Tinnitus suffers can experience a ringing, buzzing or roaring in the ear at any time of day. When lying in a quiet room trying to fall asleep, the sound can become even more noticeable. Unfortunately, that means that many with tinnitus have a hard time falling and staying asleep.
Below is a list of some of our best strategies to help those with tinnitus get a better night’s sleep.
Improve Your Sleep Hygiene
Good sleep hygiene involves putting yourself in the best position to sleep well each night. This involves coming up with (and sticking to) a sleep schedule, performing a pre-bedtime routine and creating a relaxing and comfortable environment to fall asleep in.
Use Sound Masking
Sound masking is a relatively simple idea that can help you ignore your tinnitus by playing background noise set to a volume that is just below that of your tinnitus. Even if you are unable to completely mask the sound of your tinnitus, this can help you create a wall of sound that blocks out other noises that may wake you up.
In addition to covering up noises, sound masking ensures that you are not waking up to a completely silent room, which can be challenging for those with tinnitus.
There are a number of sounds you can use in this situation. In addition to traditional white noise or ambient music, nature sounds can make you feel like you are walking past Multnomah Falls and make you feel relaxed. Using several sounds as once can ensure that if one stops, you are not left in silence.
You can listen to sounds through headphones designed to be worn while sleeping, a pillow with a built-in speaker or through a wireless Bluetooth speaker.
Write Down Your Thoughts
It can be hard to fall asleep if you have too many thoughts running through your head. Having to combat this rapid and endless mental chatter is tough enough, but when tinnitus is added into the mix it becomes increasingly challenging.
A simple way to calm your mind before bed is to take a few minutes every night to write down your thoughts. Getting all your ideas safely written down can decrease your anxiety and make you feel calm. This can help you fall asleep more easily.
To learn more about strategies to improve your sleep or to schedule an appointment, contact the experts at PDX ENT today.
