Medically reviewed by: Patricia Weiser, PharmD and Jared T. Meacham, Ph.D., RD, CSCS

Tinnitus, sometimes called “ringing in the ears,” can lead you to hear sounds that aren’t there or, in rare cases, sounds resulting from a muscle, blood vessel, or nerve issue in the head or neck. Although tinnitus does not have a definitive cure, several management techniques and treatments can help reduce your symptoms of this frustrating condition.

Occasionally, I hear a buzzing or ringing and wonder if it’s something in my house, like an appliance or the HVAC unit, or just my ears doing their thing. That’s when I have to enlist my husband to determine if we’re hearing the same noise.

Sometimes we are, and we then seek out the source and embark on whatever fix-it mission is necessary. Other times, it’s a phantom sound only I’m hearing as part of my tinnitus.

“Tinnitus is the perception of sound in the ears when no actual sound is present,” says Arianna Bastys, AuD, an audiologist at HearCare Audiology and Tinnitus Center. “It is frequently a symptom of an underlying issue, such as hearing loss, and often described as a ringing, buzzing, or hissing, in one or both ears.”

I experience tinnitus rather intermittently as part of otosclerosis, a bone-growth disorder that has led to hearing loss. I find it frustrating when the ringing or buzzing occurs, but others experience tinnitus constantly or much more frequently, which can dramatically impact quality of life.

Tinnitus affects about 10% of young adults, 14% of those in middle age, and 24% of older adults.

If you also experience tinnitus, understandably you may be seeking solutions to quiet the sounds. Although a definitive tinnitus cure does not yet exist, some evidence-based methods can help you find tinnitus relief. And BetterSleep has some great options for at-home relief.

What Is Tinnitus?

Sometimes people simply call tinnitus a “ringing in the ears.” But a ringing is not the only possible sound. Tinnitus is sound perception in one or both ears without an external source. It can present with ringing, buzzing, hissing, pulsing, and more, and the noise might be intermittent or constant.

Type of tinnitus and their triggers

• Subjective: The most common type of tinnitus involves sounds only you hear in one or both ears. Causes include damage or dysfunction to the auditory system. “This type is usually traceable to auditory and neurological reactions to hearing loss but can also be caused by other catalysts,” says Kristen Conners, AuD, an audiologist with Prescription Hearing.
• Objective: This rare form involves sounds that you and your healthcare provider can hear. Causes include an underlying medical condition, such as ear infections, blood vessel concerns, or muscle spasms.
• Musical: As the name implies, this form of tinnitus, also called musical ear syndrome (MES) involves musical or other complex sounds, often as a symptom of auditory hallucinations.
• Pulsatile: This type features a pulsing or heartbeat sound or sensation in one or both ears. Blood flow problems may be the cause, so this type requires medical evaluation right away.
• Somatic: With this type, you might hear popping or clicking when chewing or experiencing jaw, neck, or other tension. Causes include issues when certain head and neck muscles contract.
• Earwax induced: Sometimes earwax buildup is the culprit.
• Medication-induced: Some medications are linked to tinnitus. A few examples include duloxetine (Cymbalta and Drizalma Sprinkle), ciprofloxacin (Cipro), adalimumab (Humira).
• Idiopathic: This is when tinnitus has no identifiable cause.

Is There a Cure for Tinnitus?

“Although there is no definitive cure for tinnitus, there are impactful management strategies,” Dr. Bastys says.

For example, earwax-induced tinnitus can be resolved through methods that help treat earwax buildup. Be sure to talk to your provider about a safe method of earwax removal. Additionally, if a medication is causing your tinnitus, your provider might be able to prescribe you an alternative or change your dosage.

Even though the condition cannot be fully cured, many people find some tinnitus relief through tailored management strategies.

Diagnosis and treatment options

If you are experiencing bothersome tinnitus, talk to your doctor or an audiologist. “Audiologists are specialized in providing tinnitus diagnosis and treatment,” Dr. Bastys says. “When seeing an audiologist for your tinnitus, you can expect a comprehensive hearing and tinnitus evaluation, along with a customized treatment plan.”

