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If you or someone you care about is living with tinnitus, please direct them to this tinnitus FAQs page. These are the most common tinnitus questions we hear concerning tinnitus, tinnitus symptoms, and tinnitus treatment. This page should help you better understand what tinnitus is, why it occurs, and how to treat it.

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What is tinnitus?

Tinnitus is the perception of sound that has no external source. People afflicted with tinnitus often describe it as sounding like ringing, hissing, roaring, buzzing, or whooshing, and it can be perceived in one or both ears. Some people experience tinnitus intermittently, while for others, they may hear it constantly. Stress, fatigue, anxiety, and other triggers can exacerbate the sound.

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Is there a cure for tinnitus?

Currently, there is no medical cure for tinnitus. Researchers are still learning more about this common hearing problem and how it affects the auditory nerve and the entire auditory system. One reason why there is no cure is based on the fact that tinnitus is not a health condition itself, but rather, a symptom of an underlying health issue.

In some cases, treating the underlying health issue, such as ear wax blockage, can successfully resolve any tinnitus symptoms. But for most cases of tinnitus, there is no quick fix. Rather, it’s recommended you work with an audiologist to develop a treatment plan that can help you manage your tinnitus symptoms.

How common is tinnitus?

According to the American Tinnitus Association, nearly 50 million Americans (about 15% of the general population) experience tinnitus. Of those people, approximately 10 to 12 million experience chronic tinnitus and seek medical attention for their condition. For about 1 to 2 million Americans, tinnitus is debilitating, ruthlessly reducing their quality of life and compromising their cognitive abilities.

Children experience tinnitus as well. In 2001, the Centers of Disease Control (CDC) reported that nearly 13% of children between the ages of 6-19 have some form of noise-induced hearing loss that can cause tinnitus or lead to its development.

Frequent exposure to loud noise can cause both hearing loss and tinnitus, so musicians, construction workers, and airport ground staff are more likely to have tinnitus. In 2007, a study of 900 musicians found that at least 60% reported occasional tinnitus (source).

What does tinnitus sound like?

While we often associated the sounds of tinnitus with a ringing sound in your ears, each individual will experience tinnitus in a unique way. Tinnitus may sound like a slight ringing, buzzing, clicking, buzzing, whistling, or even like static. For those with pulsatile tinnitus, it usually sounds like a low, rhythmic thumping sound, similar to a heart beat.

Is tinnitus an ear problem?

Tinnitus is generated in the brain, not the ears. This has been proven in research with functional MRIs from patients that experience persistent tinnitus. Tinnitus hyperactivity is generated in the brain near the limbic system or emotional center of our brain. This is why some patients may experience added anxiety or depression with persistent tinnitus. In other words, the hyperactivity spills over into the limbic system and overly excites that area of the brain as well. As a result, an emotional time in a person’s life can be a tinnitus trigger, such as the loss of a loved one or a stressful job.

What is the most common cause of tinnitus?

The most common cause of tinnitus is loud noise exposure. Many people will experience short-term ringing after a loud concert or another loud exposure. But persistent tinnitus is usually the result of years of noise exposure combined with aging or some other change in health. Protecting your hearing with custom-fit hearing protection is the best line of defense against permanent damage to hearing and the possibility of persistent tinnitus.

Can other people hear my tinnitus?

In the vast majority of cases (known as subjective tinnitus), no one else can hear your tinnitus symptoms. However, in rare cases, others may be able to hear that ringing or buzzing sound. These instances are called objective tinnitus and account for less than 1% of all tinnitus cases.

What should I do if I have tinnitus?

First, schedule a consultation with one of our audiologists. To determine the cause and severity of your tinnitus, we will examine your ears, ask about your hearing health, and conduct audiometric testing. Using the information we gather, we will explore the best treatment options for your tinnitus. If medically necessary, we may refer you to another physician to complete the diagnosis.

Is tinnitus a disease?

Tinnitus is not a disease. It is actually a symptom that can be managed, just like diabetes. If someone has told you there is nothing that can be done for tinnitus, this is simply untrue. Find a professional with experience working with tinnitus and helping patients using sound therapy, Tinnitus Retraining Therapy (TRT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), or all three to get the most relief from your tinnitus.

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What if I don’t seek treatment for tinnitus?

For many individuals, if you do not act and seek out tinnitus treatment, the symptoms tend to only get worse. Left untreated, tinnitus can lead to additional health issues, and in severe cases, tinnitus can negatively impact almost everything you do. Over time, tinnitus can lead to significant health issues, including impaired concentration, difficulty communicating, poor sleep, chronic fatigue, anxiety, stress, or depression.

What causes tinnitus?

