What Is Tinnitus? A Plain-Language Guide to Ringing in the Ears
Updated: 3 days ago
Medically reviewed by Dr. Baraa Alnahhal, MD · Last reviewed: October 2026
Quick Answer
Tinnitus is ringing or other noises in one or both ears, generated inside the ear, that usually only you can hear. [1] It affects about 15% to 30% of people, more often older adults. [1] It is most often caused by another condition, especially noise-related hearing loss. [1] Treating the cause can help, as can hearing aids, masking devices and counseling. [2]
What the research says
Tinnitus is common, and becomes more common with age. A systematic review and meta-analysis of prevalence studies found that 14.4% of adults have any tinnitus (95% CI 12.6% to 16.5%), with estimates across studies ranging from 4.1% to 37.2%. Prevalence rose from 9.7% in adults aged 18 to 44 to 23.6% in those aged 65 and older, and 2.3% of adults had severe tinnitus. (Jarach et al., JAMA Neurol, 2022) [3]
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) may reduce how much tinnitus affects daily life. A Cochrane review of 28 studies with 2,733 adults found that, compared with a waiting list, CBT may reduce the impact of tinnitus on quality of life (standardized mean difference -0.56, 95% CI -0.83 to -0.30; low-certainty evidence), roughly 10.9 points lower on the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory. Serious adverse effects appeared rare, but there was no evidence at 6 or 12 months of follow-up. (Fuller et al., Cochrane Database Syst Rev, 2020) [4]
Medicines and brain-stimulation or sound therapies lack strong evidence. A review based on the revised German clinical practice guideline recommends counseling, CBT (effect sizes of 0.54 to 0.91 for reducing tinnitus-related distress), and measures to improve hearing, and found insufficient evidence for drug treatment, sound and music therapy, and neuromodulation such as magnetic or electrical stimulation. (Mazurek et al., Dtsch Arztebl Int, 2022) [5]
What Is Tinnitus, in Plain Language?
Tinnitus (TIN-ih-tus or tih-NIE-tus) is when you experience ringing or other noises in one or both of your ears. The noise you hear when you have tinnitus isn't caused by a sound that comes from outside your ear. Usually, other people can't hear the sound. [1]
Tinnitus is common. It affects about 15% to 30% of people and is more common in older adults. [1]
Many things can cause tinnitus, including broken or damaged hair cells in the part of the inner ear called the cochlea, changes in how blood moves through nearby blood vessels, issues with the jawbone joint, and conditions that affect how the brain processes sound. [1]
An important framing: tinnitus is a symptom of more than 200 different health conditions, not a disease itself. Tinnitus is usually caused by another condition, such as age-related hearing loss, an ear injury or an issue with the blood vessels. In many cases, healthcare professionals can't find an exact cause. [1]
The hopeful part: for many people, tinnitus gets better after treating the condition that is causing it. There are also treatments that lessen or mask the noise, making tinnitus less noticeable. [1]
What Does Tinnitus Sound Like?
Most people with tinnitus describe hearing a ringing in the ears, even though no one else can hear the ringing sound. The noises may vary in pitch from a low roar to a high squeal. People can have tinnitus in one or both ears. In some cases, the sounds can be so loud that they make it hard to focus or hear other sounds. Tinnitus may be present all the time, or it may come and go. [1]
Some of the types of sounds people with tinnitus report hearing are:
Type of sound | How people describe it |
Ringing | The most common description |
Buzzing | A continuous vibrating hum |
Roaring | A deep, ocean-like sound |
Clicking | Repeated taps or ticks |
Hissing | Like air escaping |
Humming | A steady low tone |
Whooshing | Like wind or a distant train |
Pulsing | Like the sound of a heartbeat [1] |
What Are the Two Types of Tinnitus?
There are two main types of tinnitus:
When Should You See a Doctor?
Some people aren't very bothered by tinnitus. For other people, tinnitus disrupts their daily lives. If you have tinnitus that bothers you, see your healthcare professional.
