S1 - To Those Without Tinnitus

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When one thinks of preventing tinnitus, most people take that to mean the same as protecting your ears. But as tinnitus is a broad term, 'protecting your ears' only prevents one kind of tinnitus (treatable tinnitus).

One could argue that tinnitus prevention should also include prevention against the many causes of curable tinnitus, such as stress, poor posture, allergies etc. However, talking about such measures would enter this blog into the realm of maintaining general health, since in these cases, tinnitus would most often be only one sympton of a different health issue.

Therefore, in this blog I will explain to you about 'Curable Tinnitus 2: Contracted Arteries' and then offer tips on how to prevent 'Treatable Tinnitus: Loud Noise Exposure'.


An Introduction To 'Curable Tinnitus 2: Contracted Arteries'
Yes, this category of tinnitus has been compiled (using some prejudice) as there are several ways one can get contracted arteries and the information described here will not always prevent this kind of tinnitus in every case.

Basically, contracted arteries means that more blood goes through the artery than what the artery size is made for. It is like squeezing water through a small hole, like your faucet or shower. When you turn on your tap, water comes and you hear a noise because of the pressure created by the small hole and tubes. The same happens with your arteries and you hear a noise because the artery is close to your ear(s).

To quickly and easily explain 'contracted arteries' to you, I have segmented this section into 3 parts.

Part 1: Other issues
There can be many reasons why more blood is pumped through your arteries and it is beyond the scope of this blog to account for them all here, simply because, again this blog would turn into a general health blog, not a tinnitus blog. So I am simply making you aware that there are several posibilities apart from what I present here.

Part 2: Your Jaw
Your jaw may be designed in a way that creates pressure around the ear area (often when you chew or talk), which over time, can cause among other things, tinnitus. This is called a TMJ (Tempero-Mandibular Joint) condition. For this, you would have to see a qualified doctor. However, it is hard to prevent such a thing since you either have it or you don't and you might not know about it until you start feeling the discomfort. So again, I am only making you aware of this possibility.

Part 3: Posture, Stress & Habits
The assumption here is that your arteries have been contracted close to the ear(s) due to prolonged:
- Poor posture when sitting/walking/sleeping/working
- Stress
- Mental and physical habits
- Lack of movement
All of which basically have cronically clenched your muscles and ligaments over time, producing tinnitus since the artery is close to the ear(s) and you can hear the force blood flow through the compressed section of the artery.

It is easy to understand that sitting in a poor position at work for 5, 10, 20 years is bound to have an effect on your body. If you clench a certain muscle in your neck because your arm is not properly supported, over time, there will be "damage" occuring. But it isn't only at work, but in every section of your life. Sleeping, walking, eating, running, relaxing, etc. You don't work at having good posture to prevent tinnitus, so talking more about it would again send this blog into the general health field.


If you want to learn more about posture, I suggest you buy either Janice Novak's book or DVD. This lady knows her stuff.









When you are stressed, you tense your muscles and/or ligaments. If you are cronically stressed, you cronically tense your muscles and/or ligaments. Over time guess what happens. Those muscles and ligaments may stay tense most of the time. Apart from all the other issues stress can cause, those mucles and ligaments can also act like a clench on your arteries, making them smaller. If this happens close to your ear(s), you could begin to hear the blood flow, just as explained above. And so, you get tinnitus. Stress is again a general health issue and beyond the scope of this blog.


However, if you wish to learn more about stress, I recommend the "Relaxation & Stress Redution Workbook".















If you need a basic introduction to stress and relaxation, then the "Stress & Relaxation Explained" DVD might be for you.















We all form mental and physical habits. Just try to tie your shoe laces by reversing what each hand does, brush your teeth or write your name with the other hand from the one you use, and you'll see what I mean. Even if you've trained your body to do things a certain way, these habits you have formed, may not always be the best ones. You may sit inappropriately according to your back muscles. You may allow stress to become part of your daily habitual routines. You may sleep with your neck in a position which clenches your shoulder muscles. You probably never really paid attention to these habits until you were in pain. These habits will eventually produce results, good or bad.

So What Happens?
Basically, by continously squeezing the muscles around your arteries close to your ear and not stretching your ligaments, over time, the muscles and ligaments begin to remain tense at all times. Tell me, do you or do you know somebody who has a shoulder area that feels like a rock? Do you know somebody who has lost range of movement in their arms and head? As these muscles and/or ligaments clench on your arteries, making them smaller, you begin to hear the sound in your ears. Poor posture, strees and mental and physical habits can contribute to this.

The Prevention
What is my best advice on how to prevent what I described in part 3 of this section? By doing physical and mental relaxation throughout your life. This will reduce the possibility of you having this form of tinnitus and a host of other issues and you will improve your overall health. If I was to recommend an activity to physically and mentally relax, it would be one of the following: Tai-Chi, Qigong or Yoga. I recommend these because they are all structured systems of combined movement and thought, which are aimed in part at developing your physical and mental relaxation abilities. So, to help prevent this kind of tinnitus, and I dare say, greatly improve your health and quality of life, you need to learn how to relax. When you've practiced one of these systems or similar ones for a longer period of time, you'll come to understand that, you quite possibly had never actually been relaxed in your whole life until you began working at it.


Preventing 'Treatable Tinnitus: Loud Noise Exposure'
This is the kind of tinnitus most people associate with the word tinnitus or ringing ears. We all know that loud noise is bad, yet so many people get this kind of tinnitus each year.

So then, what is the most effective way to prevent exposure to loud noise? To understand just how debilatating and painful getting tinnitus can be. Plus, understanding that you can't undo the damage to your ears. 

Before you get it, tinnitus is just something that happens to other people. Ringing in your ears after a party or a concert just means you had a good time. Just as saying that you didn't have a good time unless you've got a bad hangover the day after the party. Only when the sound doesn't go away, do you start to panic. Only when it is too late do you take action.

I think that one should play a tinnitus like sound at school for a whole week, at all times, once a year. This would imprint into the children that your ears are important. Because so many don't 'get it' until it is too late.

To parents of young children and teens, I say, play a tinnitus like sound for the whole evening and make the kids listen to it, even during night. Just do this once and there's a good chance they'll remember it when they stand 2 feet away from the speakers at that heavy metal concert 5 years from now.

Basic Prevention
Always shield your ears from any excessively loud noise. Some have more sensitive ears than others, but most people know when it is too loud for them.

Here are my recommendations

Always wear at least ear plugs or ear phones (if you feel it is not enough, wear both), when:
- cutting grass with loud a lawn mower
- using power tools, such as saws, drills, nail guns etc
- using chainsaws
- firing any kind of hand gun, rifle or other loud weapon
- riding an excessively loud motorbike, snowmobile, other (but don't go against local laws of driver's awareness by blocking your ears, put if that motor vehicule is that loud then perhaps you shouldn't be driving it in the first place?)
- when in a loud environment for an extended period of time
- attending a loud concert
- when exposed to any other loud noise

If you can't use ear protection, at least cover your ears with your hands.



Final words

It is better to be safe because it is often too late when you're sorry.