Types of Treatment for Tinnitus

Tinnitus is defined as “a ringing or roaring” sensation of noise in the ears. Some people describe hearing swooshing or buzzing. It’s not an illness, but a symptom of another problem or disease. One of the most common causes of tinnitus is hearing loss, followed by exposure to loud noises. Tinnitus also may stem from excessive earwax, a blockage in the ear, temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJ) or even high blood pressure. Other causes include anxiety, head trauma or medication side-effects. Tinnitus may be constant or the noise can come and go. It occurs more often in men than women and in people older than 60. There are several types of treatment for tinnitus, depending upon the cause.

Treating the primary problem

Because tinnitus is essentially a side-effect, sometimes treating the physical problem provides relief. For example, removal of earwax or a blockage in the ear canal can help tinnitus resolve itself. For people who clench their jaws and suffer from TMJ, treating that problem can reduce or eliminate tinnitus. Sometimes changing certain medications will alleviate tinnitus.

Tinnitus also may result from certain foods or drugs. Avoiding caffeine, salt, alcohol or aspirin can reduce the symptoms of tinnitus.

Masking the sound

Another treatment for tinnitus involves covering up, or masking, the buzzing or ringing sounds. Sometimes having soft music play in the background, or a running fan, a water fountain or sound generating machines can help re-focus your attention. Often these are temporary fixes that can work in the short-term, but may have limited long-term effects. Medical-grade devices usually have better results because they can target the frequencies of various tinnitus sounds.

Behavioral changes

When tinnitus is the result of stress and anxiety, relaxation techniques may help reduce the sound. These biofeedback methods often are paired with counseling and sometimes with antianxiety or antidepressant drugs.

Hearing aids

If you have hearing loss and also suffer from tinnitus, today’s hearing aids can provide a great deal of relief. For some people, just the amplification of external sound reduces the perceived volume of tinnitus, helping to drown it out. In other words, because your brain is busy focusing on hearing the sounds around you, such as music, ambient noise or conversation, the tinnitus fades to the background.

People with deafness also suffer from tinnitus. For them, cochlear implants may provide similar relief.

Hearing aids also can assist in reducing tinnitus for people without hearing loss. Sometimes known as tinnitus management devices, these units have what’s called supplemental sound masking. They provide white noise or other pleasant sounds to help the brain focus on these sounds, rather than the tinnitus noise.

The various types of treatment for tinnitus greatly depend upon the underlying cause. It’s important to see your audiologist to determine why you have ringing in your ears – testing usually involves several hearing exams. Once the cause of tinnitus is known, you can determine your best treatment options.