Condition: Tinnitus

What It Is

Tinnitus is the perception of a sound with no outside source, most often a steady ringing, hissing, or high-pitched buzzing that only you can hear. A meta-analysis of 83 prevalence studies put it in about 14.4% of adults (Jarach, JAMA Neurol 2022). The share rises from 9.7% between ages 18 and 44 to 23.6% at 65 and over. That is roughly one adult in seven, and one in four past 65. It affects men and women about equally. The severe, life-disrupting form affects a much smaller group, around one person in forty.

The care below is for the persistent, bothersome form: tinnitus that has lasted six months or more and intrudes on daily life. That is a far smaller group than everyone who hears an occasional ring (Tunkel, Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 2014). The common kind is a continuous tone in both ears, usually tied to hearing loss and noise exposure, including hearing loss you have not noticed.

Making the sound bother you less is the goal: even the best treatment leaves the tone playing while the distress falls away.

What Helps

Of every tinnitus treatment, cognitive behavioral therapy has the most evidence. A 2020 Cochrane review pooled 28 trials and 2,733 people (Fuller, Cochrane 2020). Against no treatment, the standardized mean difference was -0.56. Cognitive behavioral therapy cut interference by about 10.9 points on the 0 to 100 Tinnitus Handicap Inventory, where 7 points is the smallest change that matters. The measured loudness does not change.

Mindfulness works on the same principle. A single-site trial of 75 adults with chronic distressing tinnitus tested an eight-week mindfulness-based cognitive therapy course. It lowered tinnitus severity 6.3 points more than an equally intensive relaxation course, and the gap held at six months (McKenna, Psychother Psychosom 2017). The trial tested a taught course aimed at changing your relationship to the sound, not a self-guided phone app.

Tinnitus retraining therapy pairs directive counseling with steady low-level background sound over a year or more. Across 18 studies and 1,712 people it was associated with lower tinnitus severity (AlGhamdi, Acta Otorhinolaryngol Ital 2026). The trials varied widely, and CBT out-performed it in direct comparisons.

Start with a hearing test, because a correctable hearing loss is common and treating it is low-risk. Hearing aids are a mainstay when hearing loss is present: restoring outside sound tends to ease the tinnitus. The formal trial evidence is thin. The Cochrane review found a single eligible trial of 91 people. It showed no difference between a hearing aid and a sound generator (Hoare, Cochrane 2014). No trial has tested a hearing aid against a no-device control.

Sound enrichment fills the quiet with background sound from a bedside masker, an app, or a combination hearing aid. No trial has properly tested it against using no device at all, so the benefit is unconfirmed, though the approach is low-risk (Sereda, Cochrane 2018).

Several widely used remedies do not hold up when they are measured against placebo:

• Ginkgo biloba is the supplement most often recommended for tinnitus. Across 12 trials and 1,915 people it was no better than placebo for either the severity or the loudness (Sereda, Cochrane 2022). Some clinical guidelines still list it.
• Betahistine is prescribed very widely, with over 100,000 prescriptions filled monthly in England. Across 5 placebo-controlled trials it did nothing for the sound, though it is safe and well tolerated (Wegner, Cochrane 2018).
• Antidepressants aimed at the tinnitus itself have insufficient evidence across 6 trials. They earn a place when depression sits alongside the tinnitus, a separate reason to use them (Baldo, Cochrane 2012).
• Routine zinc and vitamin supplements are marketed as tinnitus formulas, but current guidance found no evidence that they change the sound (Park, Clin Exp Otorhinolaryngol 2026).

Protecting the hearing you still have is the best long-term move, because loud noise is one of the clearest ways tinnitus starts and worsens. A meta-analysis of 67 studies and 28,311 people found musicians reported tinnitus far more often than controls, 42.6% versus 13.2% (McCray, Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 2026). Use earplugs at concerts and around power tools, keep headphone volume moderate, and give your ears quiet recovery time after loud exposure.

The Research & Studies

Everything here is based on the research we have collected and checked, sorted into groups and ordered with the strongest evidence first. Click any claim to open the studies behind it.

