Tinnitus Symptoms & Treatment

Medically reviewed by:

Dr Dan Bunstone - Medical Officer

Updated: Aug 18, 2021

Next review: Aug 18, 2022

In many cases, this is only minor and may not be noticeable all the time. However, in severe cases tinnitus can interrupt people’s lives to such an extent that sleep or concentrating becomes impossible.

Our doctors will talk to you about your symptoms, help you find the underlying cause of your tinnitus and recommend steps you can take to treat or manage it.

While many tinnitus sufferers do experience a ringing in their ears, in reality it could be any sound that isn’t being caused by the environment around you, such as buzzing or humming.

In addition, this noise can cause you to develop further problems such as insomnia, difficulty concentrating and depression.

Tinnitus and hearing loss can often occur at the same time, so you might notice problems with your hearing as your symptoms progress.

For one in three people with tinnitus, there’s no obvious cause for their condition.

One of the most well-known reasons for tinnitus is frequent exposure to loud noises. Music blasting into your ear or working in a noisy environment such as a building site, factory or nightclub can damage your ears and lead to tinnitus.

It could also be a symptom of age-related hearing loss, or it could be due to other factors such as an ear infection or wax build-up.

The best treatment for tinnitus is often to treat the underlying cause.

If it’s an infection or blockage, this can be quite simple.
If your tinnitus is caused by exposure to loud noise, then limiting your exposure could make your tinnitus go away in the long term. Ear protectors are one of the best ways to do this.
If age-related hearing loss is responsible, it might be more a case of getting the support you need to learn to live with and manage your tinnitus.

Whatever the reason, if you’d like help making sense of your tinnitus and finding out what’s causing it, get in touch with one of our GPs today.

Tinnitus

Dr Dan Bunstone - Medical Officer

Tinnitus is normally noticeable as a frequent or constant ringing noise in your ears, even when you’re in a relatively quiet place.

Tinnitus Symptoms

Tinnitus Causes

Tinnitus Treatment