Living With Tinnitus? Here’s What Actually Helps

Cut Through the Noise: At least a quarter of people report experiencing tinnitus (the official term for the ringing in your ears you sometimes hear when there’s nothing around making that noise) at some point. For a small number, it becomes chronic, which can be seriously distressing, especially because there’s no cure. But there are solutions to help manage the symptoms, including tips and tricks to drown out the noise or even teach your brain to treat the sound as background noise.

How to Do It: It all starts with sound enrichment. An audiologist can create a soundscape like a waterfall or rustling leaves to match your tinnitus pitch, and then you play it through an app or headphones around the clock, sleep included. Using a fan or white noise machine at night in your bedroom can also make it easier to fall asleep. A therapist who practices cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) can also help change how you react to the ringing and break the stress loop that makes your brain focus on it.

The Benefits: Most people see significant improvement after about three months of 24/7 sound enrichment. CBT also has solid evidence behind it and the backing of numerous hearing organizations.