Tinnitus: Why Your Ears Ring, Common Causes and What Actually Helps

Tinnitus is hearing a sound, such as ringing, buzzing, humming or hissing, that doesn’t come from anything outside you. It is very common, often linked to hearing loss or loud noise, and while there is no single cure, there is a lot that helps.

Imagine lying in a quiet room after a long shift and noticing a high-pitched ring you can’t switch off. Many people find it fades or becomes easier to ignore, especially once they know the cause and have a plan.

Common causes

• Age-related hearing loss
• Exposure to loud noise, at work, concerts or through headphones
• Earwax build-up or an ear infection
• Ménière’s disease
• Some medicines, including some antibiotics, high doses of aspirin and some diuretics
• Stress and anxiety, which can make tinnitus more noticeable

What helps

• Treating the cause, such as removing earwax or treating an infection
• Hearing aids if you have hearing loss
• Sound therapy: low background sound (a fan, soft music, an app) makes tinnitus less noticeable
• Talking therapies such as cognitive behavioural therapy, to reduce distress
• Protecting your ears from loud noise

When to see a doctor

• Tinnitus that is constant, getting worse or affecting sleep or mood
• Tinnitus in one ear only

Get help urgently if tinnitus comes with sudden hearing loss, dizziness or weakness in the face, or starts after a head injury. Tinnitus that pulses in time with your heartbeat should also be checked promptly.

But will it ever go away?

For many people it improves or becomes much less bothersome over time, especially once a cause is treated. Even when it doesn’t disappear completely, sound therapy and talking therapies help most people get back to sleeping and concentrating normally.

Sources: NHS, “Tinnitus”; US National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), “Tinnitus”. This guide is for general information and does not replace advice from your own nurse, doctor or pharmacist.