Methods 1 relieve tinnitus symptoms.
Cover the bell or buzz with a sounder. Their white noise, relaxed voice or light music can drown out the ringing or buzzing in their ears. These options include in-ear devices, headphones, and white noise controllers. You can also use the sound generated by household appliances, such as air conditioners, air purifiers, fans or televisions (with low volume). [ 1]
Although sound therapy can't cure tinnitus, it can relieve symptoms, improve attention and help sleep.
Medical-grade sound therapy equipment is very expensive and is not covered by medical insurance. If you need a more affordable treatment, you may want to use ambient sound, soft and relaxing music or video streaming services.
Compared with light and heavy sounds such as waves, stable and peaceful sounds are more effective, such as white noise that always sounds like "shh". [2]
Use hearing AIDS to control hearing loss and cover up tinnitus. If you have hearing impairment, wearing a hearing aid can amplify the volume of external sounds and then cover up the ringing or buzzing in your ears. Ask the doctor to introduce you to an audiologist or hearing care expert. They will help you choose and install the right hearing aid. [3]
Even if you don't have hearing loss, there are some hearing AIDS on the market that can stimulate the auditory nerve or cover up tinnitus with white noise, which is very helpful to you.
Although hearing AIDS are expensive, most medical insurance covers basic hearing AIDS.
Ask your doctor about antidepressants and anxiolytics. Psychotropic drugs can relieve symptoms, help relieve insomnia caused by tinnitus, and make tinnitus easier to deal with. Severe tinnitus can cause tension, anxiety and depression, and psychotropic drugs are most effective in this case. [4]
Stress, anxiety and depression can aggravate tinnitus. These emotions and tinnitus form a vicious circle, which is mutually causal and leads to the situation getting worse and worse. If you have this vicious circle effect, the doctor may suggest that you take antidepressants or anti-anxiety drugs.
Antidepressants and anxiolytics can cause some side effects, including blurred vision, dry mouth, nausea, constipation, irritability and loss of libido. If you have any side effects, new or unusual symptoms, such as depression, suicidal thoughts or aggressive behavior, be sure to tell your doctor.
Find a therapist who is very good at controlling tinnitus. Therapists will guide you on how to control tinnitus and deal with its impact on the quality of life. This treatment usually needs to be combined with other treatment schemes, such as drugs or sound therapy. [5]
Browse the list of experts on websites such as Tinnitus Society or Tinnitus Light, and search for experienced therapists and other health care experts.
Consult a doctor for experimental treatment. Tinnitus can't be cured, but the research in this field has never stopped, so you should treat experimental treatment with an open mind. Stimulating the brain and nerves with electrical or magnetic pulses may restore overactive neurons to normal, stop sending false auditory signals and prevent tinnitus. This technology is still in the development stage, so you may wish to consult a doctor or hearing care expert to see if there is any new technology suitable for your own situation. [6]
There may be new drugs on the market in the near future. You can consult a doctor or a hearing care expert to learn about emerging treatments. [7]
Method 2 Change lifestyle
Reduce contact noise. Noise can cause and aggravate tinnitus symptoms. If you work in a noisy environment, you should use power tools, work in the yard, use a vacuum cleaner or engage in any noisy work, and wear anti-noise earplugs or earmuffs. [8]
Exercise for at least 30 minutes every day. Regular aerobic exercise is particularly useful. You might as well walk more, run more, ride more bicycles and swim more. Besides being beneficial to overall health, exercise can also promote blood flow, which may help to relieve tinnitus caused by poor heart or blood circulation. [9]
Being proactive is also good for emotional health.
If you seldom exercise, you must consult your doctor before starting a new exercise plan. If you ever have any health problems, you should ask your doctor first.
