Our ears are delicate organs. If you have not been reading a lot, the ears are affected by what you do to your body more than you have ever known. People, and many others who share the same malady as I do, realize that they should have taken simple precautions only when they suffer undesirable signs of disorder. Lifestyle greatly affects people’s health, and a huge bulk of hospital visits and consultations is due to the inability or the refusal to live healthily. One of the most undesirable products of today’s rigors is stress. I used to ask, “Can stress be causing my ringing ears?” 

Stress is an innate response to everything that happens to a person. Good or bad news and occurrences instigate stress in an individual.  Nevertheless, there are individuals with better coping mechanisms against stress. In general, healthier individuals handle stress better. The problem with stress is that it worsens any condition one is experiencing. For instance, it worsens tinnitus. Here are a few steps to do away with stress and tinnitus. 

1. Use masking devices. There may be times when tinnitus seems louder – when you are tired, worried or problematic. Fatigue and anxiety increase stress levels, and stress affect your heart rate, breathing and blood pressure, which altogether produce louder ear ringing symptoms. My confusion before is whether can stress be causing my ringing ears. Well, not necessarily. Stress is not directly a culprit of tinnitus, but it does aggravate one. Moreover, the ringing noises in your head can raise anxiety levels, too. Masking devices can help you ignore the head noises. Appliances at home like electric fans, televisions, radios, stereos, and wall clocks can act like maskers.
2. Relax. This is the next thing you have to do. Learn techniques to calm your nerves. Breathing exercises will help. There are professionals in yoga and meditation that can give you the right tips to proper relaxation to rid your body of unwanted stress. When you relax, your breathing and heart rate slows down to normal. Blood pressure also drops, and you will notice the ringing tunes down as well.
3. Have a healthy diet. This is more of a preventive measure. Healthier individuals have better defense mechanisms against stress. A diet rich in vitamins A, B-complex, C and E helps improve your body’s defenses against stress.
4. Get enough sleep. Stress starts in the brain and caring for your brain includes getting enough sleep. Individuals who sleep less have higher blood pressure levels and this is especially not good for people with tinnitus. Sleep improves the immune system and helps the brain reprocess the previous day’s encounters. That is why you think better and feel better after a good night sleep.

Can stress be causing my ringing ears? Some experts say it can. However, getting rid of stress is not difficult. Deal with it the right way.