Hearing And Tinnitus

CGT verlaagt tinnitushinder met ongeveer 10.9 punten op de 0 tot 100-handicapschaalModerate

In plain terms

Cognitieve gedragstherapie is de best onderbouwde behandeling voor tinnitus. Het vermindert hoeveel het geluid je hindert en je leven verstoort, hoewel het het geluid niet stiller maakt.

In detail

Deze Cochrane-review uit 2020 poolde 28 trials, voornamelijk Europees, bij volwassenen die ten minste drie maanden tinnitus hadden gehad. De primaire uitkomst was de impact van tinnitus op ziekte-specifieke kwaliteit van leven, niet de tinnitusluidheid. CGT versloeg geen behandeling (SMD -0.56), audiologische zorg (THI gemiddeld verschil -5.65) en andere actieve controles zoals ontspanning en informatie (SMD -0.30), en in één kleine trial versloeg het tinnitus retraining therapie. Ernstige bijwerkingen waren zeldzaam. De zekerheid van het bewijs was voornamelijk laag, opgewaardeerd naar matig voor de audiologische-zorgvergelijking, en er was geen bruikbaar bewijs bij 6 of 12 maanden opvolging.

Who this may not transfer to:The review does not report a pooled sex breakdown across its 28 trials, so the sex basis of the estimate is unknown.

How to use it

Vraag om CGT die specifiek is voor tinnitus, geleverd door een audioloog of klinisch psycholoog. Beoordeel het op of het geluid minder in je dag ingrijpt, niet of het stil is geworden.

The study · 1

Fuller et al., cognitive behavioural therapy for tinnitus · Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2020;1(1):CD012614

Mindfulness verlaagt de tinnitusernst 6.3 punten meer dan ontspanningstrainingModerate

In plain terms

Een gestructureerde mindfulness-kuur verlaagde tinnitus-ernst meer dan een even intensieve ontspanningskuur, en het voordeel was zes maanden later nog aanwezig. Beide groepen verbeterden, dus een deel van de winst is simpelweg de gestructureerde aandacht en ondersteuning.

In detail

Deze eencentrumgerandomiseerde trial vergeleek mindfulness-gebaseerde cognitieve therapie (39 mensen) met intensieve ontspanningstraining (36 mensen), elk acht wekelijkse sessies van twee uur, voor chronische hinderlijke tinnitus. Beide armen verbeterden op ernst, nood, angst, depressie en beperking, maar mindfulness produceerde de grotere daling in tinnitusernst, en het effect hing niet af van hoe ernstig of lang de tinnitus al was of van of de persoon gehoorverlies had.

Who this may not transfer to:The trial report gives no sex split by arm, so the sex basis of the result is unknown, and it comes from one center.

How to use it

Mindfulness betekent hier een geleerde kuur gericht op het veranderen van je relatie tot het geluid, geen telefoon-app die nonchalant wordt gebruikt. Het werkt op aandacht en reactiviteit, niet op het tinnitussignaal zelf.

The study · 1

McKenna et al., mindfulness-based cognitive therapy as a treatment for chronic tinnitus, a randomized controlled trial · Psychother Psychosom 2017;86(6):351-361

Ginkgo biloba makes no difference to tinnitus across 12 trialsModerate · no effect

In plain terms

Ginkgo biloba is the supplement most often recommended for tinnitus, and the trials do not support it. Pooled, it was no better than a dummy pill for either the severity or the loudness of the sound.

In detail

The 2022 Cochrane review of Ginkgo biloba included 12 RCTs, 11 against placebo. Risk of bias was generally high or unclear, and heterogeneity limited pooling, but the results clustered around no effect for tinnitus severity, loudness and quality of life, all at low or very low certainty. Serious harms such as bleeding or seizures were not raised above placebo. Some clinical guidelines still list ginkgo as an option; the Cochrane synthesis, the higher-quality evidence, finds no benefit.

