If you’ve been asking yourself how to stop ear ringing, it’s likely that you suffer from tinnitus, a condition that affects almost 40 million people in the US alone. Some complain of ringing, others of humming, whistling, rushing, beeping, or other disturbing and distracting sounds.

Unfortunately, there is no medically proven cure for tinnitus. However, many suffers have learned to manage it or even eliminate it for long periods of time. To understand how to minimize tinnitus, you should first try to understand what has caused it. The underlying cause may be what you need to treat first. Many believe that tinnitus is the result of being over-exposed to loud noises. People who work in loud environments like construction workers and military personnel fall into this category.

Others believe that stress is the main contributor to the condition. Many medical professionals state that too much ear wax, too many ear infections, or head injury can result in tinnitus. Others insist that the condition is your body’s way of telling you that something is not quite right. Your hearing system is very delicate and tied in with your nerves so if something is out of kilter, it could be a result of some sort of imbalance.

So, here are some answers of how to stop ear ringing. Some have claimed to reduce their tinnitus just by changing their eating habits and lifestyle to become more healthy. Eating right means getting a lot of fruit and vegetables, enough protein (from eggs, chicken, turkey, and lean red meat), whole grains, fatty fish like salmon or tuna, and dairy. It’s also important to make sure you aren’t including too much caffeine, alcohol or salt in your diet.

A little bit of exercise can also help. This doesn’t have to be strenuous, just a walk every once in a while may be enough. Eating right and exercise are good for your body and can help you reduce stress, one cause of tinnitus.

Masking is another recommended step, although this doesn’t really combat whatever underlying cause you may have. Masking means listening to white noise or soft music in order to block out the sounds in your ears. This can help for a while but as soon as the “mask” is taken away, you will hear the sounds again.

Alternative therapies have also proven successful in some cases. This can be meditation or some form of acupuncture. And herbs like feverfew and ginkgo bilboa have also been reported as being effective.

First, try to understand the reasons that you are suffering from tinnitus. Then you can better proceed to deal with the condition. Remember that you are not alone. Although a cure has not been found yet, research and studies are being conducted to better understand the disorder and, in the meantime, many are finding relief from the suggestions above.

This article entitled “How to Stop Ear Ringing” is not meant to substitute the advice of medical professionals.