Tinnitus refers to hearing ringing, buzzing, or any other persistent sounds in your ears. Even though most have experienced brief tinnitus at some point, 10% of all Americans have persistent tinnitus. These annoying buzzing sounds can affect either one or both ears, they vary in volume, and can either be constant or reappear from time to time. For those with severe tinnitus, the ringing in the ears can interfere with daily activities, may reduce hearing, makes it difficult to fall asleep, or can even wake you up at night.
Finding out the root cause of your tinnitus is the first step in treating the condition. You’d be surprised by how many conditions can make the buzzing sounds appear in your ears. Anything from a temporary blockage to more alarming conditions is a possible explanation. In many cases, tinnitus just shows up for no identifiable reason, a condition known as “idiopathic tinnitus.”
There are two types of tinnitus - subjective tinnitus and objective tinnitus:
Subjective tinnitus is more common, and it’s actually not a problem with your ear. Instead, the condition occurs due to abnormal nerve activity in the brain's auditory cortex. This can be due to a variety of reasons, such as:
Less commonly, a person experiences ringing in the ears as a result of a physiological problem in or near the middle ear. This condition is called objective tinnitus, probably because this type of noise can occasionally be heard by the doctor examining the patient's ear. Patients suffering from objective tinnitus often describe the noise as a pulsing sound.
Objective tinnitus can be caused by:
Not all doctors will conduct a hearing or movement test. Usually, a patient is referred to a trained audiologist. The specialist may use speech recognition tests, auditory tests, and other medical tests, such as CT or MRI imaging or blood work to diagnose the cause of your tinnitus properly.
Although tinnitus is rarely a symptom of a medical emergency, see your doctor if you experience any of the following symptoms:
So what devices work for sound masking? Different approaches and sounds seem to be best for different people, but anything from white noise machines to ordinary fans, a television, sound machines, headphones, and in-ear masking devices can work. Even your own laptop or phone can become a sound-masking device, so we recommend that you start there because it’s free. We link two excellent smartphone apps for sound masking below:
Note that some people find that listening to music, audiobooks, and podcasts may be more beneficial for masking because they both muffle the sound and distract you by holding your attention. Others conclude that white noise helps them more, and a 2017 study also found that white noise is more helpful than nature sounds. The volume of the sound is up to you.
For many people, tinnitus can be an early sign of hearing loss. That is because hearing loss usually comes with changes in your brain that have to do with recognizing sounds. For patients with hearing loss and tinnitus, a hearing aid can make a world of difference. These are small in-ear devices that increase the volume of what you hear.
But even those who don’t experience noticeable hearing loss can benefit from a hearing aid. The better you hear, the less attention you pay to your tinnitus. And once the tinnitus is gone, you can stop using the hearing aid altogether. A survey found that 60% of tinnitus patients find some relief with a hearing aid and 22% report significant improvement.
The American Tinnitus Association reports that most tinnitus cases are the result of hearing loss. However, if your tinnitus is caused by something like a blockage, infection, or a condition like temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorder, then addressing the condition will almost certainly make your tinnitus go away as well.
Simply dissolving the excess earwax may be enough to fully resolve a mild case of tinnitus. That’s another reason why you shouldn’t rely on your own intuition as to the cause of tinnitus. Your physician, an audiologist, or an ENT specialist can match you up with the best treatment.
If you have chronic or recurrent tinnitus, habituating is one of the key skills to learn. Habituating, or ignoring tinnitus, is one of the best ways to find relief for good. This is done by breaking the stress cycle and essentially distracting your brain from noticing the tinnitus.
This can be done by engaging in mindfulness meditation, yoga, or any other activity that helps shift your focus off the noise in your ears. There are even mindfulness-based stress reduction courses that aim to give people skills to control and shift their attention away from tinnitus.
Relaxation is important in treating tinnitus for two reasons. Firstly, it helps prevent ringing in the ears, as stress is a common trigger of tinnitus. And secondly, knowing how to calm your mind is a key tool to preventing tinnitus from affecting your daily life.
Some tinnitus sufferers find relief from adjusting their diet. Particularly, Meniere's disease sufferers - a condition that causes hearing loss, tinnitus, and dizziness - find that reducing salt intake in their diet is helpful. Consuming more foods rich in zinc (e.g., poultry, fish, pumpkin seeds, beans, and peanuts) and vitamin B12 (e.g., meat, milk, cheese, eggs) may also be beneficial.
Reducing caffeine, tobacco, and alcohol consumption may also be helpful for some tinnitus sufferers. And last but not least, anecdotal reports suggest that the herb supplement Ginkgo Biloba reduces tinnitus in some people.
There's a variety of massages and moves that can help temporarily relieve tinnitus. The move in the video below can reduce or make tinnitus completely go away for several hours. Watch the video for step-by-step instructions and a handy visual demonstration.
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