Ultimate Guide To Tinnitus Relief

Table of Contents
About the Author …………………………………………………………… 2
Introduction ……………………………………………………………………. 3
Sound Therapy ……………………………………………………………….. 4
Hearing Devices ……………………………………………………………... 5
Sleep Habits …..……………………………………………………………….. 6
Mindfulness …………………………………………………………………….. 7
Meditation ...…………………………………………………………………….. 8
Diet & Exercise ………………………………………………………………… 9
Support Groups ………………………………………………………………. 10
BONUS Recommendation …………………………………………….. 11

About Dr.
Thompson
Dr. Ben Thompson, Au.D.
Introduction
Approximately 15 million Americans • Auditory
experience feelings of anxiety,
frustration, or stress because they
hear some form of ringing in the ears.
• Mind-Body
This can seem isolating, but
remember that you’re far from alone.
The most common cause of tinnitus is
damage to the cells in the hearing • Lifestyle
sensory organ, called the cochlea.
Unfortunately, hearing damage to the

cochlea is typically permanent. • Community:
Although there is no way to restore the
damaged hearing cells, there is A LOT
you can do for your tinnitus right now
and moving forward.
Sound Therapy
Damage to the hearing system creates a lack of auditory input. Typically, this
affects soft high-pitch sounds. When high-frequency sounds are not processed
through the ear, then the auditory brain hears tinnitus. Controlling the incoming
auditory signal can have positive effects on the loudness of your tinnitus. Sound
therapy can help in two ways. First, the noise can mask (cover) the ringing in your
ears. Second, the sound can calm and relax you. These simple noise generators
are commonly used to feel relief from tinnitus during the day and at night:
● Smartphone Apps: Playing calming background music or recorded nature

sounds from your phone can provide just enough sound to allow you to stay
focused on what you are doing, instead of feeling distracted by the ringing in
your ears. You can listen through headphones or a speaker.
● White Noise Machine: A white noise machine can mask your tinnitus with a
low level of steady-state noise. You can also try pink or brown noise, which
have a different sound quality.
● Electric Fan: Often the fastest and easiest way to cover up the sound of your
tinnitus at home. The fan creates a steady-state noise similar to a white
noise machine.
Hearing Devices
If you suffer from tinnitus and have hearing loss, there is a 50-60% probability that
hearing devices can provide tinnitus relief. When you stimulate your auditory
system with sound, it typically reduces the perceived loudness of your tinnitus and
makes it softer. Hearing aids provide an increased audibility to environment and
speech sounds in the frequency region of your hearing loss.
A standard feature for hearing aids are ear-level sound generators. These can be
programmed in the devices, so when you click a button you will hear background
white noise, ocean waves, or other sounds designed for tinnitus relief. If you do not
have hearing loss, you may also consider hearing devices that act only as ear-level
noise generators and do not amplify environment or speech sounds.
Consider looking for bluetooth-compatible hearing aids that can connect to your
smartphone. Then you can stream music or soft relaxing sounds from any app,
including Spotify, Youtube, etc. That would be your own customized sound therapy.
Sleep Habits
eople with tinnitus often state that falling asleep is one of their most significant
daily challenges. Sleep deprivation is a common side effect. To make matters
worse, when you’re sleep-deprived the symptoms of tinnitus can intensify.
1. Spend 20-30 minutes doing something that relaxes you before going to
sleep. Try reading, lighting a candle, taking a bath, or stretching.
2. Reduce exposure to bright lights before bed. Try to limit screen time,
specifically from your computer, phone, and television. It is especially
important to avoid exciting content like action movies, loud music, and
news. You can also limit the light in your bedroom with black out curtains.
3. Use sound therapy to help enter sleep while lying in bed. Try a white noise
machine, a fan, or the recorded sound of ocean waves.
4. The Sound Pillow is a product that contains a small speaker inside of a
pillow. You plug in your own music source. It allows you to mask your
tinnitus with customized sound therapy through your pillow, without
bothering your sleeping partner in the bed next to you.
Mindfulness
Can you recall a time when you were lost in thought? For most of us, this can
happen while reading a book or during a work meeting. These involuntary thoughts
take you out of the present moment. Similarly, the mind can create a story about
the inescapable stress and suffering you may experience from your tinnitus.
Jon Kabat-Zinn, an esteemed American teacher, defines mindfulness as “moment

to moment, non-judgmental awareness.” The core teaching of mindfulness is
about observing the witness mind, a somewhat unfamiliar concept in Western
cultures. When you can witness your thoughts, emotions, and reactions, then you
realize that they do not define you nor control you. In doing this, we learn how to
separate ourselves from our bad habits and negative thinking.
A great way to practice cultivating mindfulness is through a body scan. Typically,