Make an appointment to see your healthcare professional if your tinnitus starts after an upper respiratory infection, such as a cold, and doesn't go away within a week. [1]
See your healthcare professional as soon as possible if you have sudden hearing loss, dizziness, numbness, or weakness in the face, arm or leg with the tinnitus; or if your tinnitus is making you feel anxious or depressed or disrupts your sleep. [1] If you develop tinnitus after being in a car accident, getting hurt playing sports or in a similar event, seek emergency medical care. [1]
What Causes Tinnitus?
Tinnitus is a symptom of more than 200 different health conditions, not a disease itself. These other health conditions can cause or worsen tinnitus. [1] The most common causes can be broken down into four different types.
How Can Hearing Loss Cause Ringing?
There are small, fragile hair cells in the inner ear, called the cochlea, that move when sound waves enter the ear. This movement triggers electrical signals along the nerve from the ear to the brain — called the auditory nerve. The brain interprets these signals as sound. [1]
Age or regular exposure to loud sounds can bend or break the hairs inside the inner ear. Once bent or broken, they can then "leak" random electrical impulses to the brain, causing tinnitus. About 9 of 10 people with tinnitus have some hearing loss caused by noise. [1]
Can Medicines Cause Tinnitus?
Yes. Some medicines may cause or worsen tinnitus. Generally, the higher the dose of these medicines, the worse tinnitus becomes. Usually medicines will cause tinnitus in both ears. Often the unwanted noise goes away when you stop using these medicines. [1]
Medicines and substances known to cause or worsen tinnitus include nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), some antibiotics, cancer medicines, water pills called diuretics, medicines used to treat malaria, some antidepressants, marijuana, tobacco, and some herbal supplements. [1]
What Ear Conditions Cause Tinnitus?
Some conditions related to ear structure and function can cause tinnitus:
Ear condition | What happens |
Ear infections | Infections typically caused by bacteria or viruses that infect the middle ear, often following a cold, flu or allergies. [1] |
Ear canal blockage | A blockage of wax, dirt or other foreign materials can change the pressure in the ear, causing tinnitus. [1] |
Problems with the eustachian tube | The eustachian (u-STAY-shun) tube connects the middle of the ear to the back of the throat. Losing large amounts of body weight or having radiation treatment near the nose and throat can cause it to not work correctly. [1] |
Conditions that affect the TMJ | The temporomandibular (tem-puh-roe-man-DIB-u-lur) joint sits on both sides of the head in front of the ears, where the lower jawbone meets the skull. Issues with the TMJ can cause tinnitus. [1] |
Changes to ear bones | Stiffening of the bones in the middle ear, called otosclerosis, may affect hearing and cause tinnitus in one or both ears. Caused by unusual bone growth, it tends to run in families. [1] |
Muscle spasms in the inner ear | Muscles in the inner ear can tense up or spasm, sometimes causing tinnitus, hearing loss and a feeling of fullness in the ear. Sometimes this happens for no clear reason, but it can be caused by brain and nervous system diseases such as multiple sclerosis. [1] |
How Do Blood Vessels Cause Ringing?
Blood flow changes can cause tinnitus or make it louder. One type, called pulsatile tinnitus, is usually caused by conditions related to blood vessels — also called vascular conditions. Some of the vascular conditions that can lead to or affect tinnitus are atherosclerosis (the buildup of fats, cholesterol and other substances in artery walls), high blood pressure, and kinked or malformed blood vessels. [1]
What Other Conditions Can Cause It?
