7 Tinnitus Treatment Options
Various treatment options are available that may help reduce the severity of your tinnitus and improve your quality of life. These include sound therapy, hearing aids, cognitive behavioural therapy, and medications that can alleviate symptoms. It is important to consult a healthcare professional to determine the most appropriate treatment for your condition.
Be cautious of any claims that promise a definitive cure for tinnitus. While ongoing research continues to explore potential treatments, there is currently no universally accepted cure for tinnitus. Products or therapies that guarantee a cure may not be supported by scientific evidence and could be ineffective or harmful.
1. Earwax Removal
Impacted earwax has a simple solution: If your tinnitus results from a build-up of earwax blocking your ear canal, removing the earwax will help.
2. Managing Medications
All medicines have side effects; some drugs can cause or worsen tinnitus. Reducing the dose or swapping it for different treatments may be possible. Talk to your doctor if you’ve noticed a link between a specific medication and tinnitus.
3. Hearing Aids
Age-related hearing loss is the most common cause of tinnitus. A hearing aid may improve your tinnitus and hearing if you have hearing loss. Sometimes, the hearing aid is all you need; sometimes, it’s one of several techniques to manage your tinnitus.
If you need hearing aids, you’ll benefit most from wearing them throughout your waking hours. It can seem very odd at first, but you will get used to the device’s feel and the sensation of everyday sounds. Your audiologist will follow up with you regularly to check that the device is working, fitting well and meeting your needs.
4. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) can be the most effective treatment for tinnitus. That may seem unusual since it’s about your thinking processes rather than your hearing. And yet, CBT has significantly improved the quality of life for people with tinnitus.
CBT is a psychological treatment in which a trained professional uses relaxation techniques to reduce stress levels, challenges your thoughts about tinnitus, and helps you get used to its presence so that it bothers you less. You’ll usually have several CBT sessions with a mental health practitioner.
5. Sound Therapy
More studies are needed before we can say sound therapy works for everyone, but many people find it helps, particularly with acute tinnitus symptoms.
Sound therapy is the deliberate use of any sound that makes you less aware of your tinnitus or less bothered by it. Many people find tinnitus incredibly annoying in quiet environments, so they might play background music while reading or listening to nature sounds while falling asleep.
Most modern hearing aids also provide tinnitus sound therapy programs.
6. Tinnitus Retraining Therapy
Tinnitus retraining therapy (TRT) is a two-part treatment involving counselling and sound therapy.
Counselling educates patients about tinnitus and how to cope with it, while sound therapy uses masking devices to help make the tinnitus less noticeable.
TRT effectively reduces tinnitus symptoms and may be worth considering if you struggle with tinnitus.
7. Relaxation Techniques
Living with any long-term condition can be challenging, especially since it comes in addition to life’s usual stresses. Making a deliberate effort to relax can help you manage your tinnitus in the long run.
Deep breathing exercises slow your heart rate and help you calm down. They can be done anywhere since no special equipment is required. You can also download a relaxation app on your smartphone or join a tai chi or yoga class.
Continue doing those things that bring you joy. It’ll help to squeeze tinnitus to the edges of your life rather than allowing it to take centre stage.
Preventative Measures for Tinnitus
Tinnitus can often be prevented or mitigated by taking proactive steps to protect your hearing and overall health. Here are some effective strategies to help prevent tinnitus.
Protect Your Ears in Noisy Environments
Use Ear Protection
Always wear ear protection when exposed to loud noises, such as at concerts, construction sites, or while using loud machinery. Earplugs or earmuffs can significantly reduce noise exposure and protect your hearing.
Custom Earplugs
Custom earplugs can provide better comfort and protection for musicians or individuals frequently exposed to loud environments.
Limit Exposure to Loud Noises
Avoid prolonged exposure to loud sounds. If you cannot avoid such environments, take regular breaks to rest your ears.