While most often associated with age-related hearing loss or repeated exposure to loud noises, there are actually many different causes of tinnitus. In some cases, the way you hear tinnitus may be linked to the specific cause, such as those with pulsatile tinnitus. But for many of those living with tinnitus, you may have no idea what’s causing that ringing in your ears.

A variety of different factors can contribute to tinnitus, including loud noises, medications, ear wax buildup, and certain disorders. By determining the cause of your tinnitus, an audiologist can recommend a more effective treatment.

Ear Wax Buildup: A buildup of cerumen (more commonly known as earwax) in the ear canal may diminish your ability to hear. This can cause the auditory system to overcompensate, creating stimulation in the form of noises that do not exist, i.e. tinnitus.
Stress: Physical or emotional stress can act as a catalyst for the onset of tinnitus. Stress can also exacerbate existing tinnitus.
Exposure to Loud Noise: Loud sounds can damage or even destroy hair cells (known as cilia) in the inner ear. This can result in permanent hearing loss and tinnitus, and both conditions may worsen if exposure to loud noises continues. Once damaged, hair cells cannot be renewed or replaced.
Certain Disorders: Medical conditions can cause tinnitus, including hypothyroidism, TMJ, hyperthyroidism, Ménière’s disease, Lyme disease, fibromyalgia, and thoracic outlet syndrome.
Hearing Loss: Many people with tinnitus also experience some degree of hearing loss. In fact, age-related hearing loss is the most common cause of tinnitus.
Ototoxicity: Some medications are ototoxic, which means they are harmful and damaging to the ear. Learn more about what drugs cause ototoxicity. In addition to tinnitus, they can cause hearing loss or balance disorders. Other medications produce tinnitus as a side effect without damaging the inner ear. The effects of ototoxic medications can be temporary or permanent depending on the dosage. Before you begin taking a new medication, let your prescribing physician know that you experience tinnitus and discuss alternative medications that may be available.

Tinnitus is most often linked to changes in the auditory system that starts with hearing damage to the inner ear hair cells. Because of this, both hearing testing and otoacoustic emissions or OAEs are important to help explain why tinnitus exists. In other words, just because you have been told you’re hearing is normal does not mean that there are no changes apparent to the hair cells in the inner ear that will be detected with an OAE before they appear on an audiogram.

Other causes of tinnitus include allergies, acoustic neuromas, issues with the heart and blood vessels, jaw misalignment, ear infections, and head or neck trauma. To determine the cause of your tinnitus, schedule a consultation with an audiologist.

Will my tinnitus go away on its own?

In many cases, tinnitus dissipates on its own, regardless of the cause. However, that doesn’t mean you should wait weeks, months, or even years for your tinnitus to disappear. If your tinnitus continues for more than a couple of weeks and negatively affects your quality of life, consult an audiologist who specializes in tinnitus.

The sooner you seek help, the sooner you can find the best tinnitus treatment to address your ringing. This is especially important if your tinnitus grows louder over time, as this may indicate that you suffer from progressive hearing loss.

Why doesn’t tinnitus go away for some people?

Some people suffer from long-term or permanent tinnitus. In these cases, one or more of the causes of tinnitus is likely auditory malfunction, which is often caused by hearing loss from loud noise exposure. When the brain attempts to compensate for this malfunction, it can start a vicious cycle that ends in tinnitus. To better understand how this cycle works and how you can end it, consult with an audiologist.

Does tinnitus cause hearing loss?

No, tinnitus does not cause hearing loss. However, tinnitus is commonly a symptom associated with hearing loss. If you begin to experience tinnitus and you’re not sure why, schedule an appointment with an audiologist. With a thorough hearing test and examination, they can diagnose whether or not you’re also experiencing hearing loss.

What is Ménière’s disease?

If you’re trying to determine the cause of your tinnitus, you might stumble across Ménière’s disease. Ménière’s disease is a disorder of the inner ear that usually affects hearing and balance. It can cause debilitating vertigo and tinnitus, and it sometimes creates a feeling of fullness or pressure in the ear.

Typically, it only affects one ear. Although people of all ages can develop Ménière’s disease, including children, it most often impacts people in their 40s and 50s. Various treatment strategies can relieve the symptoms of Ménière’s disease and minimize its long-term impact, but it is considered a chronic condition.

How is tinnitus treated?

Our audiologists treat tinnitus using several treatments that have been proven effective. Your treatment will depend on your symptoms and the cause of your tinnitus. Potential treatments include Oticon Tinnitus SoundSupport™, the Widex Zen™ program, the ReSound Linx2™ iPhone Tinnitus Relief app, and hearing aids. To further explore your treatment options, explore our Tinnitus Treatment page.

Can hearing aids help with tinnitus?