Who this may not transfer to:The review does not report a pooled sex breakdown, so the sex basis is unknown.

How to use it

Ginkgo can thin the blood, so if you take it despite the weak evidence, tell anyone prescribing you anticoagulants or planning surgery.

The study · 1

Sereda et al., Ginkgo biloba for tinnitus · Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2022;11(11):CD013514

Betahistine is no better than placebo for tinnitus across 5 trialsModerate · no effect

In plain terms

Betahistine is prescribed for tinnitus very widely, and when it was measured against a dummy pill it did nothing for the sound. It is safe; it is just not effective for this.

In detail

The 2018 Cochrane review found 5 placebo-controlled trials, all at unclear risk of bias. Neither tinnitus loudness nor severity separated from placebo, at very low to moderate certainty, and there was no excess of the upper gastrointestinal discomfort betahistine can cause. The review noted that over 100,000 betahistine prescriptions are filled monthly in England, so it is prescribed far more widely than the evidence justifies.

Who this may not transfer to:The included trials do not report a pooled sex breakdown, so the sex basis is unknown.

The study · 1

Wegner et al., betahistine for tinnitus · Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2018;12(12):CD013093

Musicians report tinnitus far more often than others, 42.6% versus 13.2%Moderate · risk

In plain terms

Loud noise is one of the clearest ways tinnitus starts and worsens. Musicians, who are exposed to it constantly, have roughly three times the rate of tinnitus, which is the strongest practical argument for protecting the hearing you still have.

In detail

This 2026 review pooled 67 cohort and cross-sectional studies of recreational and professional musicians. Tinnitus, hearing loss and hyperacusis were all markedly more common than in control populations, with no difference between classical and pop or rock musicians. Because the data are observational, the size of the effect is uncertain and rests on self-reported symptoms, but the direction, that heavy noise exposure tracks with more tinnitus, is consistent and biologically expected.

Who this may not transfer to:The pooled studies do not report a combined sex breakdown, so the sex basis is unknown.

How to use it

Protect the hearing you have: use earplugs at concerts and around power tools, keep headphone volume moderate, and give your ears quiet recovery time after loud exposure.

The study · 1

McCray et al., auditory symptoms among musicians, a systematic review and meta-analysis · Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 2026;174(2):305-316

Gehoorapparaten voor tinnitus met gehoorverlies rusten op een enkele trial met 91 personenEmerging · mixed

In plain terms

Gehoorapparaten zijn een pijler van tinnituszorg wanneer ook een gehoorverlies aanwezig is, op de redenering dat het herstellen van buiten geluid de tinnitus verlicht. Het formele trialbewijs hiervoor is dun, hoewel wat er bestaat geruststellend is en de schade verwaarloosbaar is.

In detail

De Cochrane-review uit 2014 van versterking voor tinnitus met co-existerende gehoorverlies vond een enkele in aanmerking komende RCT, die gehoorapparaten vergeleek met geluids­generators en geen verschil tussen hen detecteerde, waarbij beide compatibel waren met voordeel. Er waren geen in aanmerking komende trials tegenover een geen-apparaat-controle, dus de review concludeerde dat er geen bewijs was om gehoorapparaten als routinebehandeling voor tinnitus te ondersteunen of te weerleggen. In de praktijk is een gehooronderzoek nog steeds de verstandige eerste stap, want een behandelbaar gehoorverlies is gebruikelijk en het behandelen ervan is laag-risico.

Who this may not transfer to:The one included trial reports no sex breakdown, so the sex basis is unknown.

How to use it

Laat eerst een gehoortest doen. Gehoorapparaten zijn het zinvolst wanneer die test een verlies aantoont, en ze hebben vrijwel geen nadeel naast kosten en aanpassing.

The study · 1

Hoare et al., amplification with hearing aids for patients with tinnitus and co-existing hearing loss · Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2014;(1):CD010151

Geluidtherapie is nooit getest tegenover geen apparaat over 8 trialsEmerging · mixed

In plain terms

De stilte vullen met achtergrondgeluid, of nu van een nachtkastje-masker, een app of een combinatiegehoorapparaat, is een redelijke comfortmaatregel, maar het trialbewijs toont niet aan dat het tinnitus meer verandert dan de alternatieven. Gebruik het voor comfort; het verandert de tinnitus zelf niet.