Less common causes of tinnitus include other ear conditions, chronic health conditions, and injuries or conditions that affect the nerves in your ear or the hearing center in your brain:
Other cause | Details |
Meniere's disease | Tinnitus can be an early sign of Meniere's disease, an inner ear condition that may be caused by inner ear fluid pressure. [1] |
Head or neck injuries | Head or neck trauma can affect the inner ear, hearing nerves or brain function linked to hearing. Such injuries usually cause tinnitus in only one ear. [1] |
Migraines | A type of migraine called vestibular migraine can cause dizziness, a loss of balance called vertigo, and tinnitus. [1] |
Acoustic neuroma or other tumors | Acoustic neuroma is a noncancerous (benign) tumor that grows on the cranial nerve running from the brain to the inner ear, affecting balance and hearing. Other head, neck or brain tumors also can cause tinnitus. [1] |
Other chronic conditions | Diabetes, thyroid conditions, migraines, anemia, and autoimmune conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and lupus have all been connected with tinnitus. [1] |
What Raises the Risk?
Anyone can develop tinnitus, but certain factors may raise a person's risk.
Risk factor | Details |
Loud noise exposure | Loud noises, such as those from heavy equipment, chain saws and firearms, and loud music all cause noise-related hearing loss. Factory and construction workers, musicians, and soldiers are especially at risk. [1] |
Age | As you age, the nerve fibers in your ears don't work as well, possibly causing the hearing issues related to tinnitus. [1] |
Sex | Men are more likely to have tinnitus. [1] |
Tobacco and alcohol use | People who smoke tobacco or use marijuana and other substances are more likely to have tinnitus. Drinking alcohol also raises the risk. [1] |
Certain health conditions | Obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure, and a history of depression, anxiety, arthritis or head injury all raise your risk. [1] |
What Complications Can Occur?
Tinnitus affects people differently. For some people, tinnitus has a big impact on their quality of life. If you have tinnitus, you also may have fatigue, stress, sleep difficulties, trouble focusing, memory issues, depression, anxiety and irritability, headaches, and problems with work and family life. [1]
Treating these linked conditions may not affect tinnitus directly, but it can help you feel better. [1]
Can Tinnitus Be Prevented?
Tinnitus often cannot be prevented, but some precautions can help prevent certain kinds of it. But some precautions can help prevent certain kinds of tinnitus:
Prevention step | How it helps |
Use hearing protection | Over time, exposure to loud sounds can damage the nerves in the ears, causing hearing loss and tinnitus. Try to limit exposure to loud sounds, and always wear over-the-ear hearing protection — especially if you use chain saws, are a musician, work in an industry that uses loud machinery, or use firearms such as pistols or shotguns. [1] |
Turn down the volume | Long-term exposure to amplified music with no ear protection or listening to music at very high volume through headphones can cause hearing loss and tinnitus. [1] |
Take care of your heart health | Regular exercise, eating right and other steps to keep your blood vessels healthy can help prevent tinnitus linked to obesity and blood vessel conditions. [1] |
Limit alcohol, caffeine and nicotine | These substances, especially when used in excess, can affect blood flow and worsen tinnitus. [1] |
How Is Tinnitus Diagnosed?
Your healthcare professional will typically diagnose you with tinnitus based on your symptoms alone. But to treat your symptoms, your health professional will try to find whether your tinnitus is caused by another condition. Sometimes a cause can't be found. [2]
To help find the cause, your healthcare professional will likely ask about your medical history and check your ears, head and neck. [2] Common tests include:
Test | What it involves |
Hearing or audiological exam | You sit in a soundproof room wearing earphones that send specific sounds into one ear at a time. You show when you can hear the sound, and your results are compared with results typical for your age. This can help rule out or find possible causes. [2] |
Movement | The professional may ask you to move your eyes, clench your jaw, or move your neck, arms and legs. If your tinnitus changes or worsens, it may help find another condition that needs treatment. [2] |
Imaging tests | Depending on the suspected cause, you may need a CT scan (which uses X-ray techniques to make more detailed images of the body) or an MRI (which uses a magnetic field and computer-generated radio waves to make detailed 3D images of organs and tissues). [2] |
Lab tests | Blood may be drawn to check for anemia, thyroid conditions, heart disease or vitamins the body doesn't have enough of. [2] |
Can the Type of Sound Reveal the Cause?