For many patients, hearing aids can help manage your tinnitus symptoms. This is especially true for patients with tinnitus caused by hearing loss. But it’s important to first identify the specific cause of your tinnitus symptoms before turning to hear aids. If your tinnitus is caused by hearing loss, Sound Relief can help fit you with the perfect hearing aid for your degree of hearing loss.

What makes tinnitus worse?

While everyone experiences tinnitus in a unique way, several common factors can make your tinnitus symptoms even more noticeable.

Some factors that can make your tinnitus worse include:

Stress
Loud noises
Ear wax buildup
Seasonal allergies
High blood pressure
Ototoxic medications

Do any over-the-counter tinnitus treatments work?

No. Over-the-counter substances and herbal remedies do not work in the treatment of tinnitus. No reliable scientific evidence proves that such substances have any impact on tinnitus. This includes Lipoflavinoid, which has not been approved by the FDA to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent tinnitus. Many of these products are essentially multivitamins. Be wary of anecdotal success stories. Sometimes when people take over-the-counter treatments, this coincides with their natural relief from tinnitus, leading them to believe that the treatment has worked. A short-term placebo effect can also cause someone to believe an ineffectual treatment is effective.

What is an audiologist?

Audiologists are healthcare professionals that specialize in identifying, diagnosing, treating and monitoring disorders of the auditory and vestibular systems of the ear. They are trained to manage and treat a variety of related issues, including tinnitus, hyperacusis, hearing loss, and balance problems. Audiologists also dispense hearing devices, map cochlear implants, and help users manage their hearing devices.

To effectively help their patients, audiologists receive training in anatomy, physiology, hearing devices, cochlear implants, electrophysiology, acoustics, psychophysics, neurology, vestibular function and assessment, balance disorders, counseling, and sign language. Depending on the program an audiologist attends and the country in which it is located, audiologists usually graduate with one of the following qualifications: Au.D., STI, Ph.D., or ScD.

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Are Sound Relief Hearing Center’s audiologists M.D.s?

No. Our audiologists are all Doctors of Audiology (Au.D.s) that specialize in non-surgical options for treating tinnitus, hyperacusis, and hearing loss. If you do need an M.D., we can provide a referral so that you visit the best doctor for your needs. However, most people with tinnitus do not require an M.D. for treatment because the condition cannot be treated with medication or surgery.

How do maskers and sound generators differ?

When used in the treatment of tinnitus, maskers are like band-aids. They generate white noise to cover up, or “mask,” the problem. Although maskers may provide short-term relief, we do not use them with Tinnitus Retraining Therapy (TRT) because they only cover up the sound of tinnitus.

Sound generators used in TRT, on the other hand, produce a customized, low-level sound. You can listen to this soothing sound daily. Unlike maskers, they have been proven effective in cortical (brain) reorganization to reduce tinnitus. To ensure that your sound generator provides effective relief, you will need to consult an audiologist. Only a specialist with training on the neurophysiological model of tinnitus and TRT can properly recommend and program the correct sound generator to treat your unique symptoms.

Additionally, you can always use your phone and visit our Soothing Sounds playlist on YouTube. The key is avoiding silence and maintaining a sound rich environment.

Can I fly with tinnitus?

For some patients experiencing tinnitus, this hearing problem may also come with a feeling of blockage in their ears—similar to how you feel during a descent on a flight. But for most individuals, it’s perfectly safe to fly with tinnitus and the change in air pressure will not affect your tinnitus symptoms. However, for those with sinus problems or middle ear infections, you may want to speak with your doctor before your next flight.

What is the difference between subjective tinnitus and objective tinnitus?

Most people with tinnitus suffer from subjective tinnitus, which is the perception of sound without the presence of an acoustic stimulus. This is the type of tinnitus that most people experience.

Objective tinnitus, on the other hand, is a rare form of tinnitus in which the troubling sound can, in some cases, be heard by others. It usually results from noise generated by structures located in or near the ear. For example, objective tinnitus can arise due to an inner ear bone condition, a blood vessel issue, or muscle contractions.

What is pulsatile tinnitus?

Pulsatile tinnitus is a rare type of tinnitus linked with blood flow and conditions affecting your blood vessels. For example, individuals with high blood pressure may experience pulsatile tinnitus. This type of tinnitus sounds like a rhythmic thumping sound, similar to a heart beat. For individuals with pulsatile tinnitus, managing your blood pressure or treating any blood vessel disorder can be an effective way to treat your tinnitus symptoms.

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Many of our patients have tinnitus questions, and we have tried to answer the most common queries in this list – but perhaps we didn’t answer your question. If you have any additional questions about tinnitus, don’t hesitate to reach out to our team of audiologists and healthcare professionals.

For more information or to further discuss these tinnitus questions, please contact Sound Relief Hearing Center today.

Learn More: The Tinnitus Cycle | Sounds of Tinnitus | Treatment Options

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