Your clinician may do the following:

• Ask you about your medical history: They’ll ask you about any underlying conditions, medications or supplements you take, past surgeries, noise exposure, hearing health, and more. They may also ask you about your family medical history to help understand any hereditary risk factors.
• Ask you about your tinnitus experience: “Tinnitus can be defined by its characteristics,” says Dr. Bastys. “As audiologists, we want to know if your tinnitus occurs constantly, intermittently, or occasionally, how long it has been occurring (i.e., less or more than six months), if it is in one ear or both ears, and if it is bothersome to your daily routine and sleep.”
• Perform a physical exam: Your provider will likely examine your ears and other areas of your head and neck, check your vital signs, and more.
• Order tests: Your clinician may order a hearing test or any imaging tests they need to investigate a potential cause.
• Create a treatment plan: Once your provider has gained an understanding of your experiences with tinnitus and any underlying causes or triggers, they will work with you to create a plan to help ease your symptoms.

Non-Surgical Treatment Options

Your treatment plan might involve a mixture of these non-invasive options that can help. And some you can try from the comfort of your own home if you need immediate relief.

Sound therapy

The use of pleasant or calming sound can help blunt tinnitus by getting your brain to focus on the fresh sound rather than the ear ringing, buzzing, or hissing. The American Tinnitus Association features a masking sound library to help. The BetterSleep app also features a host of sound options for meditation, sleep, and more. Consider white, pink, or brown noise to see if they help.

Hearing aids

As much as 90% of people with chronic tinnitus have hearing loss. Hearing aids can amplify hearing, but they can also provide a form of sound therapy that diverts attention from the perception of tinnitus.

“Most hearing aids today have built in masking options so patients can access a variety of therapy sounds as well as adjust the volume of the therapy sound to help manage their tinnitus,” Dr. Conners says. “The masker can be used in conjunction with the hearing aid amplification so patients also maximize their hearing ability.”

Therapy

Tinnitus can dramatically affect quality of life and ramp up anxiety, depression, and stress. If you’re experiencing mental health difficulties because of tinnitus or otherwise, some therapy options can help. The American Academy of Audiology recommends cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to help address tinnitus distress. This approach can help you better cope with your symptoms, but it does not ease tinnitus or make it go away.

Trigger reduction

“Different people may have varying triggers, but the most frequently reported are sleep deprivation, stress, caffeine, alcohol, sodium, and smoking,” Dr. Bastys says. You can learn your triggers by keeping a symptom and trigger diary. Then you can work with your provider to help lessen your exposure to your triggers.

“The most common causes of tinnitus are hearing loss and loud noise exposure,” Dr. Bastys says.

If you are going to be exposed to noise, such as at a concert or other loud event, or you work in a noisy setting, wear earplugs or noise-canceling or noise-dampening headphones or earbuds if possible.

If you have somatic tinnitus, addressing jaw, head, or neck tension may also help.

Sleep management

As Dr. Bastys noted above, disrupted sleep can contribute to tinnitus, since sleep disorders and tinnitus share a relationship. In one study of 10,000 participants, researchers found that sleep disorders, trouble sleeping, and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) symptoms were more prevalent in people with tinnitus.

Researchers are still trying to investigate the association between sleep issues and tinnitus, but ultimately if you have tinnitus that’s keeping you awake or waking you up, you may need effective sleep strategies to help.

If you’re struggling with sleep, it’s worth talking to a doctor to address your concerns. If you’re looking for immediate relief, try the BetterSleep app’s many offerings to help you nod off.

Sleep hygiene tips:

• Maintain a consistent sleep and wake time.
• Allow time at night to wind down with calming activities.
• Limit screen use too close to bedtime.
• Ensure a dark bedroom by wearing a sleep mask or using blackout curtains.
• Avoid noise disruptions by using a white noise app or machine or wearing earplugs.

Stress reduction

Tinnitus can certainly cause stress, but the relationship might also go the opposite direction. Stress may trigger phantom sounds, especially if you already experience tinnitus.

