We classify any case of tinnitus lasting longer than three months as chronic. When you live with chronic tinnitus, whether the ringing pops up a few times a day or makes its presence known almost constantly, it can feel a bit like you have an uninvited guest that won’t leave. While the symptom has no known cure, there are a few ways you can get that guest to quiet down.
1. Try Sound Masking
Your brain can’t give 100% of its attention to more than one stimulus at a time. That fact is actually great news for people with tinnitus. Sound masking introduces a calming, secondary stimulus to the brain. When you focus on the soothing external sounds, you won’t focus as much on the troublesome internal ones.
There are a few ways to try sound masking. Hearing aids are a popular option because they address hearing loss and tinnitus—two conditions that often co-occur—simultaneously. If you don’t wear or need hearing aids, you can try sound-masking headphones. Download a white noise or tinnitus-specific app and play sound through your headphones whenever your tinnitus grows bothersome. If the ringing comes around at night, you can use a sound machine or even a large fan to drown it out.
2. Destress
Many people think of stress as mostly psychological, but it can significantly impact our health. A 2023 study found a few interesting things about the effect stress has on tinnitus:
- Psycho-social stress shows the same probability of developing or worsening tinnitus as occupational noise exposure
- High stress levels combined with occupational noise exposure double the likelihood of developing tinnitus
- Emotional stress worsens pre-existing tinnitus and is an indicator of tinnitus severity.
In a hectic world, feeling stressed can seem unavoidable. While you may not be able to remove every stressor from your life, finding time to destress is crucial. You could pick up yoga, go for a daily walk around Pease District Park, read for a half hour every night, watch a silly movie or journal.
In addition to destressing activities, it’s crucial to share your workload. It’s easy to take ownership of every task in your life, but remember that there are people who can support you. Ask your coworkers for help with assignments, or create a chore chart at home; the ultimate goal is to free up time for stress relief.
2. Therapy
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) with a mental health professional will teach you how to navigate the emotions surrounding tinnitus to minimize their impact on your life. Tinnitus retraining therapy (TRT) is another option. The therapy uses a portable machine to deliver sounds similar to your tinnitus, ideally desensitizing you to the ringing over time.
If chronic tinnitus is negatively impacting your life, don’t wait to seek help. Contact Austin Auditory Specialists today to schedule an appointment with one of our specialists.