Are you being kept up by ringing in your ears? You don’t have to just live with it. If you would like to get a better nights sleep, think about these tips to tone down this annoying persistent noise.
Moderate to severe tinnitus can really cause a problem with your sleeping habits. During the day, tinnitus can be less obvious because you’re preoccupied with noise and activity. But tinnitus can seem louder and more stressful at night when it’s quiet.
Luckily, there are a few techniques you can use to get to sleep more easily.
Five tips for falling asleep with tinnitus are shown below.
1. Quit Resisting The Noise
Even though this might sound impossible, if you pay attention to it, it gets worse. If you begin to get frustrated, your blood pressure rises and this makes tinnitus symptoms worse. You will feel worse the more you think about it and your aggravation will get worse. You can make the sound quieter by thinking about something else and using the following techniques.
2. Establish a Nighttime Routine
Condition your body to feel sleepy at the right time by developing healthy sleep habits like dimming the lights, winding down at least a half an hour before bed, and going to bed at the same time each night. When you’re ready to fall asleep it will be easier.
Stress has also been related to tinnitus. It’s also helpful to develop habits to de-stress before bed.
- Doing a short meditation or deep breathing
- Doing yoga and stretching
- Stay away from eating a few hours before going to bed
- Reading a book in a peaceful room
- Focusing on thoughts that make you relaxed and happy
- Going into a bath
- Dimming the lights at least an hour before you go to bed
- Staying away from alcohol
- Listening to soft music or relaxing sounds
- Making your bedroom slightly cooler
Teaching your body to transition into sleep by getting into a predictable routine before bed helps you transition away from the stresses of the day.
3. Pay Attention to What You Eat
Artificial sweeteners and alcohol are known triggers for tinnitus. Avoid certain foods if you discover, after monitoring your diet and symptoms, that they trigger or worsen your tinnitus. You might feel like you still have to have your morning coffee, but avoid caffeine in the afternoon or at nights.
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 improve or even stop it altogether. Here are several things you can do to help:
- Evaluate your lifestyle to determine whether you’re subjected to loud noises (and how to limit exposure)
- Safeguard your ears
- To determine whether one of your medications is triggering tinnitus symptoms consult your doctor
- If you have inherent conditions like high blood pressure, get help for it
- Go for your yearly checkup
- Don’t use earbuds…use headphones instead and keep the volume low
- If you have anxiety or depression, get it treated
If you can determine what’s causing the ringing in your ears, you may be able to manage it better.
5. Get Examined by a Hearing Care Specialist
A professional hearing exam can help you identify what’s causing your tinnitus and suggest possible solutions. There are many ways hearing professionals can help you manage your tinnitus including:
- Scheduling a noise canceling hearing aid fitting
- Help you train your brain not to hear tinnitus by signing you up for therapy
- Recommending cognitive behavioral treatment to deal with thought patterns shown to make tinnitus worse
To speed up healing and sleep better at night, seek professional help. To see if you can get some help with your tinnitus, schedule your appointment with a hearing care specialist.