In detail

De Cochrane-review uit 2018 vond geen trial die geluidtherapie testte tegenover een geen-apparaat-controle, dus de centrale vraag is onbeantwoord. De trials die er zijn, vergeleken apparaten met elkaar en vonden geen betekenisvolle scheiding, allemaal van lage kwaliteit met onduidelijk risico op bias en weinig blindering. Zowel gehoorapparaten als geluids­generators gingen gepaard met een klinisch nuttige daling in tinnitusernst in die trials, maar zonder controle-arm kan dat niet worden toegeschreven aan het geluid zelf.

Who this may not transfer to:The included trials do not provide a pooled sex breakdown, so the sex basis is unknown.

How to use it

Gebruik wat geluid je 's nachts of in stille kamers rustgevend vindt, en geef er dienovereenkomstig aan uit, aangezien geen apparaat een goedkoper heeft overtroffen in een trial.

The study · 1

Sereda et al., sound therapy using amplification devices and/or sound generators for tinnitus · Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2018;12(12):CD013094

Tinnitus retraining therapie verlaagt ernst over 18 studies en 1,712 mensenEmerging

In plain terms

Tinnitus retraining therapie, die gestructureerde counseling combineert met gestage laagniveauachtergrondgeluid over vele maanden, is geassocieerd met lagere tinnitusernst over de trials, hoewel de studies sterk variëren en de zekerheid beperkt is.

In detail

Tinnitus retraining therapie is een lang programma, vaak 12 tot 24 maanden, dat directieve counseling combineert met geluidsverrijking. De review uit 2026 vond dat verbeteringen consistent in richting waren over 18 studies en gevoeligheidsanalyse doorstonden, maar heterogeniteit was significant, wat betekent dat de omvang van het voordeel sterk verschilde per setting en protocol. Een aparte head-to-head Cochrane-trial vond dat CGT de tinnitusimpact meer verminderde dan TRT, dus CGT heeft de voorkeur waar beide beschikbaar zijn, en TRT is een redelijke tweede optie.

Who this may not transfer to:Participants were about two-thirds male (1,097 men, 596 women), so the estimate is more precise for men.

How to use it

Als TRT wordt aangeboden, verwacht een verbintenis van een jaar of meer en beoordeel de voortgang op hoeveel het geluid ingrijpt, niet op de luidheid.

The study · 1

AlGhamdi et al., effectiveness of tinnitus retraining therapy in alleviating tinnitus symptoms, a systematic review and meta-analysis · Acta Otorhinolaryngol Ital 2026;46(2):73-85

Antidepressants do not improve the tinnitus sound across 6 trialsEmerging · no effect

In plain terms

Antidepressants are not a treatment for the tinnitus sound; the evidence for that is insufficient. They have a place when depression occurs alongside the tinnitus, which is a different reason to use them.

In detail

The 2012 Cochrane review found 6 trials of generally low quality: four of tricyclics, one SSRI, one trazodone. The apparent tricyclic benefit was undercut by inadequate outcome measures, high drop-out and failure to separate the tinnitus effect from the mood effect, and the best-conducted trial, of an SSRI, showed no benefit except a hint at higher doses in a subgroup. This is why guidelines recommend against routine antidepressants for tinnitus while still treating co-existing depression on its own merits.

Who this may not transfer to:The review does not report a pooled sex breakdown, so the sex basis is unknown.

How to use it

If low mood or depression accompanies the tinnitus, treating that is worthwhile in itself and may make the tinnitus easier to live with, but it is not aimed at the sound.