It helps to describe for your healthcare professional what kind of tinnitus noises you hear. The sounds you hear can help your healthcare professional find a possible cause:
Sound you hear | What it may point to |
Clicking | Muscle contractions in and around your ear. [2] |
Pulsing, rushing or humming | Blood vessel (vascular) causes, such as high blood pressure; sounds may appear when you exercise or change positions, such as when lying down or standing up. [2] |
Low-pitched ringing | Ear canal blockages, Meniere's disease or stiff inner ear bones (otosclerosis). [2] |
High-pitched ringing | The most common tinnitus sound; likely causes include loud noise exposure, hearing loss or medicines. Acoustic neuroma can cause continuous, high-pitched ringing in one ear. [2] |
How Is Tinnitus Treated?
Tinnitus treatment depends on whether another health condition causes it, and when it cannot be cured, devices such as white noise machines can make it less noticeable. [2] If so, your healthcare professional may be able to reduce your tinnitus symptoms by treating the other condition:
Treatment | What it involves |
Earwax removal | Excess wax is taken out of the ear using a small, curved tool called a curet, by suction techniques, or flushed out with a syringe filled with warm water. Removing earwax can improve tinnitus symptoms. [2] |
Treating a blood vessel condition | Blood vessel conditions may need medicine, surgery or another treatment. For example, a blood pressure medicine may be prescribed to lower blood pressure and lessen tinnitus symptoms. [2] |
Hearing aids | If your tinnitus is caused by noise-induced or age-related hearing loss, using hearing aids may improve your symptoms. [2] |
Changing your medicine | If a medicine appears to be the cause, your professional may recommend stopping it, lowering the dose or switching to a different medicine. [2] |
What If Tinnitus Can't Be Cured?
Many times, tinnitus can't be cured. But there are treatments that can help make your symptoms less noticeable. [2] Your healthcare professional may suggest using an electronic device to muffle or mask the noise:
White noise machines. These devices make a sound similar to static or environmental sounds such as falling rain or ocean waves, and are often an effective treatment for tinnitus. You may want to try a white noise machine with pillow speakers to help you sleep. Fans, humidifiers, dehumidifiers and air conditioners in the bedroom also make white noise and may help make tinnitus less bothersome at night. [2]
Masking devices. Worn in the ear and similar to hearing aids, these devices are tuned by a person trained in hearing conditions. They make a continuous, low-level white noise that suppresses tinnitus symptoms. [2]
How Can Counseling Help?
Behavioral treatment approaches aim to help you live with tinnitus by helping you change the way you think and feel about your symptoms. Over time, your tinnitus may bother you less:
Tinnitus retraining therapy (TRT). This is a program designed just for you and your symptoms. A person specializing in treating hearing conditions — called an audiologist — may help you complete TRT, or you can receive therapy at a tinnitus treatment center. TRT combines sound masking and counseling from a trained professional. Typically, you wear a device in your ear that helps mask your tinnitus symptoms while you also get directive counseling. Over time, this treatment may help you notice tinnitus less and be less bothered by your symptoms. [2]
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) or other forms of counseling. A licensed mental health professional or psychologist can help you learn coping techniques to make tinnitus symptoms less bothersome. [2] [4] Counseling also can help with other conditions often linked to tinnitus, such as anxiety and depression. [2] Many mental health professionals offer CBT for tinnitus in individual or group sessions, and some programs are offered online. [2]
Do Medicines Help?
Medicines can't cure tinnitus, but in some cases they may help reduce symptoms or complications. Still, medicines play only a small role in treating tinnitus, and many care guidelines advise against using medicines or alternative therapies to treat it. [2] Your healthcare professional may prescribe medicine to treat another condition to help relieve your symptoms, or medicines to help treat anxiety, depression and insomnia that many people with tinnitus have. [2]
What Treatments Are on the Horizon?
