Tinnitus is usually described as a ringing sound in the ears, but it can also sound like whooshing, clicking, buzzing or hissing. Every year in United States, around 10% of the population experience tinnitus that lasts for at least five minutes, often as a result of exposure to loud music or other powerful noises. Usually, the ringing goes away quickly, but sometimes it’s permanent.

Read on to find out more about tinnitus – and remember that you can connect to a network and community of carers and other people who are living with the condition by joining Carecircle.

What is tinnitus?

Tinnitus is a ringing, clicking, whooshing or other sound that can be heard in one or both ears, or inside your head. It’s not a disorder in itself, but it can be a sign of other problems, such as the onset of hearing loss, an ear infection or possibly a brain tumour. It could even simply be the result of some earwax becoming stuck in the ear canal.

Types of tinnitus

Tinnitus is often described as a ringing sound, but it can also sound like a constant buzzing, whooshing, humming, hissing or throbbing. There is even musical tinnitus, a kind of musical hallucination where the person hears what sounds like a familiar tune or song endlessly playing.

Pulsatile tinnitus is a rare form where the person hears a pulsing or throbbing in their ear, typically in time with their heartbeat. This is often caused by problems with blood flow in the head or neck.

What are the symptoms of tinnitus?

Tinnitus itself is not a disease or disorder, but rather a symptom of another problem, such as noise-induced hearing loss. Often, tinnitus is transitory, occurring as ringing in the ears for a relatively short period after, for example, you have listened to loud music at a concert. But if it recurs on a regular basis, it could be the sign of something more serious.

What causes tinnitus?

The sound produced in tinnitus is thought to be an illusion generated by the brain’s neural circuits. One theory is that the brain ‘turns up the volume’ of the ear in response to damage to the ear’s sensory hairs. Or it could be that the signalling patterns in the auditory cortex – the part of the brain that processes sound – go haywire after damage to the inner ear.

Tinnitus can be a symptom of an underlying problem, such as:

• A blocked ear canal
• Hearing loss
• Ear and sinus infections
• Ménière’s disease
• Brain tumours
• Thyroid problems
• Problems with the heart or blood vessels

Tinnitus can also be a side effect of taking some prescription medicines: in fact, more than 200 drugs have been known to cause tinnitus when you either start or stop taking them.

How do you diagnose tinnitus?

If you have tinnitus regularly or constantly, you should pay a visit to your doctor – particularly if it’s bothering you or affecting your sleep or concentration. You should also consult your doctor if you have pulsatile tinnitus, where you hear a pulse, usually in time with your heartbeat, as this could indicate problems with blood flow.

The doctor will look inside your ear to check for any obvious obstructions or signs of infection, as well as any damage to the ear. You may also be tested for signs of hearing loss and could be referred to a specialist for further tests.

Treatment for tinnitus

If your tinnitus was caused by taking a certain prescription drug, switching to a different drug might solve the problem. But where the tinnitus doesn’t have an obvious cause, or is a sign of hearing loss, the treatments mostly involve ways to adjust to or minimise the impact of tinnitus.

• Hearing aids can help if you are suffering from hearing loss, because they can amplify background noise, allowing your brain to focus on sounds other than the tinnitus.
• Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) can help you to manage tinnitus by finding ways to respond to it that don’t induce anxiety.
• Tinnitus retraining therapy uses sound generators to retrain your brain into reducing the priority of the tinnitus sound.
• Mindfulness can help you to accept the tinnitus without reacting against it, helping to focus your attention away from the unpleasant sound.

Living with tinnitus

Tinnitus can be quite frightening and disruptive at first, potentially causing problems with anxiety and sleep. But it does tend to settle down as you adapt to it – known as habituation – and there are several things you can do to help:

• Talk to others who have tinnitus. The British Tinnitus Association runs Tinnitus Support Groups, and by joining Carecircle, you can connect with other people who are experiencing the same problems and learn how to deal with them.
• Avoid total silence. Listening to soft music or other sounds can help to distract you from the tinnitus. Focusing on the tinnitus can make it worse, increasing your anxiety.
• Practise relaxation techniques. This can include deep breathing, yoga, meditation.

Tinnitus FAQs

Below are a few answers to some of the most commonly asked questions about tinnitus.

Is a whooshing sound in the ear dangerous?

A whooshing or throbbing sound in one or both ears could be a sign of pulsatile tinnitus, which is often caused by problems with the blood vessels in the head and neck. In this case, you should consult your doctor as soon as possible, as it could signal issues such as atherosclerosis (hardening and narrowing of the arteries), high blood pressure or even a tumour.

Does tinnitus go away?

In most cases, tinnitus will go away on its own. But if it recurs frequently or becomes permanent, you should consult your doctor.

How to get rid of tinnitus?

Tinnitus will often go away on its own after a while, so the trick is to avoid focusing on it by using relaxation techniques such as deep breathing or by distracting yourself with other sounds, such as quiet music.

Tinnitus resources

Below are a few links to websites that can provide information about tinnitus:

• NHS: Tinnitus
• British Tinnitus Association
• RNID: Tinnitus

We hope that this guide has been useful if you or someone close to you suffers from tinnitus. If you’re concerned about any of the symptoms mentioned in this article, speak with your doctor. And remember that there’s a whole community out there on Carecircle who can provide support.

Join Carecircle for free and find help, hope and control with your tinnitus. Our global network for health makes you part of a worldwide community where your voice matters. Together, we can work towards a better future.

Guide sources

• NHS: Tinnitus
• National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders
• British Tinnitus Association
• Harvard Health Publishing: Tinnitus: Ringing in the ears and what to do about it
• Medical News Today: Tinnitus: What is this ringing in my ears?
• RNID: Tinnitus
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Penn Medicine