For people who don’t have tinnitus, there are few conditions more complex to understand. That’s because unless you’re afflicted with tinnitus, you won’t feel, see or hear the symptoms in the same way you might other conditions.
Tinnitus is a very real and extremely difficult experience for the nearly 50 million Americans who have it. Tinnitus is best classified 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 detectable by others, which can lead to confusion, disorientation, depression and delayed diagnosis.
While that 50 million number is large, it’s even more staggering when put in the context that it means about 15 percent of the overall public struggles with tinnitus. A report put out by the U.S. Center for Disease Control says that 2 million of those individuals experience symptoms that are debilitating and extreme while another 20 million have what’s considered burdensome and chronic tinnitus.
In order to enhance their hearing and drown out the ringing, people with tinnitus frequently try hearing aids. There are commonplace things you can do to minimize the ringing along with wearing hearing aids.
Here are 10 things to avoid if you have tinnitus:
- Jaw issues; You should see a doctor if you have pain in your jaw and even more so if you have tinnitus. Because the jaw and ears share components like nerves and ligaments, alleviating jaw pain might have an impact on your tinnitus.
- Hazardous blood pressure levels; Keeping track of your blood pressure is an important preventive strategy that can help keep you safe from many illnesses, 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 diligent about consistently checking your blood pressure.
- Caffeine; Once again, a surge in tinnitus levels goes along with this influence due to an increase in blood pressure. You may also find that too much caffeine changes your sleeping habits.
- Alcohol; Your cholesterol and heart health can be positively impacted by drinking a small glass of wine every day, or so the old adage goes. But when it comes to alcohol and tinnitus, you can have too much of a good thing. Drinking too much alcohol raises your blood pressure, which makes the ringing more evident for some people.
- Poor sleeping habits; Mom wasn’t joking when she said you needed to get eight hours every night. Sleep is another crucial aspect of healthy living that offers a wide range of benefits, including helping to avoid tinnitus triggers.
- Loud sounds; It may be obvious but the noises you’re hearing internally can be exacerbated by loud sounds. Be cautious of scenarios where you’ll hear sounds at an increased level. This includes construction sites, concerts, and loud restaurants. Think about protecting your ears with earplugs if you can’t avoid the noise. Earplugs can be especially helpful for individuals whose job involves using loud machinery.
- Smoking; Your blood pressure can definitely be harmed by smoking. Also, it can make the tinnitus worse by narrowing the blood vessels to the ears.
- Infections; Since a lingering cold can quickly turn into a sinus infection there has always been commentary about the need to find a cure for it. Infections in both the sinus and ears have been known to aggravate tinnitus, so make sure you’re doing everything you can to reduce your exposure to infections.
- Particular medicines; Over-the-counter medicines including aspirin and other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs can be really good at easing pain, but they may actually make your tinnitus symptoms worse. There are other prescription medications including cancer drugs and antibiotics that can also have an impact on tinnitus. However, you should always consult with your physician about any issues you’re having before stopping a prescribed medication.
- Excess earwax; When it comes to how your ears work, it’s a known fact that earwax helpful. In fact, the crud we all hate actually catches dirt and protects your ears. That said, too much buildup can cause tinnitus to get worse. Your doctor may be able to help you relieve some of the accumulation and supply prevention advice to ensure it doesn’t build up to an unsafe level again.
You can take back your life and regulate your tinnitus symptoms even though there is no official cure. Give these 10 suggestions a try, and you may be pleasantly surprised with the improvements in your symptoms and your overall health. If these don’t help, make an appointment with a hearing specialist.