One of the easiest things you can do to relieve that ringing in your ears is to stay active and fit. Start today with one of the following 7 suggestions designed with you in mind.
Not only does your whole body work better when it’s strong, staying fit helps your tinnitus, too.
Even just getting a short workout in a few times a week can make a big difference for known tinnitus triggers:
- High blood pressure
- Giving yourself an energy boost when you’re cutting down caffeine or sugar
- The stress of dealing with the buzzing in your ears.
Not only that but getting regular exercise leads to a deeper and healthier sleep as well as helps deal with cravings when you’re quitting smoking.
So, let’s check out 7 quick and easy exercises that you can start today.
1. Brisk Walk
Don’t worry about running or jogging.
Research shows that brisk walking for just 30 minutes a day is enough exercise to keep you healthy and fit.
You burn between 100 – 300 calories just from that quick walk!
In fact, studies show an overwhelming reduction in:
- High blood pressure
- Resting heart rate
- Body fat
- Body mass index
- Total cholesterol
- Depression
Even if the weather isn’t great, you can always walk around the mall.
Curious what scientists mean when they say “brisk” walk?
Just keep in mind the Bee Gee’s famous tune “Stayin’ Alive” and you’ll know exactly what the best pace to walk at is.
2. Stationary Bike
If you have some back, knee, or joint issues, you might want to use a stationary bike for your exercise, since it has a low impact on those problem areas.
Just like walking, anyone can start using a stationary bike to start getting fit.
And you can use it no matter the weather.
Even while watching TV so you burn calories without even noticing it.
Another plus for the stationary bike is that it burns a bit more calories than walking: 140 calories in 20 minutes.
3. Swimming
For even more serious joint and bone pain from arthritis or osteoporosis, swimming could be exactly what you need.
Get your blood circulating and raise your heart rate gently with a few swim sessions per week.
In fact, a study of a group of adults who suffer from osteoarthritis (who were not doing any exercise whatsoever!) were put on an easy swimming plan to see how it would help their symptoms.
They all saw a huge improvement with:
- Joint pain
- Stiffness
- Increased quality of life
- Better strength and flexibility
A lot of public pools also have swim classes designed for all different age groups and fitness levels.
The classes are a great way to get out and get some exercise at the same time.
4. Squats
If one of your main goals is losing weight to help the factors affecting your tinnitus, doing squats is one of the best ways to quickly boost your metabolism.
The more muscle mass you build, the quicker your body burns calories – even when you’re not exercising.
Squats build muscle mass quickly because they workout multiple muscle groups.
An easy way to start is to sit almost all the way down in a chair and then lift yourself up again.
Using the chair as a guide will help ensure you have the right form to avoid injury.
You keep your feet comfortably shoulder-width apart, keep your back straight and bend your knees gently while lowering yourself down.
If you can’t go very low at first, just go as far down as comfortable until you build up your muscles.
Start with just 3 to 5 squats and once you get good at it, you can increase your repetitions until you get up to 10 or 15.
A big source of knee pain is weak upper leg muscles.
If you notice knee pain while walking downstairs, strengthening your leg muscles through squats might be exactly what you need to help your knees.
5. Arm weights
Another exercise you can try is a light arm workout. This is a great way to improve your posture and strengthen your back and neck.
Here are two simple ideas you can try:
1) Light Weights
- Start either sitting or standing.
- Next, hold some light weights at your shoulder level.
- Lift the weights upwards.
- Then, lower them back to the starting position.
2) Wall Push-Ups
- Stand about an arm’s length in front of a solid wall.
- Lean forward slightly and put your palms flat on the wall at the height and width of your shoulder.
- Keep your feet firmly planted as you slowly bring your body closer to the wall.
- Then, gently push yourself back up so that your arms are straight.
Like the other exercises in this list, just start with a 3 to 5 per day and gradually increase until you can do 10 to 15 each time.
6. Stretching
Stretching has more health benefits than you realize.
- It gets all your muscles moving.
- It gently works out your joints to help maintain their range of motion.
- It’s a great way to decrease stress levels – which is a bonus if your tinnitus is connected to high blood pressure or stress itself.
You can stretch in your bed just after you wake up in the morning or before going to sleep at night.
You can stretch in the shower or bath. You can stretch in a chair or on a soft carpet or yoga mat.
Just gently move your body around while feeling gentle pressure, but do not push until you feel pain.
A few minutes a day is all you need to start with.
7. Yoga
A lot like good ol’ stretching, yoga will give you the same benefits as we listed for stretching, plus depending on which moves you do, it can also build your strength and balance.
There are many books, YouTube videos and websites that you can look up to find simple routines to start within the comfort of your home.
Choose a routine that you find comfortable, gentle and manageable for your body.
Conclusion
Tinnitus affects everyone differently and its root cause can be a whole range of things.
No matter what is causing the ringing in your ears, starting a fitness routine will help you manage your symptoms.
After a few days, you’ll notice that you have more energy and that you’re feeling more positive.
Just start out with 5 or 10 minutes of exercise every day or every second day.
It’s better to do a little but keep it up on a more regular basis than to do a lot for a day or two and then give up.
You can also try some proven tinnitus treatments, learn which medications might be worsening your tinnitus and learn about the newest breakthroughs to finding a tinnitus cure.
Hanson, S., & Jones, A. (2015). Is there evidence that walking groups have health benefits? A systematic review and meta-analysis. British journal of sports medicine, 49(11), 710–715. https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2014-094157
https://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/features/fitness-basics-exercise-bike-is-back#1
Alkatan, M., Baker, J. R., Machin, D. R., Park, W., Akkari, A. S., Pasha, E. P., & Tanaka, H. (2016). Improved Function and Reduced Pain after Swimming and Cycling Training in Patients with Osteoarthritis. The Journal of rheumatology, 43(3), 666–672. https://doi.org/10.3899/jrheum.151110
