As a nurse practitioner who has spent many years working with ears, I see lots of clients in my Earworx clinic in Hull who experience Tinnitus. In fact, the number of people with Tinnitus in the UK is thought to be as many as 1 in 6!
There are many ways in which it can affect our daily activities and it can vary in the degree in which it occurs. At best it can be an irritating, type of noise, which occurs occasionally, and at worst, Tinnitus can be noise that can be a debilitating annoyance that consumes every waking hour of the day.
So what can you do to get rid of it?
At the moment, there is no cure for Tinnitus, although more research is being done, and we do have a better understanding of the condition, and we have more idea of how to manage the effect it has on our daily lives.
When clients come to my Clinic we do comprehensive assessment of the unique way that Tinnitus impacts on that individual. I then look at forming a plan of a number of actions, and interventions which together can, and often do, improve the situation for that client.
Common management strategy
- Get an Ear check
If your Tinnitus has just started, or has just become worse, the first thing I would suggest would be to get your ears checked for ear wax. A build up of wax can block some sounds that your brain expects to hear normally, and when it doesn’t, your brain can decide to fill the missing gap in your hearing with its own sound, Tinnitus. This also applies if you already had a lesser degree of Tinnitus as having a wax blockage can reduce hearing and so the volume and frequency of your Tinnitus can worsen as the Brain may increase the volume on your Tinnitus to fill the widening gap of your hearing reducing.
Wax removal for Tinnitus sufferers should be done using micro suction technique at an ear clinic like my own Earworx clinic in Hull, can often stop any new Tinnitus episodes and reduce an exacerbation of an existing Tinnitus problem.
- Avoid Silence
This sounds weird when all Tinnitus sufferers want is the noise to be silenced…but sounds in the background can cancel out the unwanted noise.
The majority of Tinnitus sufferers Say that their symptoms tend to occur more often when it’s quiet, when they are trying to get to sleep for instance. When the environment around us is really, and unusually quiet, the brain creates the noise to fill the gap that is silence. So the key here is to fool the brain by putting some background sounds in your sleep- environment. Some people report that their Tinnitus often improves during the summer months when they have their bedroom window open and they can hear ambient nocturnal sounds as they settle to sleep.
Many of my clients who experience this problem, find that purchasing a Sleep sounds device, or using an Alexa to play soothing sea sounds etc. makes a difference. Both types of device can be set to play the sounds for 15 minutes or so until you fall asleep.
I do not advise that you go to sleep listening to music with headphones in. Firstly, because they will cause unnecessary pressure to your ear as you lay on them, this can result in painful sore areas, and impacted ear wax. Secondly, your music will play long after you fall asleep, and research evidence suggests that listening through headphones / earphones for more than an hour a day, can cause hearing loss over a period of time.
- Take Advantage of A Free Hearing Test
If you don’t already see an audiologist for your hearing. It is a good idea to get your hearing checked. A hearing test will not only Identify if you have a wax blockage, but will identify any areas of reduced hearing ability and compare your hearing against normal expected wear and tear as we get older. Even if you don’t think you have a hearing reduction, it’s good to have a baseline measurement to monitor your hearing, and tinnitus against in the future.
Dips in hearing ability, and in certain frequencies of the range of your hearing, may be the cause of your Tinnitus, or one of the factors of your tinnitus. If this is the case, it could be that hearing aids adjusted to balance all the frequencies of your hearing could significantly improve your Tinnitus situation.
- Address The Stress
Approx 20% of Tinnitus is believed to be associated with stress. Of course this can end up being a perpetual problem, because having that unwanted noise disturbing you also adds to that stress. Where it is thought to be the major Player in your Tinnitus, taking steps to reduce your stressors and including more distracting activities into your routine, can make significant reductions in the level of Tinnitus you experience.
Here at My Positive Health, in Hull, I use a combination of Clinical Hypnotherapy and other supporting complimentary therapies to address the stress. In fact, I studied hypnotherapy because I wanted to do something to help my clients at Earworx that were struggling with their Tinnitus symptoms
My Tinnitus management programmes work by addressing your individual situation, and can be tailored to be very specific, and unique to your situation. Some of my clients have had life changing results, most have reduced their Tinnitus symptoms by 50% or more.
- Positional, Accidental or Dental
If you have Tinnitus and your Tinnitus gets worse when you are in certain positions, or doing certain things like moving your Jaw for instance. If you had any trauma or injury to your head or neck you may have damage or scar tissue impacting on the neurological network causing tension on the audiological system. Likewise, you may find it useful to have a dental check as problems with your teeth, gums or Jawline can affect your hearing due to their close proximity to each other.
Recent research into Tinnitus has found that up to 25% of sufferers have this particular type of Tinnitus can benefit from Myofascial Release, or Trigger Point Therapy both have been found to be effective in reducing Tinnitus symptoms by releasing the pressure around the head and neck.
Cheryl Lawton RGN SCPHN DipHYP
Specialist Nurse Practitioner at Earworx