The BEST Tinnitus Remedies and Treatments
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.
What causes tinnitus?
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
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:
Chronic exposure to loud noises at work or any other circumstances
Ototoxic medications - chemotherapy, some antibiotics, and
anti-inflammatory meds
Presbycusis (age-related hearing loss) or other types of hearing
loss, such as fluid build-up in the ears, blockages, and eustachian tube
dysfunctions
Ménière’s disease
Head and neck problems and injuries
Sinus pressure and trauma caused by pressure changes
Traumatic brain injury and neurological disorders.
Objective Tinnitus
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:
A muscle spasm in the ear area
Loud noises
An infection of the ear or the sinuses
Atherosclerosis and other problems with blood vessels
Brain tumors
Hormonal issues.
How is tinnitus diagnosed?
If your tinnitus persists for more than a few seconds or interferes with
your daily life, see your primary care doctor (they will also help rule
out any serious conditions that could be causing tinnitus). During the
meeting, the doctor will examine your ears, head, and neck, ask you to
describe the sounds, and inquire if any injuries or occupational trauma
may have contributed to your symptom.
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:
Sudden hearing loss
Facial paralysis
Discharge and odors from your ear
A pulsing sound that matches your heartbeat.
How to find relief from tinnitus
The good news is that tinnitus can often be either fully or largely
resolved through treatment and lifestyle changes. We list the most
effective treatments and remedies for tinnitus in this section. Please
be aware that it will take some time for the symptom to go away, so hang
in there!
Sound-masking
Sound masking is widely regarded as one of the most effective devices
for tinnitus patients. These are devices that create a background noise
that, although temporarily, cancels out the ringing in the ears. Sound
masking devices are particularly effective for those whose tinnitus
prevents them from falling asleep or concentrating on work.
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:
myNoise (Android and iOS)
NatureSpace (Android and iOS).
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.
Hearing aids
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.
Treat the underlying cause
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.
Habituation
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.
Be mindful of your diet
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.
Don’t forget about hearing protection
If your work involves spending hours upon
hours in noisy city spaces, around loud machinery, or next to speakers,
you may be hopeless about getting rid of tinnitus. To manage the
condition, such people must wear foam earplugs, earmuffs, or both.
Remember that noise exposure can both trigger and worsen tinnitus, and
it also damages your hearing.
High-fidelity earplugs, also called musician’s earplugs, are the best
for most people. The advantage of these earplugs is that instead of
simply blocking all sounds, they reduce the decibel level of outside
noises. This allows you to have conversations and go on with your daily
life while you’re wearing earplugs. Such earplugs can be purchased at
pharmacies or custom-ordered by your audiologist.
Instant relief
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.