The study · 1

Baldo et al., antidepressants for patients with tinnitus · Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2012;(9):CD003853

Scalp acupuncture eases tinnitus severity across 20 mostly-Chinese trials of limited certaintyEmerging

In plain terms

Scalp acupuncture shows a modest benefit for tinnitus severity in the trials, but the studies are almost all from China, vary in quality and design, and the certainty is limited, so this is best read as a promising signal that is not yet confirmed.

In detail

The 2025 review pooled 20 RCTs comparing scalp acupuncture, sometimes with additional points, against conventional acupuncture or medication. The response-rate finding had low heterogeneity, but the severity estimate carried moderate to high heterogeneity from differences in study design, participants and protocols, and the GRADE certainty ranged from moderate to low. As with much of the acupuncture literature, most trials were conducted and published in China, which the authors flag as a source of potential bias.

Who this may not transfer to:The pooled trials do not report a combined sex breakdown, so the sex basis is unknown, and the evidence base is geographically narrow.

The study · 1

Chen and Jing, the clinical efficacy of scalp acupuncture for tinnitus, a systematic review and meta-analysis · Complement Ther Med 2025;88:103129

Measurement And Diagnosis

About one adult in seven has tinnitus, rising to 23.6% past 65Moderate · mixed

In plain terms

About one adult in seven has tinnitus, and it becomes steadily more common with age, reaching roughly one in four past 65. It affects men and women about equally and severe, life-disrupting tinnitus is a much smaller slice, around one person in forty.

In detail

This 2022 JAMA Neurology meta-analysis screened 767 publications and pooled prevalence from 83 and incidence from 12, using random-effects models. Any tinnitus was 14.4%, severe tinnitus 2.3%, chronic tinnitus 9.8%, with a clear age gradient and no sex difference. Estimates ranged widely between studies (4.1% to 37.2%), reflecting how differently studies define and ask about tinnitus, which is the main limitation of a prevalence pool like this.

Who this may not transfer to:Prevalence was reported separately for men (14.1%) and women (13.1%) and did not differ, so the estimate applies across sexes.

The study · 1

Jarach et al., global prevalence and incidence of tinnitus, a systematic review and meta-analysis · JAMA Neurol 2022;79(9):888-900

Treatment targets tinnitus lasting six months or more and clearly bothersomeModerate · mixed

In plain terms

Most tinnitus is occasional and does not need treating. The care described here is aimed at tinnitus that has lasted six months or more and clearly bothers you, which is a much smaller group than everyone who hears an occasional ring.

In detail

The 2014 American clinical practice guideline deliberately narrows its scope to primary tinnitus in adults that is persistent, defined as six months or longer, and bothersome enough to affect daily life, because that is the group where structured treatment is worth the effort. It notes prevalence of 10% to 15% of adults and more than 50 million people reporting tinnitus in the United States, which frames how common the symptom is against how few need active management.

Who this may not transfer to:The guideline addresses mixed adult populations without a single sex breakdown, so the sex basis is not separated out.

How to use it

Occasional ringing after a loud night, or a brief tone that fades, is not the target here and rarely needs anything. Persistent, bothersome tinnitus is what the treatments on this page are for.

The study · 1

Tunkel et al., clinical practice guideline, tinnitus · Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 2014;151(2 Suppl):S1-S40

How It Works

Tinnitus is generated mostly in the brain, and the ear usually supplies the trigger. When the ear sends less sound, often from hearing loss, the brain turns up its own volume to compensate, and that turned-up volume can be perceived as a tone. This is why tinnitus so often arrives with hearing loss and noise exposure, and why a hearing aid can make it less noticeable (Hoare, Cochrane 2014).

The sound and the distress involve different brain circuits. Once tinnitus is present, attention and emotional networks can lock onto it, so reported loudness tracks how much it is feared and watched. Cognitive behavioral therapy and mindfulness work here (Fuller, Cochrane 2020; McKenna, Psychother Psychosom 2017). They do not change the signal in the auditory pathway. They change the attention and reactivity around it, so the distress falls. Slow breathing helps for the same reason, by lowering the arousal that makes the sound feel louder in a quiet room at night.