Researchers are studying new technologies and treatments to improve options for people with tinnitus:
Future approach | What it involves |
New masking devices | Using technology like that in noise-canceling headphones. [2] |
Magnetic or electrical stimulation | Of the brain or the cochlea, including transcranial magnetic stimulation and deep brain stimulation. [2] |
Cochlear implant surgery | Shown to help some people with tinnitus and severe hearing loss. [2] |
New medicines for the ear | Injecting medicines directly into the ear may help people with tinnitus who have sudden hearing loss, autoimmune inner ear disease or Meniere's disease. [2] |
What Lifestyle Changes Help at Home?
Lifestyle changes can make tinnitus symptoms less bothersome for many people, especially when treatments do not work well. Sometimes people get used to tinnitus. [2] For many people, making some lifestyle changes helps to make tinnitus symptoms less bothersome:
Lifestyle change | How it helps |
Use hearing protection | To keep your tinnitus from getting worse, take steps to protect your hearing. Always wear over-the-ear hearing protection with chain saws, loud machinery, music, or firearms. [2] |
Turn down the volume | Listening to music at very high volume through headphones can cause hearing loss and tinnitus. [2] |
Use white noise | If tinnitus is worse in quiet settings, try a white noise machine to mask the noise. Without one, a fan, soft music or low-volume radio static may help. [2] |
Limit alcohol, caffeine and nicotine | These substances, especially in excess, can affect blood flow and worsen tinnitus. [2] |
It's worth being realistic about alternative medicine: there's little evidence that alternative treatments work for tinnitus. Some that have been tried include acupuncture, ginkgo biloba, melatonin and zinc supplements. [2]
How Can You Cope and Find Support?
Beyond treatment options, some suggestions can help you cope with tinnitus. Support groups — sharing your experience with others who have tinnitus, in person or in internet forums — may be helpful. To make sure the information you get is correct, it's best to choose a group led by a doctor, audiologist or other qualified health professional. [2]
Education helps too: learning as much as you can about tinnitus and ways to ease symptoms can help, and understanding tinnitus better makes it less bothersome for some people. [2] Stress management — through relaxation therapy, biofeedback or exercise — may give some relief, since stress can make tinnitus worse. [2]
How Should You Prepare for Your Appointment?
Be prepared to tell your healthcare professional about your signs and symptoms; your medical history, including any other health conditions you have such as hearing loss, high blood pressure or clogged arteries (atherosclerosis); and all medicines you take, including herbal remedies. [2]
What Questions Will Your Doctor Ask?
Your healthcare professional is likely to ask:
Doctor's question | Why it matters |
When did you begin experiencing symptoms? | Dates the onset of the ringing. |
What does the noise you hear sound like? | The sound type is a clue to the cause. |
Do you hear it in one or both ears? | One ear can point to injuries or tumors; both often point to medicines or noise. |
Has the sound been continuous, or does it come and go? | Reveals the pattern of the symptom. |
How loud is the noise? | Helps gauge severity. |
How much does the noise bother you? | Guides how aggressively to treat. |
What, if anything, seems to improve your symptoms? | Points toward what helps. |
What, if anything, appears to worsen your symptoms? | Reveals triggers. |
Have you been exposed to loud noises? | Noise is the leading cause. |
Have you had an ear disease or head injury? | Both can trigger tinnitus. |
After diagnosis, you may need to see an ear, nose and throat specialist called an otolaryngologist, and you may also need to work with a hearing expert, known as an audiologist. [2]
What is the bottom line on tinnitus?
Tinnitus — ringing, buzzing, hissing, or pulsing that only you can hear — is one of the most common symptoms in medicine, touching 15% to 30% of people. It isn't a disease itself but a signal of more than 200 possible underlying conditions, with noise-related hearing loss at the top of the list. The first step is always the same: a proper medical evaluation to hunt for a treatable cause, whether that's a wax blockage, a blood vessel problem, or a medicine that can be changed. And when no cure is available — which is often — that is far from the end of the story. White noise machines and masking devices can soften the sound, hearing aids can quiet it, and therapies like TRT and CBT train your brain to stop noticing it. Protection remains the best medicine of all: every over-the-ear pair of protectors and every turn of the volume dial down is a deposit in your hearing's savings account.
