I recently had the honor of co-hosting a webinar about tinnitus for the Vestibular Disorder’s Association (VEDA) with audiologist Barbara Grossman. It took place during VEDA’s annual Balance Awareness Week for 2017. We explored the mechanisms behind tinnitus, how it is diagnosed and treated, and how I personally learned to cope with this debilitating condition. Enjoy! Additional Links and Information: The Vestibular …
Tinnitus Spikes and Habituation: A Long-Term Strategy for Lasting Relief
Last night, I experienced one of the loudest tinnitus spikes I’ve had in a very long time. And today, now that I’m feeling better, I want to talk to you a little bit more about habituation, what it’s like to have a tinnitus spike after you’ve habituated, and how you can cope more effectively over the long-term. But first, let’s …
Tinnitus and Meditation: A Practical Guide to Find Relief
Meditation is the answer to tinnitus. It’s a bold claim, I know. But stay with me for a moment, because if you suffer from tinnitus, meditation can change your life. It changed mine, and I’ve seen it change the lives of countless other tinnitus patients. I’ve watched people tortured by debilitating tinnitus transform back into their old, productive, happy selves. …
How to Help a Loved One Struggling with Tinnitus
It’s never easy to watch a loved one suffer from a debilitating illness like tinnitus. The feeling of powerlessness in the face of so desperately wanting to help…it’s devastating. At it’s worst, ringing in the ears can feel like torture, raining stress and anxiety on the affected while destroying quality of life. It’s hard to watch someone you care about …
How to Find Relief from Tinnitus Spikes
If you’ve lived with tinnitus for any length of time, you’ve probably noticed that it’s not always constant. It fluctuates, and not just in volume, but in sound and intensity, or the number of sounds. These flare-ups are commonly known as tinnitus spikes, and it’s the bane of every tinnitus sufferer’s existence. Because even if you’ve fully habituated and are …
How to Fall Asleep with Tinnitus
There’s nothing worse than tossing and turning in bed when you just want to fall asleep. That restless feeling of watching the minutes tick by, knowing you’re going to feel terrible in the morning…it’s so stressful. But when you live with tinnitus, the medical term for ringing in the ears, it’s an everyday problem. The constant noise is impossible to …
Hearing Loss and Tinnitus: A Comprehensive Guide for Finding Relief
There’s a reason that loud, repetitive sound is used to torture people: it works, and not just a little bit, it can completely break a person down. But the “sound as torture” concept isn’t limited to interrogation tactics. Unfortunately, it hits home with a much larger demographic: tinnitus sufferers. Tinnitus, the medical term for ringing in the ears, is a …
Treating Tinnitus: It’s Not About the Noise
Have you ever felt trapped by a sound? A noise that just gets under your skin and makes you want to run out of the room? Maybe it’s the clicking of a fan as you try to fall asleep, the subtle buzz of a fluorescent light, or the screech of nails on a chalkboard. At its worst, it can feel …
The Stigma of Wearing Earplugs in Public
I know how lucky I am to have habituated to the sound of my Tinnitus. It could all change so quickly. I know that I have to wear earplugs in noisy environments, and usually I do. But I always feel self-conscious. For reasons I can’t explain, I struggle to wear earplugs out in public. I’m constantly aware of the social stigma …
The Tinnitus-Jaw Tension Connection & How to Relax your Jaw Muscles (VIDEO)
Most people know that stress is a big trigger for people with Tinnitus. But not everyone realizes that stress also works its way into our bodies as physical muscle tension. It can cause a lot of aches and pains, but when it gets into our jaw muscles, it can cause our Tinnitus to spike. It’s certainly not an issue for …
