• Tinnitus That Comes And Goes
• Occasional Tinnitus
• Occasional Ringing Ears

Tinnitus is the term for hearing sounds that come from inside your body, rather than from an outside source.

It's often described as 'ringing in the ears', although several sounds can be heard, including:

• Tinnitus is the term for a ringing or buzzing noise in your ears. It can interfere with how you hear sounds. You may hear the sound in one or both of your ears when there’s no external sound source.
• Tinnitus (pronounced tih-NITE-us or TIN-ih-tus) is sound in the head with no external source. For many, it's a ringing sound, while for others, it's whistling, buzzing, chirping, hissing, humming, roaring, or even shrieking. The sound may seem to come from one ear or both, from inside the head, or from a distance.

Meniere disease is characterized by intermittent episodes of vertigo, fluctuating hearing loss, tinnitus, and ear pressure secondary to malabsorption of endolymphatic fluid in the inner ear.29. Tinnitus is best classified as ringing in the ears, but according to the American Tinnitus Association, it can present sufferers with clicking, whistling, hissing, swooshing, and buzzing. Maybe the most frustrating part of tinnitus is that these sounds aren’t detectable by others, which can lead to confusion, disorientation, depression.

• buzzing
• humming
• grinding
• hissing
• whistling

Some people may hear sounds similar to music or singing, and others hear noises that beat in time with their pulse (pulsatile tinnitus).

You may also notice that your hearing is not as good as it used to be or you're more sensitive to everyday sounds (hyperacusis).

Is it serious?

Tinnitus is rarely a sign of a serious underlying condition. For some people it may come and go and only be a minor irritation.

However, for some people, it can have a significant impact on everyday life and be very distressing, affect concentration, and cause problems such as difficulty sleeping (insomnia) and depression.

In many cases, tinnitus will get better gradually over time, either by disappearing or by the body getting used to it (habituation). But it's important to seek medical advice to see if an underlying cause can be found and treated, and to help you find ways to cope with the problem.

When to see your GP

You should see your GP if you continually or regularly hear sounds such as buzzing, ringing or humming in your ears.

They can examine your ears to see if the problem might be caused by a condition they could easily treat, such as an ear infection or earwax build-up. They can also do some simple checks to see if you have any hearing loss.

If necessary, your GP can refer you to a hospital specialist for further tests and treatment.

Read more about diagnosing tinnitus.

What causes tinnitus?

Tinnitus can develop gradually over time or occur suddenly. It's not clear exactly why it happens, but it often occurs along with some degree of hearing loss.

Tinnitus is often associated with:

Tinnitus That Comes And Goes

• age-related hearing loss
• inner ear damage caused by repeated exposure to loud noises
• an earwax build-up
• a middle ear infection
• Ménière's disease – a condition that also causes hearing loss and vertigo (a spinning sensation)
• otosclerosis – an inherited condition where an abnormal bone growth in the middle ear causes hearing loss

However, around one in every three people with tinnitus doesn't have any obvious problem with their ears or hearing.

Read more about the causes of tinnitus.

Who is affected?

Most people have experienced short periods of tinnitus after being exposed to loud noises, such as after a music concert.

In the UK, more persistent tinnitus is estimated to affect around six million people (10% of the population) to some degree, with about 600,000 (1%) experiencing it to a severity that affects their quality of life.

Tinnitus can affect people of all ages, including children, but is more common in people aged over 65.

Treating tinnitus

There's currently no single treatment for tinnitus that works for everyone. However, research to find an effective treatment is continuing.

If an underlying cause of your tinnitus can be found, effectively treating it may help improve your tinnitus – for example, removing a build-up of earwax might help.

If a specific cause can't be found, treatment will focus on helping you manage the condition on a daily basis. This may involve:

• sound therapy – listening to neutral sounds to distract you from the sound of tinnitus
• counselling – therapy that aims to educate you about tinnitus and help you learn to cope with it more effectively
• cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) – therapy that aims to help change the way you think about your tinnitus so it becomes less noticeable
• tinnitus retraining therapy (TRT) – therapy that aims to help retrain the way your brain responds to tinnitus so you start to tune the sound out and become less aware of it

Read more about how tinnitus is treated.

Tinnitus is the name for hearing noises that are not caused by sounds coming from the outside world. It is common and not usually a sign of anything serious. It might get better by itselfand there are treatments that can help.

Check if you have tinnitus

Tinnitus can sound like:

• ringing
• buzzing
• whooshing
• humming
• hissing
• throbbing
• music or singing

You may hear these sounds in 1 or both ears, or in your head. They may come and go, or you might hear them all the time.

• you have tinnitus regularly or constantly
• your tinnitus is getting worse
• your tinnitus is bothering you – for example, it's affecting your sleep or concentration, or is making you feel anxious and depressed
• you have tinnitus that beats in time with your pulse

Coronavirus update: how to contact a GP

It's still important to get help from a GP if you need it. To contact your GP surgery:

• visit their website
• use the NHS App
• call them

• after a head injury
• with sudden hearing loss, weakness in the muscles of your face, or a spinning sensation (vertigo)

What happens at your appointment

The GP will look in your ears to see if your tinnitus is caused by something they can treat, like an ear infection or a build-up of earwax.

They might also check for any hearing loss.

You may be referred to a specialist for further tests and treatment.

Things you can try to help cope with tinnitus

Do

• try to relax – deep breathing or yoga may help

• try to find ways to improve your sleep, such as sticking to a bedtime routine or cutting down on caffeine

• try to avoid things that can make tinnitus worse, such as stress or loud background noises

• try self-help books or self-help techniques to help you cope better from the British Tinnitus Association (BTA)

• join a support group – talking to other people with tinnitus may help you cope

Don’t

• do not have total silence – listening to soft music or sounds (called sound therapy) may distract you from the tinnitus

• do not focus on it, as this can make it worse – hobbies and activities may take your mind off it

The British Tinnitus Association (BTA) has more information about sound therapy, and runs support groups and a free helpline on 0800 018 0527.

RNID also has a free helpline on 0808 808 0123.

Treatments for tinnitus

If the cause of your tinnitus is unknown or cannot be treated, your GP or specialist may refer you for a type of talking therapy.

This could be:

Occasional Tinnitus

• tinnitus counselling – to help you learn about your tinnitus and find ways of coping with it
• cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) – to change the way you think about your tinnitus and reduce anxiety
• tinnitus retraining therapy – using sound therapy to retrain your brain to tune out and be less aware of the tinnitus

Tinnitus retraining therapy may be available on the NHS for people with severe or persistent tinnitus. It's unclear if tinnitus retraining therapy works for everyone. It's widely available privately.

If tinnitus is causing you hearing loss, hearing aids may be recommended.

Causes of tinnitus

It's not always clear what causes tinnitus, but it's often linked to:

• some form of hearing loss
• conditions such as diabetes, thyroid disorders or multiple sclerosis
• anxiety or depression
• taking certain medicines – tinnitus can be a side effect of some chemotherapy medicines, antibiotics, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and aspirin

Video: tinnitus (BSL version)

Occasional Ringing Ears

In this video, learn about tinnitus, its possible causes and the effects and how to deal with it.

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Page last reviewed: 2 October 2020
Next review due: 2 October 2023