Tinnitus is the perception of noise that no one else can hear. It may sound like ringing, hissing, buzzing, rushing, or cicadas when there’s no external noise. These sounds can be so soft you barely notice them, or so loud that they seem to block out sounds in your environment.

While there is no cure for tinnitus, there are many treatments to reduce the severity of your symptoms, including wearing hearing aids.

What causes tinnitus?

Tinnitus isn’t usually a problem with your ears; it’s how your brain processes silence, often starting in the ear (like loud noise or age-related hearing loss), but generated by your brain.

The most common causes of tinnitus include:

• Hearing loss: most people with tinnitus also have hearing loss. This may develop over time due to ageing or from long-term exposure to loud noise.
• Exposure to loud noise: use of heavy equipment, power tools, headphones, concerts, or one-time events such as a close-range gunshot without hearing protection can cause noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL).
• Stress: while stress does not cause tinnitus on its own, research suggests it can trigger or worsen symptoms.
• Ear problems: excess earwax or ear infections can be linked to tinnitus.
• Other ear conditions: Ménière’s disease and otosclerosis are commonly associated with tinnitus. Ménière’s disease affects the inner ear and can impact both balance and hearing. Otosclerosis involves abnormal bone growth in the middle ear, which affects how sound travels.
• Blood flow issues: high blood pressure (hypertension) or carotid atherosclerosis (a build-up of plaque in your arteries) can sometimes be associated with tinnitus.
• Certain health problems: including diabetes, autoimmune diseases, migraines, and multiple sclerosis, as well as habits such as smoking, excessive alcohol or caffeine consumption, and an unhealthy diet can exacerbate perception of tinnitus.

How can you treat tinnitus?

Managing tinnitus is less about silencing the sound and more about getting used to the sounds. Tools like sound therapy and mindfulness train your brain to relegate the noises to the background.

Hearing aids are one of the main treatment options for people with tinnitus. Approximately 90% of people with tinnitus also have some level of hearing loss. Hearing aids improve overall hearing and provide sound enrichment by giving easier access to everyday environmental sounds. Most people find their tinnitus is less noticeable when their hearing aids are switched on. Some hearing aids also have special masking features designed for tinnitus management.

Sound therapy is a common way of managing tinnitus. This involves using external sounds to reduce how noticeable tinnitus feels. There are many devices used in sound therapy, such as white noise machines, sound generators, household fans, or hearing aids. Tinnitus is often more noticeable in quiet environments, so adding background sound can help reduce the contrast between tinnitus and silence. The aim of sound therapy is to reach a point where tinnitus is filtered out by the brain most of the time, even though it may still be present. This is known as habituation.

Research suggests that there is a link between stress and tinnitus. Stress management approaches such as mindfulness, relaxation exercises, or cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) are often used to help people develop coping strategies and reduce the impact of tinnitus on their lives.

When should I see an audiologist?

If tinnitus is affecting your quality of life, an Ear360 hearing health assessment can help identify what’s going on with your hearing and what type of tinnitus management may help. You can learn more about Ear360 by clicking here.

Learn more about Ear360, or if you’re ready, you can book an appointment here.