Tinnitus is the sounds that one hears, but people around them cannot. The sounds could be clicking, humming, low-pitched or high-pitched ringing. It leads to sleep disruption, stress, and anxiety and interferes with memory and concentration.

How do you cope with hearing loss and tinnitus?

Seek medical help

The first step in coping with tinnitus and hearing loss is visiting your audiologist. Make an appointment to see them. The specialist will conduct a hearing test and diagnose the cause of your tinnitus. Sometimes your hearing and tinnitus are caused by too much earwax.

Your audiologist will also recommend medication for tinnitus.

Hearing aids

Your audiologist might also recommend hearing aids. Hearing aids intensify sounds and help you hear well. They help restore the frequency of your hearing and help manage tinnitus. With better hearing, you will not notice the tinnitus sounds. Sounds from the environment will cover the ringing in your ears.

Relaxation techniques

Stress and anxiety can worsen tinnitus; hence it is essential to practise some relaxation techniques to calm down. When you are calm, the ringing in your ears will go unnoticed.  Create a schedule in which you include relaxation techniques into your routine. Breathing exercises are a great way to reduce anxiety.

Tinnitus triggers

Reduce tinnitus triggers. Most of the time, especially if you are experiencing hearing loss, they will catch you off the guard, making it difficult to cope. So, what do you do? Keep a journal about your tinnitus. Keep track of your diet, environment and lifestyle. This will help you identify the triggers.

Counselling

Behavioural treatment options help people living with tinnitus cope with it. The counselling options include tinnitus retraining therapy and cognitive behavioural therapy.

Support groups

Join a support group; it could be local or online. There are many networks offering support and advice to individuals with hearing loss. Online support groups make it simple to connect with people, even if you don't want to face-to-face.

If you think you may have tinnitus, book an appointment for a hearing test with one of the audiologists at Attune. Visit our website or contact us to book an appointment.