Go Deeper

• Cognitive behavioral therapy skills: the CBT techniques with the most evidence for tinnitus distress overlap with those for sleep, which tinnitus often disturbs.
• Meditation and mindfulness: the taught eight-week course behind the mindfulness evidence, and how to find one.
• Dizziness and vertigo: tinnitus that comes in attacks with fluctuating hearing loss and a sense of fullness points to Meniere's disease.
• Depression: the low mood that often accompanies intrusive tinnitus, treatable in its own right.
• Hearing protection: guarding your remaining hearing from loud noise, with earplugs and moderate volume.

The Chinese Medicine View

Chinese medicine calls this 耳鳴 (er ming), ringing in the ears. The tradition links it mainly to the Kidneys, said to open to the ear, and to the Liver and Gallbladder when it comes on suddenly and loud. The patterns below are a way to make sense of the symptoms, not a diagnosis of your hearing. Two warnings apply. Sudden one-sided tinnitus and pulsatile tinnitus need a medical checkup first, whatever pattern they seem to fit.

Kidney Deficiency

A gradual, low ringing that is worse when you are tired or run-down, often with lower back and knee weakness, night waking and, over years, fading hearing. The classic pattern, and the one that fits age-related tinnitus. The direction is to nourish the Kidneys.

Liver and Gallbladder Fire

A sudden, loud, high-pitched tinnitus that flares with stress, anger or alcohol, often with a red face, headache, a bitter taste and irritability. The direction is to clear fire and settle the Liver.

Phlegm-Fire

A heavy, muffled head with tinnitus, a full chest, dizziness and a greasy tongue coat, worse after rich food and drink. The direction is to clear heat and transform phlegm.

Spleen Qi Deficiency

Tinnitus that comes with fatigue, poor appetite and a foggy head, worse after exertion and better for rest, in someone who tires easily. The direction is to build the Spleen and lift the Qi.

Acupuncture has been used for ringing ears for centuries, and the trial evidence now sits alongside that tradition. Almost all the trials were conducted and published in China and vary in quality and design, so the effect on distress is modest and not a proven cure. Even so, scalp acupuncture gave a higher clinical response rate and a larger fall in tinnitus severity than the comparison treatments, at moderate to low certainty. That came from a 2025 review pooling 20 randomized trials and 1,430 people (Chen, Complement Ther Med 2025).

Cautions

Extra restraint

Everything to be aware of is here, in one place. This practice suits most healthy people; a few situations call for real care.

One-sided tinnitus with normal hearing carries about a 0.08% chance of a nerve tumor

A vestibular schwannoma, also called an acoustic neuroma, is a benign tumor of the hearing and balance nerve that classically causes one-sided tinnitus and hearing loss. This 2023 meta-analysis found that in people with unilateral tinnitus but symmetric hearing, the diagnostic yield of MRI was very low (pooled 0.08%), and the few tumors were small. That supports checking one-sided tinnitus with a hearing test and referral, not rushing to a scan, while treating asymmetric hearing loss as the finding that raises suspicion.Javed et al., incidence of vestibular schwannoma in patients with unilateral tinnitus, a systematic review and meta-analysis

Sudden hearing loss with new tinnitus is an emergency, treated best within days

The 2019 American clinical practice guideline on sudden hearing loss defines sudden sensorineural hearing loss as a rapid drop in hearing, often with tinnitus and sometimes vertigo, and treats it as urgent. Recovery is more likely the sooner treatment begins, which is why a new sudden hearing change should not be watched and waited on. The guideline is a formal evidence synthesis, not a single trial.Chandrasekhar et al., clinical practice guideline, sudden hearing loss (update)

Pulsatile tinnitus needs imaging, unlike the common continuous kind

Pulsatile tinnitus is a rhythmic whooshing synchronized to the pulse, and it can point to a treatable vascular cause such as a narrowed or turbulent vessel, a venous problem or raised pressure around the brain. This GRADE-based 2026 guideline, built from a systematic evidence review and a Delphi consensus, recommends imaging specifically for pulsatile tinnitus and for asymmetric hearing loss, while advising against routine supplements. Most evidence underpinning the guideline was low or very low certainty, which is typical of this field.Park, Lee et al., clinical practice guideline for the diagnosis and management of tinnitus in Korea

Start slow, be smart, read the research, and consult a professional if you have any concerns. This is here to inform your choice, not make it for you.

