Balancing Tinnitus and Hearing Loss

Tinnitus and hearing loss often go hand-in-hand. Tinnitus often occurs in conjunction with other forms of hearing loss and vertigo. One of the main symptoms of tinnitus is a ringing or buzzing in the ears. However, there can be other signs of the condition, such as difficulty in understanding speech, needing to turn the volume up on music and balance issues. Tinnitus isn’t something that’s curable but there are many things you can do to help manage the condition.

Reduce Stress

Stress is known to make the symptoms of tinnitus worse. Many people turn to meditation, massage, or other forms of relaxation to help manage the symptoms. When you feel relaxed, controlling your symptoms is often much easier because you can focus more easily.

Avoid Silence

You may think that silence is a good option when hearing loss impacts you negatively but that couldn’t be further from the truth; especially where tinnitus is concerned. Silence could make the ringing and buzzing that come with tinnitus more pronounced. Try playing some calming music in the background instead so your brain focuses on the music rather than the sounds produced in your ears.

Wear Hearing Protection

Exposure to loud noises can make symptoms of tinnitus worse over time. It’s important that you protect your ears whenever you are immersed in loud environments. Earplugs, earmuffs and noise-canceling headphones are all good options to consider when exposed to high noise levels. Your audiologist can help you find the right protection for your

Stay Active

Regular exercise is fantastic for your overall health. If you are regularly exercising, you can be sure that enough blood and oxygen is flowing around your body to promote good brain health. Your brain health is connected to your hearing health because your brain processes sound. In addition to this, staying active is a great distraction for symptoms of tinnitus.

Balanced Diet and a Healthy Lifestyle

You may find that some foods and drinks aggravate the symptoms of tinnitus. It can help to keep a food diary that allows you to identify the food and drink that cause flare ups. When you do identify them, you can ensure you cut down on them or cut them out completely.

Smoking and drinking alcohol are shown to have a detrimental effect on symptoms of tinnitus. Cutting down on how much you drink and quitting smoking could help you to keep tinnitus under control.

Treating Tinnitus

When you experience ringing or buzzing in your ears, you need to visit an audiologist as soon as possible. Your audiologist will be able to evaluate your hearing and offer you a treatment, most commonly a hearing aid. Hearing aids are programmed by the audiologist to help relieve the symptoms of tinnitus. They can increase the volume of one sound while making others less obvious.