Tinnitus treatments

[wyoDreamer]

I occasionally have tinnitus and my poor sister has tinnitus really bad right now. Any suggestions for ways to ease tinnitus?

 

[8710]

I occasionally have tinnitus and my poor sister has tinnitus really bad right now. Any suggestions for ways to ease tinnitus?

I am a little late to this thread, but I am an audiologist by trade so I'd like to offer what I know. Unfortunately there is no cure. Tinnitus is most often, but not always, caused by damage to the auditory system, either by noise exposure or aging. This may not yet appear as hearing loss, but can develop into hearing loss later.

There are things you can do to help reduce the perceived volume of tinnitus: minimize stress, caffeine, and sodium. Get plenty of sleep and stay hydrated. The sodium and hydration are particularly important because our inner ear, where tinnitus can be generated, is filled with fluid which has sodium in it. If you are dehydrated or consume too much sodium, this can increase the sodium in the inner ear fluid which can increase the tinnitus.

If hearing loss is present, anywhere from 60-80% of individuals who try a hearing aid actually experience considerable relief from the tinnitus.

If hearing loss is not present you can try tinnitus maskers. Most people who are bothered by tinnitus are most bothered at night when trying to sleep. My number one recommendation is an inexpensive box fan. It is loud enough to mask the tinnitus and often lulls you to sleep. There are more expensive masking options, like small stereos, that play a selection of sounds, like ocean waves, etc..

Another option is cognitive behavioral therapy. This essentially aids in lowering your emotional reaction to tinnitus, and is very effective. Unfortunately it is not covered by insurance.

Don't waste your money on herbal supplements as none of them have been proven to work. However this is largely due to lack of research, regardless tinnitus is caused by our auditory and neurological systems, and as I said, not curable. Try herbal supplements if you like, but more than likely you're throwing money away, unfortunately.

I hope some of this info helped!

 

[baymule]

I got it too. Annoying. Too much working in loud places, even with ear plugs, and stupid no ear plugs shooting firearms. Young people know everything. Old people live to regret a few things. Only a few, most I’d do again. LOL

 

[wyoDreamer]

@humble_hills_farm Thank you so much for offering your insight into my tinnitus. I appreciate you taking time to write all that out. My tinnitus has been better lately, and now I have some clues as to why.

-It is summer and the upstairs bedrooms in our old farmhouse get hot. I have found that a fan at night helps me get to sleep, both for the air movement and the noise. On nice summer months, with the windows open, the outdoor noises of country living seem to help lull me to sleep also.
-I have been limiting my caffeine intake for health reasons and I think that is helping also.
-I never really cooked with much salt, it was always the last seasoning to be added and always just to taste. With the Covid-19 issues, we are not eating out as often and I am cooking more. I find restaurant food to be over-salted most of the time, so cooking at home means less sodium also.
- I have noticed that my hearing is not as good as it used to be. Not bad enough to need a hearing aid yet, but I think that day is coming.My DH can't believe that I don't hear the dog whine to go outside at night, but that my be deep sleep as well as hearing issues. I think that the hearing in my right ear is worse than the left ear, and the tinnitus sometimes seems worse in the right ear than the left.
- The tinnitus is less or barely noticeable when I stay hydrated. I do have a problem with making sure I drink enough water every day, but I am working on it. Staying hydrated also helps me avoid headaches, go figure.
- working on minimizing stress also. It is hard to do when I am told by my boss that unless she finds more work, I will be laid-off again. I was laid off for 3 weeks in July.

 

[Britesea]

I'm a veteran and I can vouch for the hearing aid- they are wonderful! I did have a co-pay of $50 for them, but for a $6000 pair of hearing aids that was nothing. You also get free batteries and any other tools for maintenance of the aids. I lost one of them in my second year, and they gave me a whole new set (so now I have one available as an emergency spare). You can also get free glasses (fresh pair every year, with nice looking frames available). I've also gotten a CPAP with free supplies whenever I need them, a very good blood pressure monitor, and one of those paraffin moist heat thingies. All of these were free, or almost free.

 

[baymule]

Minimize stress....... check
Minimize caffeine...... OH NO!
Minimize sodium........OH NO!

Guess I’m just gonna hafta’ Deal with this...... I shake salt in my hand and eat it. It’s Real Salt, unrefined.

 

[8710]

Minimize stress....... check
Minimize caffeine...... OH NO!
Minimize sodium........OH NO!

Guess I’m just gonna hafta’ Deal with this...... I shake salt in my hand and eat it. It’s Real Salt, unrefined.

Haha, if you're like most of us on this site and largely cook at home, you probably eat less salt than the average American anyways. But you can simulate a better salt taste by adding lemon, lime or vinegar to your food and get away with using slightly less salt. The caffeine though, I'm with you. I couldn't give up my life blood! 😂

 

[wyoDreamer]

My Dad was in the marines and he was in stationed in Okinawa during the end of the war, but never saw action.
He is very stubborn and very "frugal". He hates to spend money on non-essential things - like hearing aids, a comfortable mattress, hip replacement surgery, ... you know, non-essential things.
He confessed that his old chair had a broken spring in the seat that poked him every time he sat down. That confession was after we bought him a lift chair for his 80th birthday.

 

[flowerbug]

the first thing to do is not make it worse.

ear protection when doing all loud tasks.

i think too many people play music way too loud and headphones/earphones are not a great idea if you crank them up.

i have it nearly constantly. it doesn't bother me and i can still hear ok otherwise. i try to get some quiet time - Mom likes music on almost all the time so when i can just listen to peace and quiet and the birdies and windchimes then i take advantage of that. right now there's a Mourning Dove. at least we've now worked out things where i do not have to listen to music first thing in the morning. i like music, but first thing in the morning it is all like people running their fingernails on the chalkboard (aka, extremely annoying).

too much loud music, but also some work exposures which certainly were not good.

 

[TexasLisa]

Britesea, thank you for your service!