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Avoid alcohol, smoking, and caffeine; they can make tinnitus worse. |
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Cut down on salt in your diet. Salt can cause fluid to build up in your ears, worsening tinnitus. |
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Tone down sound around you. Avoid loud noises, which can aggravate a case of tinnitus you already have. Wear earplugs whenever noise abounds. You can use foam, rubber or moldable wax plugs. You can also use headphones you wear like earmuffs. |
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Some people don't notice their tinnitus in the daytime, but as soon as the lights go out, they're up to their inner ears in bells and buzzers. In this case turn on an FM radio; tune it so that it will point to the static between stations. If you keep the radio near the bed just loud enough to be audible, the static near your head will mask the sounds in your head and let you fall asleep. You can also use music to soothe you to sleep. Or record a 'white noise' tape, such as of running water, and play it whenever you need relief. |
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Some people can't hear their tinnitus when they take showers. You can carry shower sounds around with you. How? Make a long-playing tape of a running shower. When the tinnitus gets bad, listen to the tape through headphones. |
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Stress was found to make tinnitus worse. So, relaxation and stress management techniques also are useful. Deep, slow breathing is one safe way to ease tension. However, this may not be enough. See a counselor if you're having difficulty dealing with stress in your life and your tinnitus is becoming worse because of it. |
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Avoid too much aspirin. If you take aspirin daily (for arthritis, for example), try a different anti-inflammatory drug if you are suffering from tinnitus. Aspirin can cause or worsen tinnitus. Some of the other anti-inflammatory drugs can also cause or worsen tinnitus, but not in everyone. |
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Distraction is an effective technique to combat tinnitus. Focus on some outside activities: Help other people. Join some volunteer groups. Enrich rather than restrict your life. |
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Increase circulation to the ear area by massaging or applying a hot compress on the neck before going to bed. Dip a small towel into hot water, wring out, place on neck and place a dry towel over it. |
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Stimulate overall circulation with alternating hot and cold foot baths every evening. |
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Place a small cotton pouch filled with 3 tbsp. each of hot roasted millet seeds and salt on one ear. Leave on for ten minutes. |
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Regularly chew dried fruit. It increases circulation to the ear area. |
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An occlusal splint can help stop teeth grinding, which is known to cause tinnitus. |