When to See Someone

Most tinnitus is not dangerous, and the common continuous kind does not need a scan. A few patterns need a doctor first, some of them urgently:

• A sudden drop in hearing, in one or both ears, over hours to a few days. Sudden sensorineural hearing loss is treated as an emergency because steroid treatment works best when it is started within days(seek urgent care)
• Tinnitus with vertigo, one-sided facial numbness or weakness, double vision, or trouble speaking or swallowing. These point beyond the ear and need urgent assessment(seek urgent care)
• Tinnitus that is driving severe distress, hopelessness, or thoughts of harming yourself. This is common with loud, intrusive tinnitus and it is treatable, so it deserves urgent help(seek urgent care)
• Tinnitus that pulses in time with your heartbeat (pulsatile tinnitus) points to blood flow near the ear. It warrants assessment and usually imaging; a treatable vascular cause is sometimes behind it
• Tinnitus in one ear only, especially with hearing that is worse on that side or with dizziness. It warrants a hearing test and referral to rule out a benign nerve tumor (acoustic neuroma)
• Tinnitus that starts after a new medication. Some drugs list it as a side effect, and it may settle once the drug is reviewed with your prescriber

Everyday intermittent ringing is not a warning sign; the entries above are the exceptions.

Common Questions

Is there a cure for tinnitus?

Not a reliable one, and any product promising to switch the sound off is over-promising. No treatment has been shown to eliminate tinnitus dependably. Cognitive behavioral therapy, the best-supported treatment, instead reduces how much tinnitus interferes with quality of life, by roughly 10.9 points on the 100-point handicap scale (Fuller, Cochrane 2020).

What actually works for tinnitus?

The treatments with the strongest evidence work on the distress and the interference. Cognitive behavioral therapy leads, pooling 2,733 people across 28 trials (Fuller, Cochrane 2020). Next is mindfulness-based cognitive therapy, which cut severity by 6.3 points beyond intensive relaxation (McKenna, Psychother Psychosom 2017). Tinnitus retraining therapy over a year or more is a third option (AlGhamdi, Acta Otorhinolaryngol Ital 2026). A hearing test comes first, since treating a hearing loss with a hearing aid often eases the tinnitus.

Does ginkgo biloba help tinnitus?

No. It is the supplement pushed hardest for the ringing. Across 1,915 people in 12 trials, it changed neither how loud nor how severe the tinnitus was (Sereda, Cochrane 2022). Ginkgo can also thin the blood, so if you take it anyway, tell anyone prescribing anticoagulants or planning your surgery.

Does betahistine work for tinnitus?

It is prescribed very widely for tinnitus, and when it was measured against a dummy pill across 5 trials it left the sound unchanged (Wegner, Cochrane 2018). It is safe and well tolerated; it is simply not effective for this, and it is prescribed far more widely than the evidence justifies.

Do I need a brain scan for tinnitus?

Usually not. The common continuous kind, in both ears with a hearing loss, does not need imaging. A scan is reserved for the warning-sign patterns above, such as pulsatile or one-sided tinnitus (Park, Clin Exp Otorhinolaryngol 2026). For one-sided tinnitus with symmetric hearing the chance of a serious cause is very small, about 0.08% in scanned patients (Javed, Otol Neurotol 2023). A hearing test and referral come first.

Will a hearing aid help my tinnitus?

Possibly, and a hearing test will tell you. A hearing aid is a mainstay once hearing loss is present: restoring the sound the ear has lost often quiets the ringing. The direct trial data is slim, resting on a single trial of 91 people that found no difference from a sound generator (Hoare, Cochrane 2014). Still, a correctable hearing loss is common, so the hearing test is the sensible place to start.