Are you being kept awake by ringing in your ears? It’s not necessary. If you want to get a better nights sleep, think about these tips to quiet this aggravating unrelenting sound.
Your sleep cycles can be drastically impacted by moderate to severe tinnitus. During the daytime, tinnitus is often less obvious because you’re distracted by noise and activity. But tinnitus can seem louder and more disturbing at night when it’s not as loud.
Luckily, there are a few strategies you can use to fall asleep easier.
Below are 5 tips to falling asleep in spite of your tinnitus.
1. Stop Resisting The Noise
Even though this may sound impossible, if you pay attention to it, it gets worse. If you start to become aggravated, your blood pressure goes up and this causes tinnitus symptoms to get worse. You will feel worse the more you dwell on it and your frustration will increase. Focusing on something else and utilizing the techniques below can help make the noise seem quieter.
2. Establish a Nighttime Routine
Developing good sleep habits such as winding down at least a half hour 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 less difficult to fall asleep when you’re ready.
Tinnitus has also been related to stress. It’s also helpful to build habits to lessen stress before bed.
- Making your bedroom a little cooler
- At least one hour before bed time, dim the lights
- Bathing
- Listening to gentle sounds or soft music
- Stay away from eating a few hours before going to bed
- Doing deep breathing or a quick meditation
- Concentrating on thoughts that make you feel happy and relaxed
- Doing yoga and stretching
- Staying away from drinking alcohol
- Reading a book in a peaceful room
Getting into a predictable routine before going to bed helps you shift from the stresses of the day into night and teaches your body to transition into sleep.
3. Pay Attention to What You Eat
Artificial sweeteners and alcohol are known triggers for tinnitus. If you find, after monitoring your diet and symptoms, that certain foods trigger or worsen your tinnitus, make it a habit to avoid them. You might feel that you still need 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 can help prevent tinnitus or make it better. You can do several things to help:
- Assess your lifestyle to determine whether you’re exposed to loud noises (and how to limit exposure)
- If you have underlying conditions like high blood pressure, get help for it
- Don’t use earbuds…use headphones instead and keep the sound level low
- Go for your yearly exam
- Review your medications with your doctor to see if one may be causing tinnitus symptoms
- Safeguard your ears
- If you suffer from depression or anxiety, get it treated
If you can discover what’s causing the ringing in your ears, you may be able to manage it better.
5. Make an Appointment to See a Hearing Specialist
A professional hearing examination can help you find potential solutions as well as identify what may be causing your tinnitus. There are several ways hearing professionals can help you take care of your tinnitus including:
- Fitting you for hearing aids designed to cancel out the noise
- Help you train your brain to not hear tinnitus by enrolling you in therapy
- Suggesting cognitive behavioral treatment to deal with thought patterns shown to make tinnitus worse
Expert help can hasten recovery and help you sleep better at night. Schedule an appointment with your hearing care professional to see if you can get some help with your tinnitus.