Tinnitus

Tinnitus is the name for hearing sounds that come from inside your body rather than from an outside source. It's not usually a sign of anything serious, and it may get better by itself.

Tinnitus is often called "ringing in the ears", but it isn't just ringing. You might hear:

• buzzing
• humming
• grinding
• hissing
• whistling
• music or singing
• noises that beat in time with your pulse

You may also notice hearing loss, or that you're more sensitive to everyday sounds.

For some people, tinnitus comes and goes. But sometimes it affects daily life and can be very distressing. It can make it hard to concentrate, and it can cause difficulty sleeping (insomnia) and depression.

Tinnitus will sometimes get better over time, either by disappearing or by the body getting used to it.

• you continually or regularly hear sounds such as buzzing, ringing or humming in your ears
• your tinnitus is getting worse
• your tinnitus is bothering you (for example, it's affecting your sleep or concentration, or is making you feel anxious and depressed)
• you have tinnitus that beats in time with your pulse

Your doctor can look into your ears to check whether the problem is coming from something that's easy to treat, such as an ear infection or a build-up of earwax. They can also check whether you have any hearing loss.

If needed, your doctor can send you to a specialist for further tests and treatment.

Tinnitus can come on slowly over time, or it can happen suddenly. Doctors don't know exactly why it happens, but it's often linked to:

• hearing loss
• inner ear damage caused by repeated exposure to loud noises or some medicines
• an earwax build-up
• a middle ear infection
• Ménière's disease, a condition that also causes hearing loss and vertigo (a spinning sensation)
• otosclerosis, an inherited condition where an abnormal bone growth in the middle ear causes hearing loss

Most people get tinnitus for a short time after loud noise, such as after a music concert.

Around 1 in 10 people have persistent tinnitus. Around 1 in 100 have severe tinnitus that affects their daily life.

Tinnitus can affect people of all ages, including children. It's more common in people aged over 65.

At the moment, no treatment for tinnitus works for everyone. If something else is causing your tinnitus, treating that underlying condition may help.

When no cause can be found, treatment focuses on helping you manage the tinnitus from day to day. This may involve:

• sound therapy, where you listen to neutral sounds to distract you from the sound of tinnitus
• counselling, to teach you about tinnitus and help you learn to cope with it better
• cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), to help change the way you think about your tinnitus so it becomes less noticeable
• tinnitus retraining therapy (TRT), to help you start to tune tinnitus out and become less aware of it

• Try to relax. Deep breathing or yoga may help.
• Try to find ways to improve your sleep, such as sticking to a bedtime routine or cutting down on caffeine.
• Try to avoid things that can make tinnitus worse, such as stress or loud background noises.
• Join a support group. Talking to other people with tinnitus may help you cope.

• do not have total silence, because listening to soft music or sounds (sound therapy) may distract you from the tinnitus
• do not focus on it, as this can make it worse, and hobbies and activities may take your mind off it

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