Volume Control
When using headphones or earbuds, keep the volume at a moderate level. Follow the 60/60 rule: listen at no more than 60% of maximum volume for no more than 60 minutes at a time.
Maintain Ear Hygiene
Avoid Using Cotton Swabs
Using cotton swabs or other objects to clean your ears can push earwax deeper into the ear canal and cause blockages, leading to tinnitus. Consider earwax removal by microsuction instead.
Regular Check-ups
Schedule regular check-ups with an audiologist or healthcare provider to monitor your hearing health and address any issues early on.
Healthy Lifestyle Choices
Diet and Exercise
A healthy diet and regular exercise can improve blood flow to the ears and overall health, potentially reducing the risk of tinnitus. Aim for a balanced diet rich in vitamins and minerals, especially those that support ear health, like magnesium.
Stress Management
High stress levels can exacerbate tinnitus symptoms. Incorporate stress-reducing activities into your routine, such as yoga, meditation, or deep breathing exercises.
Avoid Ototoxic Medications
Some medications can damage your hearing (ototoxic). If prescribed medication, ask your doctor about the potential side effects on your hearing and discuss alternative options if necessary.
Is There a Cure for Tinnitus?
Unfortunately, tinnitus has no cure, partly because it is not an illness but a symptom of another problem.
The goal of tinnitus treatment is to find relief from the symptoms. It’s similar to pain in this respect. Every individual’s perception and experience of tinnitus differs, making finding a treatment that works just for you more challenging.
How do you do that? There’s no one answer. Thankfully, there are several different treatment avenues that you can explore until you find something that helps you. Be patient — there’s often a bit of trial and error before you find the right option(s).
You may find alternative therapies and treatments for tinnitus on the internet and social media. Any treatment for tinnitus should be recommended by a healthcare professional such as your audiologist or general practitioner. Please exercise caution and maintain critical thinking when exploring unproven treatments not recommended by a qualified healthcare practitioner.
To help you judge between them, the British Tinnitus Association regularly reviews popular tinnitus treatments and guides you towards safe and effective ones. That can save you wasted time and money and dashed hopes.
So, what treatments are likely to be effective for you? It depends on the trigger(s) and cause of your tinnitus and what works for you as an individual.
Living With the Ringing in Your Ears
Tinnitus is a mild annoyance for some and very distressing for others.
People’s experience of tinnitus varies considerably. The noises can be constant, loud and in both ears or occasional, soft and only heard on one side. You might perceive one type of noise or several.
Living with the ringing in your ears can be frustrating and tiring. It can also be quite isolating. If you break your leg, your loved ones pitch in to help you with daily activities; they rally around with chicken soup if you get the flu. But tinnitus is like a hidden disability. You don’t look any different and may find that other people struggle to understand how hard your daily life can be.
If you have symptoms of tinnitus, get professional help. Start by talking to an audiologist or general practitioner, who may refer you to relevant specialists.
Secondly, be prepared to try a few different treatment options; finding what works for you can take time.
Thirdly — and very importantly — continue doing things you enjoy. You might need to tweak things a bit (e.g. listening to some background music while you read), but it’s essential to carry on doing things that bring you joy.
Supporting Someone With Tinnitus
If your partner, friend or relative has tinnitus, encourage them to get help.
Because you can’t hear their tinnitus, it’s sometimes hard to remember that they need support. Each person’s experience is different, so the best thing you can do is talk about it — ask them what you can do to help.
Some people struggle in loud, echoey environments like bowling alleys, while others find their tinnitus more bothersome in quiet environments. Make plans together so the person with the condition can suggest a place that suits them.
You can also encourage them to attend other appointments and try different treatments until they find something that works for them. And try to be patient when they’re battling frustration, exhaustion, or distress related to tinnitus.
If you’re in a close relationship with someone with tinnitus, ensure you have your sources of support. It’ll help you care for them better in the long run. It’s not easy looking after someone with a chronic condition, and you’ll need to recharge your batteries occasionally.
