People rarely suffer from tinnitus alone. High blood pressure, anxiety, depression, teeth grinding, diet, lifestyle choices, and some medications can all contribute to this miserable condition, for which there is no cure. If you suffer from one of these conditions, treating it can help reduce symptoms to a level you can ignore.
Hearing specialists have worked over the years to develop several treatments that reduce tinnitus symptoms. Some are as simple as making changes to your diet, while others take advantage of advances in medical technology. Still, others treat the mental health aspect of tinnitus through Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT).
Recently, hearing specialists in the U.K. have combined CBT treatments with mindfulness training, which is a form of meditation…and the results have been promising. Of the 25 patients who took part in the meditation study, 80% reported a significant reduction in tinnitus symptoms.
So how can meditation so effectively clear up tinnitus symptoms? First, discover why stress can make tinnitus worse, and then find out why meditation is a powerful option. (By the way, there are many things that can make tinnitus worse).
First of all, what is a messy mind? A messy or cluttered mind is often in a state of fight or flight. It’s stressed out a significant portion of the day. It may experience negative thought patterns, racing thoughts, repetitive thoughts, trouble sleeping, and general worry about life, the future, or the past.
People with a messy mind often feel scattered, and in extreme cases, it’s hard for them to remember important things or even think straight. All of this mess is generally the by-product of our hectic lives because let’s face it: between family, Facebook, work, health, and the news, you probably have a lot on your mind.
Some people have learned to manage all of this busyness with less mess than others. It’s an acquired skill that they’ve been able to master, or even thrive on. But for others, dealing with the mess is a struggle. Every day presents a new challenge, and a new reason to be stressed out.