How to turn down the volume on tinnitus

Dear Savvy Senior,

What treatments are recommended to help with tinnitus? I started noticing a subtle ringing in my ears about 10 years ago, but it’s gotten much more bothersome since I turned 60.

–Ringing Ronnie

Dear Ronnie,

Tinnitus is actually one of the most common health conditions in the country. According to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, around 10% of the U.S. adult population – over 25 million Americans – experience some form of tinnitus.

For most people tinnitus is merely annoying, but roughly 5 million people struggle with chronic tinnitus, and 2 million find it debilitating.

While there’s no cure, there are a range of different strategies you can employ to reduce the symptoms to make it less bothersome. Here’s what you should know.

What is Tinnitus?

Tinnitus (pronounced TIN-a-tus or tin-NIGHT-us) is the sensation of hearing a ringing, buzzing, roaring, hissing or whistling sound in one or both ears when no external sound is present.

The sounds, which can vary in pitch and loudness, are usually worse when background noise is low, so you may be more aware of it at night when you’re trying to fall asleep in a quiet room.

Tinnitus itself is not a disease, but rather a symptom of some other underlying health condition. The best way to find out what’s causing your tinnitus is to see an audiologist, or an otolaryngologist – a doctor who specializes in ear, nose and throat diseases (commonly called an ENT). The various things that can cause tinnitus are:

• Hearing loss, which is the most common cause.
• Middle ear obstructions usually caused by a build-up of earwax deep in the ear canal.
• Side effects of many different prescription and over-the-counter medicines like aspirin, ibuprofen, certain blood pressure medicines and diuretics, some antidepressants, cancer medicines and antibiotics.
• Various medical conditions such as high blood pressure, vascular disease, diabetes, allergies, thyroid problems, ear or sinus infections, Meniere’s disease, Lyme disease, fibromyalgia, otosclerosis, temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorder, a tumor, an injury to the head or neck, traumatic brain injury, depression, stress and more.

Treatment Strategies

There are many ways to treat tinnitus depending on the cause. For example, if your tinnitus is caused by a wax buildup in your ears or a medical condition like high blood pressure or a thyroid problem, treating the problem may reduce or eliminate the noise.

Or, if you’re taking a medication that’s causing the problem, switching to a different drug or lowering the dosage may provide some relief. If you have hearing loss, getting a hearing aid can help mask your tinnitus by improving your ability to hear actual sounds.

Another strategy that can help suppress or mask the sound so it’s less bothersome is “sound therapy.” This can be as simple as a fan or white noise machine, or you can use sound therapy apps like ReSound Tinnitus Relief, myNoise or NatureSpace.

Cognitive behavioral therapy and psychological counseling can also be helpful, as can tinnitus retraining therapy, also called TNT. This combines counseling and sound therapy to train your brain to ignore the sound in your ears. The new MindEar app offers TNT.

There are even new innovations like the FDA-approved device Lenire, which uses electrical stimulation of the tongue to alleviate symptoms.

There are also certain medications that may help. While there are no FDA-approved drugs specifically designed to treat tinnitus, some antianxiety drugs and antidepressants have been effective in relieving symptoms.

Your audiologist or ENT can help you figure out the best treatment options.

Another thing you can do to help quiet the noise is to avoid things that can aggravate the problem — like fatty foods, salt, artificial sweeteners, sugar, alcohol, tonic water, tobacco and caffeine. Also, be sure to drink plenty of water, as dehydration can worsen symptoms. And protect yourself from loud noises by wearing earplugs.

Send your questions or comments to questions@savvysenior.org, or to Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070.