Try meditation and relaxation techniques. Stress can aggravate tinnitus. When you start to feel anxious, worried or flustered, try to take a deep breath and relax yourself. Inhale slowly, count to 4 in your mind, then hold your breath, count to 4 again, and finally count to 4. Continue to control your breathing in this way for a minute or two or until you relax. [ 10]
Imagine a relaxing scene while breathing, such as a beach or a peaceful childhood memory.
Try to avoid situations and people that bring you stress. If you already have a lot of work to do, don't take on new responsibilities or overwork yourself.
Taking yoga or martial arts classes can also promote mindfulness and relaxation. Participating in these courses will also have the opportunity to communicate with others, which will help improve the overall mentality.
Avoid caffeine, alcohol and nicotine. Drink less alcohol and cut down on caffeinated tea and coffee, soda and chocolate. These substances will affect blood flow and aggravate tinnitus. Nicotine is especially harmful If necessary, you can consult your doctor about ways to quit smoking. [ 1 1]
If you have difficulty sleeping because of tinnitus, reducing caffeine intake will also help you.
Method 3 Treatment of potential health problems
See a doctor and get an accurate diagnosis. Tinnitus is characterized by tinnitus or buzzing in the ear, but it is not a disease, but a symptom. Make an appointment with a doctor to find out the root cause of tinnitus. The doctor will have a physical examination and a hearing test. [ 12]
Exposure to noise, ear wax blocking the ear canal, heart or blood vessel problems, some prescription drugs and thyroid diseases can all cause tinnitus.
If necessary, please ask the doctor to introduce you to an expert in this field. You can check your tinnitus with a general practitioner or general practitioner, but they may refer you to an audiologist or an otolaryngologist. The former is an expert in hearing care, and the latter is an expert in diagnosis and treatment of otorhinolaryngology, head and neck related fields. These experts have better knowledge and equipment, which can help you make a long-term control plan for tinnitus.
If you are constantly exposed to noisy noise, be sure to tell the doctor. Noisy noise can cause hearing damage, which is also a common cause of tinnitus. If you work in a factory or construction site, often operate power tools, often attend concerts, play music, or have been exposed to explosions, you will be more prone to tinnitus. [ 13]
Letting doctors know whether you are exposed to noisy noise can help them rule out other diseases.
Discuss the medicine you are taking with your doctor. More than 200 drugs are known to cause or aggravate tinnitus, including some antibiotics, anticancer drugs, antimalarials and diuretics. If you take any medicine, ask your doctor if you need to reduce the dosage or change to a medicine with less side effects. [ 14]
If there is a lot of earwax in the ear canal, ask the doctor to clean it for you. The accumulated earwax can block the ear canal, leading to hearing loss, ear tingling and tinnitus. If necessary, the doctor can flush the ear canal with drug drops or special suction devices. [ 15]
Never wash your ears without asking the doctor. You can try some family remedies, such as dropping baby oil or hydrogen peroxide into the ear canal with a dropper to remove earwax. However, these methods can only be used with the doctor's consent.
Don't clean your ears with cotton swabs, they will sting your ears and push the wax deep into the ear canal.
Control your blood pressure and vascular problems if necessary. Doctors will prescribe drugs to treat hypertension or other blood circulation problems related to tinnitus. Follow the instructions and ask your doctor if you need to change your diet or lifestyle. [ 16]
For example, you may need to reduce your salt intake. When cooking, use dry or fresh herbs instead of salt, do not eat salty snacks, and do not add extra salt to food. The doctor may also advise you to reduce fat intake and do more exercise.
If necessary, treat thyroid diseases with drugs. Tinnitus may also be related to hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism. The former is overactive thyroid, and the latter is inactive thyroid. The doctor will check whether the thyroid gland in the neck is swollen or has a lump, and verify the function of the thyroid gland through blood test. Once the problem is found, the doctor will prescribe medicine to adjust your thyroid hormone level. [ 17]
Thyroid drugs usually need to be taken on an empty stomach at certain times of the day. If you need medication, you must follow the doctor's advice carefully.