Tinnitus can sound like ringing, buzzing, whooshing, humming, hissing, throbbing, and even singing. Tinnitus can be temporary or chronic, but it's always produced by your brain, not your ears.
- For example, many people experience the short-lived version after a loud concert.
- The chronic version is another matter altogether: While researchers and clinicians can point to several causes, the reasons for it are unknown.
Often, tinnitus is accompanied by hearing loss, and hearing loss brought about by noise, in particular, is a chief culprit. —from Of Sound Mind by Nina Kraus, Hugh Knowles Professor of Neurobiology, Northwestern University
Why it matters
Tinnitus is stressful, wears you out, and hinders concentration.
- You can reduce your risk of tinnitus by preventing noise-induced hearing loss.
- If you have tinnitus, you can reduce its intensity.
What to do
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See an audiologist. Audiologists often recommend sound therapy to help mask tinnitus. Sound therapies include music, waves, wind, and other natural sounds.
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Wear hearing protection. Wear earplugs or noise-canceling headphones when exposed to loud noises, such as concerts, fireworks, or machinery.
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Limit exposure to loud noise. Avoid or limit your exposure to loud noises (sustained or intermittent). If you can't avoid a loud noise, move away or take breaks in a quieter area.
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Turn down the volume. Keep the volume low to moderate when listening to music or other audio.
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Take breaks from earbuds and headphones. Prolonged use of earbuds and headphones can damage your hearing. Give your ears a rest with regular breaks.
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Relax your muscles. Reducing muscle tension in your neck and shoulders can reduce tinnitus intensity.
A closer look
When tinnitus is heard as ringing, the ringing typically matches the frequency of a person's hearing loss. Nina Kraus describes this as "…an auditory analog of phantom limb syndrome in which amputees feel pain in their missing limb."
- Your auditory brain is always on the hunt for sound stimulation.
- When sound is missing, your brain makes it up.
Do you have tinnitus?
Schedule a free, 15-minute hearing screening performed by an audiologist. It's easy to find out if you have hearing loss, a common ingredient of tinnitus.
If you have hearing loss, your audiologist will explain —
- How much hearing you've lost
- Whether your hearing needs treatment
- How sound therapy works to relieve tinnitus and the treatment options to consider
