How to Avoid Ringing Ears Naturally

Tinnitus is the medical term for ringing in the ears. It is an annoying condition that may be brought on by an injury to the ear or by a medical condition not related to your hearing. Although common, tinnitus is more of an aggravation than a serious medical condition. There are drugs that can help alleviate the aggravating sounds, but many individuals prefer using natural methods at first to fight the ringing.

Doctor-Related Treatment

• Your doctor may offer solutions for ringing in the ears that are not drug related. Once the doctor has examined the interior of your ears, he may suggest wax removal. Although you may clean wax out of your ears regularly, it can build up beyond where you can reach it with your ear swab. Your doctor will use a stream of water to loosen and remove excess wax from your ears which may help to eliminate the ringing.

Change of Current Medication

• Side effects of your current medications may cause ringing in the ears. If you have started a new medication and noticed the ringing soon afterward, wait a few days to see if it stops. If the ringing doesn't stop after a week, call the doctor to see if she can change your medication to one that doesn't produce that particular side effect.

White Noise

• White noise can offer relief by supplying another noise that cancels out the ringing. White noise is created by combining sounds of different frequencies. For example, turning on a fan or a sound machine often drowns out the ringing, offering a more pleasing sound instead. A sound machine can produce white noise or the sound of crashing waves or a babbling brook. These sounds often help at night when trying to sleep or when reading or working on the computer.

Avoidance

• Certain items can irritate your ears, making tinnitus even worse. Smoke-filled rooms, loud music, and construction noise can all contribute to the ringing becoming louder than normal. Although avoiding these things does not necessarily stop the ringing, it often keeps it from becoming worse. If you cannot avoid these situations, place ear plugs or cotton into your ears to protect them from these irritants.

Heart Health

• Ringing in the ears can also be connected to high blood pressure. If you have blockages in your arteries, the pressure in your bloodstream increases, which in turn may cause ringing in the ears. If your doctor diagnoses you with high blood pressure, lowering it through exercise, proper diet and sometimes medication may relieve the tinnitus.