Are you being kept awake by ringing in your ears? It’s not necessary. If you would like to sleep better, think about these tips to quiet this annoying persistent noise.
Moderate to severe tinnitus can really cause a problem with your sleep cycle. During the day, tinnitus can be less obvious because you’re distracted by noise and activity. But during the night, when it’s quiet, tinnitus can seem louder and more stressful.
Fortunately, there are a variety of techniques you can use to get to sleep easier.
Five tricks for falling asleep when you have tinnitus are presented below.
1. Quit Fighting Against The Noise
Though this might sound impossible, if you focus on it, it gets worse. If you begin to become frustrated, your blood pressure increases and this causes tinnitus symptoms to get worse. You will feel worse the more you dwell on it and your aggravation will get worse. Paying attention to something else and using the techniques below can help make the noise seem softer.
2. Follow a Nighttime Routine
Formulating 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. This will make it easier to fall asleep when you’re ready.
Stress has also been connected to tinnitus. Establishing habits to lower your stress level before bed can also help, such as:
- Concentrating on thoughts that make you relaxed and happy
- Stretching or doing yoga
- reduce the temperature in your bedroom
- Sitting in a quiet room and reading a book
- Dimming the lights at least an hour before bedtime
- Listening to mellow music or relaxing sounds
- Doing deep breathing or a short meditation
- At least a few hours before you go to bed, avoid eating
- Bathing
- Staying away from alcohol
Getting into a predictable routine before bed helps you shift 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. Steer clear of certain foods if you discover, after monitoring your diet and symptoms, that they trigger or worsen your tinnitus. Caffeine is also a trigger so at least avoid having any in the afternoon and at night.
4. The Common Causes of Tinnitus Should be Avoided
Ringing or other noises in your ears can be caused by many things. Addressing the cause can help avoid tinnitus or make it better. You can do a few things to help:
- In order to determine whether your subjected to loud noises, and how to limit that exposure, you need to evaluate your lifestyle
- Get help for underlying conditions such as high blood pressure
- Use ear protection
- To find out if one of your medications is causing tinnitus symptoms check with your doctor
- Don’t use earbuds…use headphones instead and keep the sound level low
- Get treated for anxiety or depression
- Schedule an appointment for your annual checkup
You might be able to better manage it if you can determine what’s causing the ringing.
5. Get Examined by a Hearing Care 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 to not hear tinnitus by signing you up for therapy
- Recommending cognitive behavioral therapy to deal with thought patterns revealed to make tinnitus worse
- Scheduling a noise canceling hearing aid fitting
Professional help can hasten recovery and help you sleep better at night. Schedule an appointment with your hearing care professional to find out if you can get some help with your tinnitus.