Are you being kept up by ringing in your ears? You don’t need to just live with it. If you would like to get a better nights sleep, think about these guidelines to quiet this irritating unrelenting sound.
Moderate to severe tinnitus can really throw a monkey wrench in your sleeping habits. During the daytime, tinnitus is often less evident because you’re distracted by noise and activity. But tinnitus can seem louder and more disturbing at night when it’s not as loud.
The good news is, if you want to have an easier time falling asleep, there are some things you can do.
Five tips for falling asleep when you have tinnitus are shown below.
1. Stop Fighting Against The Noise
Though this may sound difficult, if you pay attention to it, it becomes worse. If you begin to get frustrated, your blood pressure goes up and this causes tinnitus symptoms to get worse. So the more aggravated you become dwelling on it, the worse you are probably going to feel. Focusing on something else and utilizing the strategies below can help make the noise seem softer.
2. Establish a Nighttime Routine
Developing healthy 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 feel sleepy at the right time. When you’re ready to fall asleep it will be easier.
Tinnitus has also been related to stress. Establishing habits to lower your stress level before bed can also help, such as:
- Concentrating on thoughts that make you happy and calm
- Avoiding alcohol
- At least a few hours before you go to bed, steer clear of eating
- reduce the temperature in your bedroom
- Listening to gentle sounds or soft music
- Stretching or doing yoga
- Sitting in a quiet room and reading a book
- Doing a quick meditation or deep breathing
- Dimming the lights at least an hour before bedtime
- Going into a bath
Training your body to transition into sleep by getting into a predictable routine before bed helps you shift away from the stresses of the day.
3. Watch What You Eat
Artificial sweeteners and alcohol are well-known triggers for tinnitus. If you discover, after tracking your diet and symptoms, that specific foods trigger or worsen your tinnitus, make it a practice to steer clear of them. You may feel like you still need your morning coffee, but avoid caffeine in the afternoon or at nights.
4. Avoid Common Causes of Tinnitus
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 a few things to help:
- Assess your lifestyle to identify whether you’re exposed to loud noises (and how to limit exposure)
- Use ear protection
- Get help for underlying conditions like high blood pressure
- Use headphones at a lower volume instead of earbuds
- Get treated for depression or anxiety
- To find out if one of your medications is causing tinnitus symptoms check with your doctor
- Go for your annual examination
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 find potential solutions as well as identify what may be causing your tinnitus. Professionals can help you handle your tinnitus in several ways such as:
- Enrolling in treatment to train your brain to not hear the tinnitus
- Suggesting cognitive behavioral therapy to deal with thought patterns shown to make tinnitus worse
- Fitting you for hearing aids created to cancel out the noise
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.