“[Play] sounds in the background to take your brain’s focus away from your tinnitus and [engage] in activities to promote relaxation,” Dr. Bastys says. She recommends yoga or meditation.

Surgical, Procedural, and Additional Options

Treatment for tinnitus typically only involves surgical or other types of procedures when an underlying condition is causing it, such as a blood vessel, nerve, or muscular disorder or hearing loss.

• Sigmoid sinus wall reconstruction: This surgery repairs a large vein near the ear that is sometimes the culprit of pulsatile tinnitus.
• Microvascular decompression (MVD): Sometimes a particular blood vessel presses on a nerve, so this surgery helps to separate the two.
• Stapedectomy or stapedotomy: For people with otosclerosis (like me!) these procedures replace or reshape (respectively) the stapes bone, which can improve hearing and tinnitus.
• Myotenotomy: This surgery modifies the stapedius muscle, which can spasm and cause tinnitus.
• Cochlear implants: If severe hearing loss is causing your issue, this procedure can improve hearing and help mask tinnitus.
• Acoustic neuroma removal: Sometimes a tumor can affect nerves related to hearing, and tumor removal may help.
• Vestibular neurectomy or labyrinthectomy: These procedures help treat Meniere’s disease, which causes vertigo, and may help relieve tinnitus.
• Intratympanic steroid injections: If inflammation is a source of tinnitus for you, corticosteroid injections may help.

When to Seek Care

“You should seek treatment for your tinnitus if it is impacting your day-to-day life,” says Dr. Bastys.

Seek treatment as soon as possible if you experience any of the following:

• Your tinnitus appears suddenly after exposure to loud noise or a head injury and persists.
• You have additional symptoms, such as dizziness, ear pain, ear fullness, or facial numbness or weakness.
• You have tinnitus that pulses or has a whooshing effect.

What Doesn’t Work?

The American Tinnitus Association cautions against the use of dietary supplements, stating, “The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not approved any dietary supplements for tinnitus treatment. Although some studies have suggested benefits of supplements, the research is clear in showing that dietary supplements are ineffective for reducing the perception of tinnitus.”

The Bottom Line

Tinnitus—with its characteristic ringing, buzzing, or other sound—can affect quality of life. Understandably, you may be searching for how to stop the ringing in your ears. Although the condition has no definitive cure, the management options mentioned above can greatly help.

Key Takeaways

• Tinnitus, sometimes called ringing or buzzing in the ears, can be incredibly frustrating and impact your sleep or mental health.
• If you experience tinnitus frequently, talking to your doctor is a good idea. A clinician can investigate the underlying cause, which may be treatable.
• Tinnitus at night can make sleep difficult. If this is the case for you, the BetterSleep app can help by allowing you to mask tinnitus sounds so you can drift off.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Can tinnitus really be cured?

Although tinnitus does not have a definitive cure, several treatment and management options can help. These include reducing exposure to triggers, using sounds that help mask tinnitus, and more. In severe cases, or when an underlying treatable issue is the cause of your tinnitus, some surgical options may alleviate symptoms.

What is tinnitus caused by?

The cause of tinnitus depends on the type you’re experiencing. Sometimes the cause can’t be determined. In other cases, tinnitus may be related to hearing loss or exposure to noise. Although rare, sometimes an underlying issue with your head and neck muscles, blood vessels, or nerves may cause tinnitus. When this is the case, addressing the issue may alleviate your tinnitus.

What is the simple trick to stop tinnitus?

A simple trick to stop tinnitus is to listen to something, especially a soothing sound or white noise. This causes your brain to focus on the new sound rather than the tinnitus.

What should you not do if you have tinnitus?

If you have tinnitus, don’t try to treat it by inserting something into your ear or by taking supplements.

How to sleep with tinnitus?

If tinnitus is getting in the way of your sleep, try using an app (like the BetterSleep app!) with soothing sounds or a white noise app or machine to help mask the tinnitus while you drift off.