There aren’t many conditions that are more complex to comprehend for people who don’t suffer from tinnitus. That’s because unless you’re afflicted with tinnitus, you won’t feel, see or hear the symptoms in the same way you would other ailments.

Tinnitus is a very real and extremely difficult experience for the almost 50 million Americans who have it. Ringing in the ears is the best description of tinnitus, but the American Tinnitus Association says, it can present sufferers with whistling, hissing, swooshing, clicking, and buzzing. These sounds aren’t noticeable by others and that might be the most disheartening part of tinnitus, which can lead to confusion, disorientation, depression and delayed diagnosis.

While that 50 million number is big, it’s even more staggering when put in the context that it means about 15 percent of the overall public battles with tinnitus. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control reports that around 20 million of those people have what’s classified as burdensome chronic tinnitus, while another two million suffer from symptoms that are severe and debilitating.

In order to enhance their hearing and drown out the ringing, people with tinnitus many times turn to hearing aids. There are everyday things you can do to reduce the ringing along with wearing hearing aids.

If you have tinnitus here are 10 things to avoid:

• Smoking; Your blood pressure can definitely be increased by smoking. Also, it can make the tinnitus worse by narrowing the blood vessels to the ears.
• Alcohol; Your cholesterol and heart health can be positively affected by drinking a small glass of wine every day, or so the old saying goes. But when it comes to alcohol and tinnitus, you can have too much of a good thing. For some people drinking too much alcohol makes tinnitus symptoms more evident because it tends to increase your blood pressure.
• Infections; Since a lingering cold can quickly turn into a sinus infection there has always been commentary about the need to find a cure for it. Infections in both the sinus and ears have been known to worsen tinnitus, so make certain you’re doing everything you can to reduce your exposure to infections.
• Poor sleeping habits; When mom said you should get your eight hours of sleep each night, she wasn’t kidding. Sleep is another critical aspect of healthy living that offers a wide range of benefits, including helping to avoid triggers of tinnitus.
• Jaw issues; If you’re having pain in your jaw, you should already be consulting a doctor, but especially if you also have tinnitus. Minimizing jaw pain might have some impact on your tinnitus because the jaw and ears share nerves and ligaments.
• Excess earwax; There’s no doubting that earwax serves a beneficial role in the in the overall health of your ears. In fact, the gunk we all hate actually catches dirt and protects your ears. That being said, too much accumulation can make tinnitus worse. Your doctor might be able to help you relieve some of the buildup and provide prevention advice to ensure it doesn’t build up to a dangerous level again.
• Loud noises; This one probably seems obvious, but it’s worth repeating that loud noises can worsen the sounds you’re already hearing internally. Be mindful of situations where you’ll be exposed to sounds at an increased volume. This includes construction sites, concerts, and loud restaurants. Consider protecting your ears with earplugs if you can’t avoid the noise. Earplugs can be particularly helpful for people whose job involves using loud machinery.
• Caffeine; Here again, a rise in tinnitus levels goes along with this influence due to an increase in blood pressure. You will probably notice a change in sleeping habits if you drink too much caffeine.
• Particular medicines; Certain medications such as aspirin, as an example, are good at decreasing pain but they might also induce tinnitus. There are other prescription medications including cancer drugs and antibiotics that can also have an impact on tinnitus. But before you stop taking a medication that was prescribed by your doctor, you should set up a consultation.
• Unsafe blood pressure levels; Keeping track of your blood pressure is an essential preventive tip that will help keep you safe from many ailments, but it also just may keep your tinnitus symptoms under control. It’s significant to note that both high and low blood pressure levels can worsen tinnitus, so you should be careful about routinely checking your blood pressure.

Although there’s no established cure for tinnitus, there are ways to control the symptoms and take back your life. You may be surprised in the changes in your overall health and your tinnitus symptoms if you try these 10 recommendations. If these don’t help, make an appointment with a hearing care professional.