this involves laying on the ground with your eyes closed and listening to a guided
audio recording for 10-20 minutes. Other mindfulness practices include sitting
meditation, walking meditation, or hatha yoga (stretching). A great book to begin
with is Full Catastrophe Living by Jon Kabat-Zinn, Ph.D.
Meditation
The world is full of technology, to-do lists, and distractions. Finding peaceful
moments in our busy lives is already challenging. With tinnitus, peace and quiet
can seem unattainable. Meditation is a tool to help manage stress and calm the
nervous system by increasing the parasympathetic response. Meditation directly
impacts the underlying physiological systems that cause bothersome tinnitus.
Meditation is typically performed in the morning or before going to sleep. Sitting

meditation is the most popular style. You can sit on a chair or a meditation
cushion. Walking meditation is great for those who have a hard time sitting still.
Meditation is a great tool because it can be practiced anytime and anywhere. You
can focus on your breathing in your home, on a park bench, in a moving train, in
nature, or in the waiting room at a doctor’s office.
The breath is the most common object for meditation. You can focus on feeling
the physical sensations of air moving through your nostrils or your stomach rising
and falling with each breath. When you are focused on your breathing, the mind’s
involuntary thoughts and future plans temporarily subside. The goal of meditation
is not to silence the mind, but instead to observe the mind’s involuntary thinking
and gently return your attention to the physical sensations of your breathing.
Diet & Exercise
There is a relationship between food and overall wellness. If your body is fed well,
you can feel positive effects on your immune function and nervous system.
Current research does not find a strong relationship between caffeine or alcohol
and tinnitus; however, limiting your intake of those compounds may improve your
overall well-being. Some basic diet tips include limiting processed sugar and
processed salt intake. There is a link between salt intake and tinnitus for those
who have hearing loss related to Meniere’s Disease.
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends 150 minutes of

moderate-intensity exercise per week. Exercise is a proven method for reducing
stress, anxiety, and depression. If you can commit to exercise and maintain your
physical activity, then you can improve the stress response from the underlying
physiological systems that cause bothersome tinnitus.
Support Groups
When you walk down the street and someone notices you, there is no way for them
to discern that you are bothered by ringing in the ears. Tinnitus is an invisible
condition. No one can see it or point to it, and only you can hear it. Bothersome
tinnitus can be difficult to discuss with friends or family. They want to support us,
but what can they do? That can lead to a sense of isolation.
Have you ever considered finding a tinnitus support group? The American Tinnitus
Association has a list of support groups in the United States, which you can find
on their website. You can online find some online.
These meetings typically convene monthly to discuss:

➔ Personal stories
➔ Scientific research
➔ Management strategies
➔ Advocacy efforts
Attending a support group, you can befriend people who know exactly what you’re
going through. You can share your story and support others in their journey.
Are you fighting your tinnitus and
wondering what you can do to help?
You’ve just learned some simple strategies to manage tinnitus on your own, but
sometimes that’s not enough. Dr. Thompson created two services for Pure Tinnitus:
1. Pure Tinnitus Group Coaching - Monthly Zoom workshops to learn

evidence-based tinnitus management techniques. Includes access to the 7-Day
Tinnitus Meditation Challenge recordings. Click here to get a free week trial.
2. Tinnitus Retraining Therapy - Navigate through tinnitus with personalized

guidance. Feel confident that your daily practices are helping you shift your
attention away from your tinnitus. Click here to learn about our packages.
CLICK HERE TO WORK WITH DR. BEN
Ben Thompson, Au.D.
PureTinnitus.com

Ultimate Guide To Tinnitus Relief

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Ultimate Guide To Tinnitus Relief

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Ultimate Guide To Tinnitus Relief

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

What are some auditory techniques for managing tinnitus mentioned in the document?

What are some auditory techniques for managing tinnitus mentioned in the document?

What mind-body techniques for managing tinnitus are discussed?

What mind-body techniques for managing tinnitus are discussed?

Table of Contents

About the Author …………………………………………………………… 2

Sound Therapy ……………………………………………………………….. 4

Hearing Devices ……………………………………………………………... 5

Sleep Habits …..……………………………………………………………….. 6

Diet & Exercise ………………………………………………………………… 9

Support Groups ………………………………………………………………. 10

BONUS Recommendation …………………………………………….. 11

Unfortunately, hearing damage to the

● Smartphone Apps: Playing calming background music or recorded nature

Jon Kabat-Zinn, an esteemed American teacher, deﬁnes mindfulness as “moment

A great way to practice cultivating mindfulness is through a body scan. Typically,

Meditation is typically performed in the morning or before going to sleep. Sitting

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends 150 minutes of

These meetings typically convene monthly to discuss:

1. Pure Tinnitus Group Coaching - Monthly Zoom workshops to learn

2. Tinnitus Retraining Therapy - Navigate through tinnitus with personalized

CLICK HERE TO WORK WITH DR. BEN

Ben Thompson, Au.D.

You might also like