Are you being kept awake by ringing in your ears? It’s not necessary. Here are some guidelines for quieting that aggravating, constant noise so you can get some sleep.
Your sleep cycles can be dramatically affected by moderate to severe tinnitus. During the day, tinnitus can be less noticeable because you’re distracted by noise and activity. But tinnitus can seem louder and more disturbing at night when it’s not as loud.
Fortunately, there are several techniques you can use to get to sleep more easily.
Below are 5 techniques to falling asleep in spite of your tinnitus.
1. Stop Resisting The Noise
While this might seem difficult to impossible, focusing on the noise really makes it worse. This is partly because for most people a rise in blood pressure can make tinnitus symptoms worse. You will feel worse the more you dwell on it and your aggravation will get worse. Focusing on something else and utilizing the strategies below can help make the noise seem softer.
2. Establish a Nighttime Routine
Developing good sleep habits such as winding down at least 30 minutes before bed, dimming the lights and going to bed at the same time every night helps condition your body to be sleepy at the right time. When you’re ready to fall asleep it will be less difficult.
Stress has also been linked to tinnitus. It also helps to develop habits to lessen stress before bed.
- Avoiding eating a few hours before going to bed
- Making your bedroom a little cooler
- Doing deep breathing or a quick meditation
- Going into a bath
- Dimming the lights at least one hour before you go to bed
- Staying away from alcohol
- Sitting in a quiet room and reading a book
- Focusing on thoughts that make you feel happy and relaxed
- Doing yoga and stretching
- Listening to mellow music or relaxing sounds
Getting into a predictable routine before bed helps you shift away from the stresses of the day into night and trains your body to transition into sleep.
3. Pay Attention to What You Eat
There are known triggers to tinnitus such as alcohol and artificial sweeteners. If you find, after tracking your diet and symptoms, that certain foods trigger or worsen your tinnitus, make it a habit to avoid them. You may feel like you still have to have your morning coffee, but avoid caffeine in the afternoon or evening.
4. The Common Causes of Tinnitus Should be Avoided
Ringing or other noises in your ears can be caused by many things. Dealing with the cause of tinnitus can help it get better or even stop it altogether. Here are a few things you can do to help:
- Assess your lifestyle to identify whether you’re exposed to loud noises (and how to limit exposure)
- Use ear protection
- To determine whether one of your medications is causing tinnitus symptoms check with your doctor
- Get help for underlying conditions like high blood pressure
- Make an appointment for your annual examination
- Get treatment for anxiety or depression
- Use headphones at a lower volume instead of earbuds
You might be able to better deal with it if you can identify what’s causing the ringing.
5. Make an Appointment to See a Hearing Specialist
A professional hearing examination can help you find possible solutions as well as identify what may be causing your tinnitus. Professionals can help you take care of your tinnitus in many ways such as:
- Help you train your brain not to hear tinnitus by signing you up for therapy
- Fitting you for hearing aids designed to cancel out the noise
- Help you deal with thought patterns revealed to make tinnitus worse by recommending cognitive behavior treatment
To speed up recovery and sleep better at night, seek professional help. Schedule an appointment with your hearing care professional to see if you can get some help with your tinnitus.