnitus worse, so you should be careful about regularly checking your blood pressure.
- Loud sounds; It might be obvious but the sounds you’re hearing internally can be exacerbated by loud noises. Be cautious of situations where you’ll hear sounds at an elevated volume. This includes construction sites, concerts, and loud restaurants. If you can’t stay away from loud settings, consider wearing earplugs to shield you from some of the noise. People who work at loud jobs are especially benefited by ear plugs.
- Infections; There’s a long-standing commentary about the need to find a cure for the common cold, especially since a lingering cold can quickly change into a sinus infection. Make certain you’re limiting your exposure to ear and sinus infections because they have been known to aggravate tinnitus.
- Certain medicines; Over-the-counter medications such as aspirin and other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs can be really effective at soothing pain, but they may actually increase your tinnitus symptoms. Tinnitus can also be impacted by other medication like prescription antibiotics or cancer drugs. However, you should always talk with your physician about any issues you’re having before dropping a prescribed medication.
- Caffeine; Once again, a surge in tinnitus levels comes along with this influence due to a rise in blood pressure. You will most likely notice a change in sleeping habits if you drink too much caffeine.
- Poor sleeping habits; When mom said you need to get your eight hours of sleep each night, she wasn’t kidding. Getting a sufficient amount of sleep can assist you to avoid tinnitus triggers and also offers a wide variety of other health benefits.
You can take back your life and regulate your tinnitus symptoms even though there is no known cure. You might be surprised in the changes in your overall health and your tinnitus symptoms if you try these 10 suggestions. If these don’t help, schedule an appointment with a hearing specialist.