How To Stop the Ringing in Your Ears: Tips to Mangae Tinnitus That Actually Work
Plus learn what causes the condition and why stress can make it worse
Ringing in the ears, also called tinnitus, affects millions each year. This puzzling condition can start suddenly and range from mild annoyance to constant disruption. To help you find relief, we asked experts for tips on how to stop the ringing in your ears—or at least significantly reduce it—using simple, science-backed remedies.
What causes ringing in your ears?
“Tinnitus is the perception of sound when there is no external source of that sound,” says Lachelle Lazarus, an audiologist at the University of Maryland Medical Center. “It can be perceived as a ringing, roaring, hissing or humming.” Symptoms vary from person to person.
“Tinnitus can be consistent or come and go, and the volume can vary a lot—sometimes it’s barely noticeable, while other times it can be loud and distracting,” adds Raj Dasgupta, MD, an ABIM quadruple board-certified physician and medical reviewer for NCOA. “Many people find it frustrating, especially if it disrupts their daily life or sleep.”
Woman's World Answers
As for what triggers ringing in the ears, “there are many factors that can cause and exacerbate tinnitus,” says Lazarus. “Some of these factors include hearing loss, being exposed to [loud] noises and certain medications. Stress can also have a significant role in the bothersome nature of tinnitus.”
Because tinnitus is often tied to age-related hearing loss, your risk of developing this condition can increase over time (though it’s important to note that age itself is not a risk factor).
How to stop ringing in your ears: 7 easy tips
Most of the time, tinnitus cannot be cured. “There are no home remedies that can cure tinnitus itself,” says Lazarus. “However, there are ways that individuals can manage the condition.” Here’s how to make tinnitus less noticeable and help stop the ringing in your ears.
Start your day with calm
The connection between tinnitus and tension means that reducing stress can help stop ringing in your ears. “Stress management is also beneficial to help alleviate the bothersome nature of tinnitus, as tinnitus tends to get worse in stressful environments,” says Lazarus.
Licensed psychotherapist Reneé Zavislak recommends developing a calming daily morning routine. “Choose one thing that is good for you and that takes less than 15 minutes to do, and then do it every morning before you do anything else,” she advises. “Any grounding, calming activity will do. By attending to our nervous systems first thing in the day, we set the tone, making it much easier to maintain the sense of peace as the action of the day kicks in.”
Journaling, meditating, drawing or doing breathwork are all good options for starting the day off on the right foot. Getting in movement throughout the day can extend that sense of calm.
“That doesn’t have to mean exercise in the punishing-workout sense,” Zavislak says. “Dancing around the house is my favorite recommendation, as the combination of movement and music is profoundly soothing to the nervous system. Both exercise and music both help lower cortisol, our primary stress hormone. Plus, music activates the brain’s pleasure center, lowering feelings of anxiety and depression.”
Try a noise machine
“Using sound from a fan or a noise machine when the tinnitus is distracting can be beneficial, as it helps the brain become accustomed to the tinnitus,” Lazarus says.
Research in Therapeutic Advances in Chronic Disease suggests that many different forms of noise can be useful—from white noise to pink noise to brown noise—so experiment to find what works best for you.
Tip: Some audiologists can provide customized sound stimulation, which is white noise with frequencies and tones catered to your specific tinnitus symptoms. Talk to your doctor about this option if regular white noise isn’t working for you.
Consider curcumin
An Italian study suggests that curcumin, a potent compound in turmeric spice, may help stop the ringing in your ears by improving the body’s cell-cleaning system. This soothes tinnitus symptoms by helping cells in the inner ear canal better process sound.
Practice mindfulness
One of the most effective ways to help stop the ringing in your ears is by managing your own reaction to the bothersome sound, says Dr. Dasgupta. “Mindfulness practices, such as meditation and deep breathing, can help you feel calmer,” he says.
One mindfulness technique Zavislak suggests for people with tinnitus is visualization, or imagining yourself coexisting peacefully with your tinnitus.
“Practice seeing yourself happily participating in your favorite activities while the tinnitus is active,” Zavislak says. “In other words, picture yourself experiencing tinnitus and not reacting to it. By practicing this in your mind, you create a path in the brain that reinforces this behavior.”
Do a ‘sensory scan’
Zavislak also recommends using a technique called “sensory scans” to train your brain to lean into other senses for relief from the ringing in your ears.
“Spend one minute hyperfocusing on one piece of stimuli for each sense, omitting sound,” Zavislak explains. “Choose one thing that you see, and then to look at it as if you have never seen it before, focusing as hard as possible only on that one piece of visual stimuli for one full minute or more. Then repeat that with touch, taste and smell.”
Tip: “If those don’t do the trick, you could try cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), which helps change how you react to the sounds, or tinnitus retraining therapy (TRT), which combines sound therapy with counseling,” Dr. Dasgupta advises.
Take melatonin
Ringing in your ears can disrupt sleep. And in a cruel twist, common sleep aids like benzodiazepines can make tinnitus worse. To the rescue: Melatonin. This natural sleep hormone not only helps people fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer, according to Yale research, but a Spanish study found it can reduce your chances of being bothered by tinnitus by 40 percent.
Ask about hearing aids
If your tinnitus is tied to hearing loss, getting fitted for hearing aids may help stop the ringing in your ears. “We often notice that when an individual with both hearing loss and tinnitus uses a hearing aid as amplification for the hearing loss, the tinnitus can subside,” notes Lazarus.
How to stop ringing in your ears: The bottom line
“Tinnitus often brings along feelings of anxiety or irritation,” Dr. Dasgupta says. “Consulting with an audiologist or an ear, nose and throat doctor (ENT) can provide more personalized tinnitus treatment options and support to improve your situation.”
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