Tinnitus is a condition that does not post any health risks, but can be quite bothersome. The frequent buzzing, ringing, whooshing or other sounds can certainly impact quality of life. There is currently no cure for the condition but there are several options available to you to manage the condition better and better cope with the effects.
Treating Hearing Loss
Hearing loss can make symptoms of tinnitus worse, and it is important you take steps to address this issue. Make an appointment with an audiologist for testing and guidance on the best hearing aids for your needs or any surgical options that may be available to you. This is due to the additional strain of trying to listen when you cannot hear properly. Another bonus is being able to hear sounds now that you may not have before may make the tinnitus less noticeable.
Tinnitus can become particularly noticeable in quiet environments, and the more you notice it, the more it can drive you bonkers. Sound therapy helps by filling the silence with repetitive, neutral sounds to distract you from the sounds of tinnitus. While the TV or radio can help, it might be better to experiment with more soothing sounds, like that of the rain or ocean. Look for environmental sound generators or white noise generators.
Many people find tinnitus counseling helpful in managing their condition. You can learn more about the condition, and the more you understand it, the better position you are in to effectively manage it and reduce its impact on your quality of life. Your therapist can teach you all sorts of strategies to cope. Here you can talk about how it is impacting you, which can be helpful for relieving any stress you may feel about dealing with this condition.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
CBT is a common type of therapy for mental disorders such as anxiety and depression. It is based on the premise that our thoughts affect our behavior and by retraining our thinking, we can change our behavior and make different decisions.
If you have a lot of anxiety or feelings of depression because of your condition, this type of therapy can be helpful in reframing how you think about the condition, and allowing you to be more accepting of the noises. When you do that, they will become less noticeable. It is a great form of therapy to help cope better with negative thoughts and feelings and think more positively, which is helpful here because many people with this bothersome condition find it does affect their overall well-being.
Tinnitus Retraining Therapy
One theory about this condition is the limbic system, the part of our brain responsible for emotions, prioritizes the sounds of tinnitus because of the strong emotional reaction we have to them, making them seem more loud and persistent. TRT helps get you used to the sound so it becomes a part of your subconscious, rather than part of your conscious perception. Think of all the sounds you get used to that you don’t even really notice unless you tune in, such as the whir of the air conditioner or fridge. Make sure you use a practitioner well trained in the technique.