Common Holiday Stressors:
Travel Stress: The added pressure of holiday travel can create anxiety for many people.
Work Deadlines: The end-of-the-year work rush can be overwhelming.
Family Dynamics: Navigating family gathering and potential conflicts can be stressful.
Financial Pressure: Holiday expenses for gifts, decorations, and travel can be financially stressful.
Time Constraints: Trying to fit everything in during the busy holiday season can leave you feeling overwhelmed.
Why Does Stress Make Tinnitus Feel Worse?
Heightened Sensitivity: Stress activates the body’s ‘fight or flight’ response, which releases adrenaline and increases muscle tension. This heightened state of alertness can make you more sensitive to the internal sounds of tinnitus. This could make tinnitus feel louder or more bothersome and intrusive.
Increased Focus on Tinnitus: Stress often causes anxiety, and anxiety can make people hyper-aware of their tinnitus. When you’re stressed, you’re more likely to focus on the ringing or buzzing in your ears which amplifies your perception of the tinnitus.
Changes in Blood Flow: Stress can cause changes in your blood pressure and circulation, potentially impacting blood flow to the inner ear.
Disrupted Sleep: Stress can lead to poor sleep quality. Sleep deprivation can make it harder for the brain to process and ignore the tinnitus sound, leading to increased distress.
Increased Muscle Tension: Stress can cause muscle tension in the neck, jaw and head. This can exacerbate other conditions such as temporomandibular joint (TMJ) dysfunction and worsen the perception of tinnitus.
Managing stress is key to reducing its negative effects on tinnitus. Relaxing and taking time for yourself can alleviate the anxiety that often amplifies tinnitus symptoms. By reducing stress, you can enjoy the holidays and minimize the impact of your tinnitus.
Which relaxation techniques can help?
Deep Breathing: Deep breathing helps activate the relaxation response in the body, reduces muscle tension and lowers the heart rate. Sit or lie in a comfortable position, close your eyes and take a slow, deep breath through your nose. Hold for a few seconds before exhaling through your mouth. Repeat for 5-10 minutes.
Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR): PMR helps release physical tension to promote whole-body relaxation and alleviate stress-related tinnitus symptoms. Start at your toes and tense each muscle group one by one for a few seconds each. Slowly work your way up the body.
Guided Imagery: Immersing yourself in a mental image can help divert attention from tinnitus, reducing stress and anxiety. Close your eyes and imagine a peaceful scene. Focus on the details of this scene, using as many senses as possible (sight, sound, touch, smell) until you feel calm and relaxed.
Mindfulness Meditation: Mindfulness encourages awareness of the current moment, helping to prevent fixation on tinnitus while reducing its emotional impact. To practice, find a comfortable position and focus on your breath. Let go of distracting thoughts and gently bring your attention back to your breath whenever your mind starts to wander. Begin with short sessions and gradually increase the duration as you develop this skill.
Sound Relief’s Treatment Options
At Sound Relief, we offer effective treatment options to help manage tinnitus and improve your quality of life. Our approach includes:
Tinnitus Retraining Therapy (TRT): This combination of prescriptive sound therapy and educational counseling helps retrain your brain to reduce the perception of tinnitus. TRT is most effective when tailored to your needs and guided by an experienced audiologist.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): Tenets of CBT can help address the emotional and psychological impact of tinnitus, allowing you to manage stress and anxiety more effectively.
Bimodal Stimulation: For some patients, combining sound therapy with vibratory stimulation can help rewire the brain’s response to tinnitus.
We are here to support you with compassionate care and proven treatments to help you manage tinnitus, improve your quality of life, and find relief during the busy holiday season and beyond. You don’t have to face tinnitus alone—our team is here to help you every step of the way.
At Sound Relief Tinnitus & Hearing Center, we provide hope and help to those living with tinnitus and other hearing health issues. Our patients are at the center of everything we do, and we strive to guide them to overcome their challenges by delivering innovative and compassionate healthcare.
Dr. Julie Prutsman, owner of this family-owned practice, has expanded to 9 locations across Colorado and Arizona. In 2012, she founded Sound Relief in her hometown of Highlands Ranch, Colorado and continues to foster their mission through mentorship of the brightest minds in the field of Audiology.