Can’t seem to get that incessant ringing out of your ears? Try these 3 simple tricks!
White noise
Giving your brain more sound to deal with can draw attention away from the ringing in your ears.
“If you were in a restaurant and had candles on the table, you’d see them but wouldn’t be focusing on them,” says LaGuinn Sherlock, Au.D., research audiologist and former director of the Board of the American Tinnitus Association. “But if the lights went off, you’d have to pay attention to them because there’s a sharp contrast between light and dark.”
This is why your tinnitus could reduce or go away entirely while you have white noise playing in the background.
Classical music
If you don’t like white noise – maybe you find that sound as bothersome or more aggravating than the ringing – you can play some music as your tinnitus cure. This gives your brain something to focus on, just like the white noise trick.
“Lyrics are words, words have meanings, and the brain gets distracted more easily,” says Norma R. Mraz, AuD, director of Mraz Audiology Consulting in Alpharetta, GA. “With instrumental versions with no lyrics, your focus can be the task at hand.”
Related: 4 Common Things That Can Damage Your Hearing, Without You Knowing It
Invisible earphones
Wearing headphones to listen to music or white noise at work or in social settings will probably give off the wrong impression (how rude), so consider investing into an invisible wearable device. They’re similar to a hearing aid, but feeds your ears a low-level noise that’s quieter than a whisper.
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