"Tinnitus remains one of the most frustrating conditions for both patients and clinicians. There is no magic bullet, but many things can help, including simple exercises. Always remember to get a full medical check-up with your doctor if tinnitus persists, especially if it only affects one ear." - Drew Sutton, MD, Board-Certified Otolaryngologist
Tinnitus is a multifactorial condition that can affect people of all ages. Characterized by a ringing or buzzing in the ears, its intensity and impact on daily life vary greatly.
Tinnitus can become a long-term chronic condition. Understanding how to improve symptoms or find relief can be crucial for regaining quality of life.
There are many remedies to help people suffering from tinnitus. These range from cognitive therapy to simple exercises that can reduce some causes of tinnitus.
Here's an overview of exercises designed to relieve tinnitus, as well as other avenues for finding some peace and quiet.
Exercises for quick tinnitus relief
The body is a deeply interconnected whole, and a change in one part can affect others. This principle also applies to tinnitus: it is the fundamental reasoning behind the somatosensory modulation of symptoms.
Somatosensory modulation may sound complex, but it simply refers to how sensations of pressure, pain, tension, or warmth can influence the intensity of tinnitus.
When talking about exercises for tinnitus, we rely precisely on this mechanism of somatosensory modulation to try to reduce its intensity and discomfort. These exercises aim to decrease somatosensory stimuli that aggravate tinnitus.
They focus mainly on the head, neck, and jaw, and combine stretching and mobilization. Here is a detailed examination of exercises you can practice to try to alleviate your tinnitus.
Neck Exercises
Neck exercises are one of the ways many people find some relief from their tinnitus.
The neck is an important anatomical region and particularly prone to tension. A tight neck is a very common problem today, with a large part of the population working 40 hours a week sitting at a desk. Constant slouching and poor posture can also cause neck stiffness.
Whatever the origin of the tension coming from your neck, several exercises can help reduce it and potentially decrease the intensity of somatosensory-modulated tinnitus.
The first exercise is called cervical retraction. To perform it, start with your head naturally relaxed and slightly forward. From there, bring your head backward without changing your gaze direction, while slightly tucking in your chin and keeping your shoulders straight.
Simply repeat this stretch two or three times a day: it can release unnecessary tension in the neck and potentially relieve tinnitus.
Another possible exercise is the lateral tilt. To perform it, try to bring your ear towards your shoulder without shrugging it, then hold the position. After about five seconds, use the arm on the side you are leaning towards to gently pull your head a little closer to the shoulder, and hold for another five seconds.
Repeat on both sides and try to practice this stretch about three times a day to prevent tension.
Jaw Exercises
The jaw is another area of interest for tinnitus due to its proximity to the ear. The joint between the jaw and the skull plays a particularly important role. It is believed that problems such as swelling, irritation, pain, or tension in the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) can contribute to tinnitus.
Some TMJ disorders require surgery, but others can be effectively managed with exercises. One of the major problems with TMJ is that the muscles responsible for proper jaw alignment no longer perform their role, causing other muscles to compensate and generating pain.
One of the best jaw exercises specifically targets the muscles responsible for its alignment. Start with your mouth closed, teeth barely touching. Place your tongue behind your upper incisors, letting it rest against the roof of your mouth.
Then, roll your tongue backward, making sure its tip remains in contact with the roof of your mouth. Slowly open your mouth until you feel your tongue begin to detach from its position, then hold for five seconds before repeating. It is recommended to spend five minutes twice a day on this exercise.
Exercises for lasting tinnitus relief
Tinnitus can have several origins, including blood circulation. Blood continuously circulates throughout your body thanks to the contractions of the heart, which propel it throughout the organism.
Normally, blood circulation does not cause tinnitus, but conditions such as atherosclerosis or high blood pressure, among others, can cause the brain to perceive tinnitus. Tinnitus of vascular origin takes a particular form, called pulsatile tinnitus, characterized by a sound perceived at the rhythm of the heartbeats.
Here are some exercises to consider to try to address tinnitus or to prevent poor blood circulation from triggering it.
Aerobic Exercise
Aerobic exercise is one of the best things you can do for heart health. It includes jogging, cycling, rollerblading, swimming, and equipment like the elliptical trainer. It works by accelerating blood circulation and putting a beneficial stress on the cardiovascular system.
The body responds by improving the efficiency of blood circulation and gas exchange in the lungs, leading to better overall heart and cardiovascular health.
Regular physical activity can really improve many cardiovascular problems like high blood pressure or atherosclerosis. These improvements are likely to help with some forms of tinnitus.
Other ways to relieve tinnitus
Exercises represent only a small part of what you can try to relieve your tinnitus. There are many other treatments that can alleviate certain forms of tinnitus.
If tinnitus constantly bothers you, you have every interest in trying everything at your disposal to regain the life you led before its onset.
Here's an overview of other ways to relieve tinnitus, apart from physical exercise. This works for some, but others will need different solutions.
Therapy
One of the most effective treatments for chronic tinnitus is therapy. Cognitive behavioral therapy and tinnitus retraining therapy seek to act on how you perceive and react to your tinnitus.
Through successful follow-up, people who experience their tinnitus as intrusive and disruptive are better equipped to manage it and regain a more normal life.
Hearing aids
Tinnitus is a symptom frequently linked to some degree of hearing loss. One explanation proposed is that the brain tries to compensate for the poor signals from the ears by increasing its sensitivity to what sound should be in terms of nerve impulses. This increased sensitivity would then lead to perceiving an absence of noise at a given pitch.
In some cases, wearing hearing aids when you have tinnitus can help: the ear sends more regular nerve impulses to the brain, which prevents it from straining to hear.
Hearing aids achieve this by picking up sound stimuli and amplifying them using a microphone, amplifier, and speaker.
With such a simple principle, it's surprising how much hearing aid specialists charge for a pair of conventional hearing aids.
Instead of paying an inflated price at the hearing aid specialist, consider CLARIA's EV1. The EV1 offers the same qualities as a conventional hearing aid, in a more discreet format and with a much lighter impact on your budget.
Music
Tinnitus is most noticeable when the environment is devoid of any external sound stimulus. Playing your favorite song or white noise can help mask your tinnitus and offer temporary respite.
This trick is particularly useful when trying to fall asleep. Lying in bed focusing on your tinnitus makes falling asleep difficult. Choosing a soothing soundtrack and listening to it can help you perceive your tinnitus less and, hopefully, find sleep.
Conclusion
In summary, tinnitus can have several origins. Somatosensory tinnitus can be relieved by simple head, neck, and jaw exercises, and those with a cardiovascular component can benefit from regular physical activity.
Beyond exercises, many other options exist to alleviate symptoms: hearing aids, therapy, or even music to mask tinnitus.
Tinnitus can be extremely frustrating, but with the advice above, we hope you will find some relief. If your tinnitus continues to bother you despite these home remedies, consult a hearing care professional, who may be able to help you.
Sources:
Somatosensory tinnitus: Current evidence and future perspectives | NCBI
Diagnosis and management of somatosensory tinnitus: review article | NCBI
TMJ Treatments | American Tinnitus Association
Understanding the Facts | ATA,
Aerobic Exercise Health: What Is It, Benefits & Examples | Cleveland Clinic