Take the Next Step
Bothered by ringing, buzzing, or pulsing in your ears — or tinnitus that disrupts your sleep, mood, or focus? See a healthcare professional for an evaluation. If it started suddenly after an injury, or comes with sudden hearing loss or dizziness, seek care right away.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is tinnitus?
Tinnitus (TIN-ih-tus or tih-NIE-tus) is when you experience ringing or other noises in one or both of your ears. The noise isn't caused by an outside sound, and usually other people can't hear it. It affects about 15% to 30% of people and is more common in older adults.
Is tinnitus a disease?
No — tinnitus is a symptom of more than 200 different health conditions, not a disease itself. It is usually caused by another condition, such as age-related hearing loss, an ear injury or an issue with the blood vessels. In many cases, healthcare professionals can't find an exact cause.
What does tinnitus sound like?
Most people hear ringing, but sounds can vary in pitch from a low roar to a high squeal — including buzzing, roaring, clicking, hissing, humming, whooshing, or pulsing like a heartbeat. It can affect one or both ears, may be constant or come and go, and in some cases is loud enough to make it hard to focus or hear other sounds.
What are the two types of tinnitus?
Subjective tinnitus is the more common type, where only you can hear the noises. Objective tinnitus is the less common type, where a healthcare professional also can hear sounds from the head, neck or ear during an exam — and it often has a specific cause that can be treated.
What causes tinnitus?
The four most common categories are conditions related to hearing loss (about 9 of 10 people with tinnitus have noise-caused hearing loss), ear-harming medicines (NSAIDs, some antibiotics, diuretics, and others), ear structure and function conditions (infections, wax blockage, eustachian tube problems, TMJ issues, otosclerosis, inner ear muscle spasms), and blood vessel conditions (atherosclerosis, high blood pressure, malformed vessels — often causing pulsatile tinnitus).
How is tinnitus treated?
If another condition is the cause, treating it may help — earwax removal, blood pressure medicines, hearing aids, or changing a medicine. When it can't be cured, noise suppression (white noise machines, masking devices) and counseling (TRT, CBT) can make the sound much less noticeable. Medicines play only a small role, and many guidelines advise against using medicines or alternative therapies to treat tinnitus directly.
Can tinnitus be prevented?
In many cases it's caused by something that can't be prevented. But you can lower risk: wear hearing protection around loud noise, turn down headphone volume, care for your heart health, and limit alcohol, caffeine and nicotine.
When should I see a doctor right away?
Seek prompt care if you have sudden hearing loss, dizziness, numbness, or weakness in the face, arm or leg with the tinnitus, or if tinnitus is making you anxious or depressed or disrupting your sleep. If it developed after a car accident or sports injury, seek emergency medical care.
Related Reading
Hearing Test: What It Is, Why It's Done, Types, What to Expect and Results explains the hearing tests used to measure the type and degree of hearing loss.
References
Mayo Clinic Staff. Tinnitus: Symptoms and causes. Mayo Clinic. Last updated July 2, 2026. Accessed October 14, 2026. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/tinnitus/symptoms-causes/syc-20350156
Mayo Clinic Staff. Tinnitus: Diagnosis and treatment. Mayo Clinic. Last updated July 2, 2026. Accessed October 14, 2026. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/tinnitus/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20350162
Jarach CM, Lugo A, Scala M, et al. Global prevalence and incidence of tinnitus: a systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA Neurol. 2022;79(9):888-900. PMID 35939312. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamaneurol.2022.2189
Fuller T, Cima R, Langguth B, et al. Cognitive behavioural therapy for tinnitus. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2020;1(1):CD012614. PMID 31912887. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD012614.pub2
Mazurek B, Hesse G, Dobel C, et al. Chronic tinnitus. Dtsch Arztebl Int. 2022;119(13):219-225. PMID 35197187. https://doi.org/10.3238/arztebl.m2022.0135
Disclaimer: This guide is for general information only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of a physician or other qualified health provider with any questions about a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking it because of something you have read here.
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