TINNITUS (RINGING)
What is tinnitus?
Tinnitus is hearing a sound that does not come from an outside source. You may notice ringing, buzzing, humming, hissing, clicking, roaring, whistling, or whooshing in one ear, both ears, or in your head. The sound may be steady or come and go, and it may change in pitch or volume.
Tinnitus is a symptom, not a diagnosis by itself. It is often associated with hearing loss or noise exposure, but it can also occur with earwax blockage, an ear infection, medication effects, jaw or neck problems, head or neck injury, and other medical conditions. Sometimes no single cause can be identified. Tinnitus can affect sleep, concentration, mood, and conversations, even when the sound is not medically dangerous.
Why do I have ringing in my ears?
The cause depends on your symptoms, health history, and hearing. Common contributing factors include:
- Hearing loss related to age or noise exposure.
- Recent or repeated exposure to loud music, machinery, firearms, or other loud sounds.
- Earwax blockage, fluid, or an ear infection.
- A medication side effect. Do not stop a prescribed medication without speaking with the clinician who prescribed it.
- Head or neck injury.
- Jaw clenching, teeth grinding, or a temporomandibular joint problem.
- Conditions that affect balance or hearing, such as Ménière’s disease.
Less common causes can involve blood vessels, nerves, or other medical conditions. A rhythmic sound that matches your heartbeat, called pulsatile tinnitus, needs a different assessment from a steady ringing or buzzing sound. Your clinician will use the details of your tinnitus to decide what evaluation is appropriate.
When should I seek prompt care?
Seek immediate medical care if tinnitus starts with sudden hearing loss in one or both ears, especially after a loud-noise injury. Also seek immediate care for tinnitus after a head or neck injury, with facial weakness or acute severe vertigo, or with thoughts of harming yourself. For a medical emergency, go to the nearest emergency department or call emergency services.
Contact an ENT or other healthcare professional promptly if the tinnitus:
- Pulses in time with your heartbeat. If pulsatile tinnitus begins suddenly, seek immediate care.
- Is persistent and mainly in one ear.
- Occurs with new or worsening hearing changes, significant dizziness or vertigo, ear pain, or drainage.
- Is interfering with sleep, concentration, work, school, or your mood.
Children can have tinnitus too. A child with new, persistent, or bothersome tinnitus should be evaluated by a pediatrician, ENT, or audiologist.
How is tinnitus evaluated?
Your evaluation starts with a conversation about when the tinnitus began, what it sounds like, whether it is in one or both ears, and what makes it better or worse. Your clinician may also ask about hearing changes, loud-noise exposure, medications, sleep, stress, jaw or neck symptoms, dizziness, and your general health.
An ENT may examine your ears, head, and neck for a treatable cause. An audiologist may perform a hearing evaluation, including an audiogram. An audiogram measures the quietest sounds you can hear at different pitches and helps identify whether hearing loss is present, as well as its type and degree. Additional testing or imaging is considered when your symptoms and examination call for it. Not every person with tinnitus needs imaging.
What can help tinnitus?
There is no single treatment that works for everyone, and there is no medication that cures tinnitus. The most useful next step is to identify hearing or health problems that may be contributing and then choose support based on your symptoms and goals.
Depending on your evaluation, support may include:
- Treating a correctable ear problem, such as earwax blockage or infection.
- Protecting your ears from hazardous noise.
- Using comfortable background sound, such as soft music, a fan, or a sound app, when silence makes tinnitus more noticeable.
- Treating hearing loss. When appropriate, hearing aids can make outside sounds easier to hear and may make tinnitus less noticeable.
- Counseling or cognitive behavioral therapy to reduce the distress, sleep disruption, or anxiety associated with tinnitus. Ask your clinician whether this is provided by the practice or through a referral.
- Addressing related sleep, jaw, neck, balance, or mental-health concerns.
Be cautious about supplements and products advertised as a cure. Current patient guidance from the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders and the VA/DoD tinnitus guideline does not support a medication, supplement, surgery, or device as a universal cure. Ask a clinician before starting a supplement or changing a medication.
The ENT Center’s audiology team evaluates hearing and discusses hearing-aid options when they fit the patient’s hearing loss, daily needs, and budget.
What happens at my first visit?
At your first visit, the team will review your medical history and give you time to describe what you have been experiencing. Bring a list of your medications, the date and pattern of your tinnitus, any recent loud-noise exposure or injury, and notes about hearing changes, dizziness, sleep, concentration, or mood.
The clinician may examine your ears and discuss a hearing evaluation. If hearing loss is identified, the audiology team can explain the results and discuss hearing solutions, including hearing aids when appropriate. Your next step depends on the pattern of your tinnitus and what the examination shows.
The ENT Center accepts new patients in Stamford, Westport, and Southport. To ask about an appointment, call 203-353-0000 or use the contact page. The current offices are:
- Stamford: 32 Strawberry Hill Court, Suite 4, Stamford, CT 06902
- Westport: 329 Riverside Ave, 1st Floor, Westport, CT 06880
- Southport: 2600 Post Rd, Southport, CT 06890