Stress as a trigger for tinnitus?
Stress can make tinnitus worse by increasing the sensitivity and neuronal activity of the auditory system. While it does not directly cause tinnitus, it can certainly exacerbate the symptoms and make you much more aware of irritating clicking and crackling or ringing sounds.
Stress is one of those things that seems to be an underlying cause for so much that consistently baffles the medical system.
While the exact way that stress influences tinnitus is not totally understood, theories do suggest a strong connection.
When you are stressed, your body goes through various physiological changes such as increased heart rate, raised blood pressure, and muscle tension. All those bodily changes can disrupt the delicate balance of the hearing system, and exacerbate tinnitus or similar hearing issues.
Whenever we encounter stress or a situation that causes us anxiety, we trigger the release of our stress hormones, adrenaline and cortisol and the fight or flight response is activated in our sympathetic nervous system.
The thing is, if we are experiencing chronic stress, that stress can disrupt and overactivate our fight or flight response, causing a prolonged period of high alert. That then causes changes in our blood flow, hormone levels, and neurotransmitter production – causing a cascade of health issues that includes tinnitus.
Besides causing reduced blood flow and inflammation in the ear structures, chronic stress can also increase neural activity in the parts of the brain that are involved in the processing of sound. It can cause the brain to stop filtering out irrelevant sounds, making people more susceptible to perceiving those phantom sounds associated with tinnitus.
Whether or not you believe your hearing issues are related to stress, there is nothing to be lost from developing a habit of mindfulness, meditation or other calming practices to promote your overall well-being.
In what small ways could you implement some mindful techniques to reduce stress in your every day life?
This does not mean you suddenly have to adopt a spiritual attitude and learn how to sit in the lotus position on top of a mountain!
All you need to do is take just five minutes every single day to be quiet and focused in the present moment, acknowledging and accepting your thoughts and feelings without judging them.
This practice can also help you to become more aware of your stress levels, as sometimes we don’t even realize how much stress we are holding in our physical and energetic bodies, until we experience symptoms.
To practice mindfulness meditation:
Sit or lie down in a quiet, comfortable place.
Begin to observe your breathing, paying close attention to your bodily sensations as you focus on your inhales and exhales.
If your mind wanders, bring it gently back to focus on the breath. Do not judge. Simply note that you got distracted, and return to a feeling stillness.
Start with as short a time as you need and gradually increase the length of your meditation.
In conclusion
You might feel frustrated by your tinnitus symptoms, but taking the time to meditate and eliminate stress is at least one thing you can begin to shift your discomfort. Of course, there is also the added benefit of being an incredibly positive and healthy thing to add to your life!
