In the following sections, we\u2019ll outline complementary approaches that may help your tinnitus. If you have tinnitus, the below strategies are not meant to replace your standard medical treatment. Make sure to consult with your doctor before making any significant changes to your day-to-day routine.<\/p>\n
Loud noise is a major cause of tinnitus because it damages the hair cells of the inner ear (acoustic trauma). People with occupational exposure to noise \u2014 such as factory and construction workers, musicians, and soldiers \u2014 are at a particularly high risk of tinnitus. Listening to music at very high volume is a common risk factor in young people [R<\/a>, R<\/a>, R<\/a>, R<\/a>].<\/p>\n Reducing your exposure to occupational noise (by wearing protective equipment) and extremely loud music (by wearing ear plugs and turning down the volume) can help prevent tinnitus.<\/p>\n Chronic tinnitus can have very negative psychological effects. It has been associated with anxiety<\/a>, depression<\/a>, worse overall wellbeing, and reduced cognitive functioning (especially in attention) [R<\/a>].<\/p>\n Cognitive-behavioral therapy has been shown to effectively improve mood and quality of life in people with tinnitus, although evidence of its sustained benefits at 6-12 months of follow-up is lacking. Self-help, and internet-delivered interventions seem to be as effective as face-to-face therapy [R<\/a>, R<\/a>, R<\/a>, R<\/a>].<\/p>\n Its combination with mindfulness meditation<\/a> further helped reduce negative emotions in a few clinical trials. In some of them, the participants even reported reduced tinnitus severity and loudness [R<\/a>, R<\/a>, R<\/a>, R<\/a>, R<\/a>, R<\/a>].<\/p>\n Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a non-invasive procedure that uses magnetic fields to stimulate brain cells. A meta-analysis found that TMS can improve the symptoms and quality of life in people with chronic tinnitus, as well as preventing its return over time. This procedure is relatively safe and well-tolerated according to another meta-analysis [R<\/a>, R<\/a>].<\/p>\n Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS<\/a>) is another procedure that delivers weak electric current to the scalp. Two meta-analyses came to opposite conclusions regarding its effectiveness for tinnitus loudness. However, the second one did find this technique effective to reduce distress in people with chronic tinnitus [R<\/a>, R<\/a>].<\/p>\n Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS<\/a>) is a non-invasive method of stimulating nerves by applying electricity to the surface of the skin.<\/p>\n Several studies have successfully used TENS on areas close to the ear to improve tinnitus severity. This method was most effective in people with low-frequency tinnitus and mild hearing loss in one of the studies [R<\/a>, R<\/a>, R<\/a>, R<\/a>, R<\/a>, R<\/a>].<\/p>\n TENS was also successful when stimulating the vagus nerve<\/a> in a few trials [R<\/a>, R<\/a>, R<\/a>, R<\/a>, R<\/a>].<\/p>\n Despite the way it is often depicted in the popular media, hypnosis is actually a real phenomenon that some mental health professionals use to address certain problems. It\u2019s defined as a state of focused attention and reduced awareness of the environment that enhances the ability to respond to suggestions [R<\/a>].<\/p>\n A few clinical trials show that different modalities of hypnosis may reduce tinnitus severity and distress [R<\/a>, R<\/a>, R<\/a>, R<\/a>, R<\/a>].<\/p>\n A meta-analysis suggested that acupuncture<\/a> may offer some subjective benefits to the treatment of tinnitus, but there was high heterogeneity in the studies included: Chinese studies reported positive results more frequently and used more appropriate acupuncture points and sessions, but were often poorly designed and had higher risk of bias than studies in English [R<\/a>].<\/p>\n<\/a>Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy<\/span><\/h3>\n
<\/a>Neuromodulation<\/span><\/h3>\n
<\/a>Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation<\/span><\/h3>\n
<\/a>Hypnosis<\/span><\/h3>\n
<\/a>Acupuncture<\/span><\/h3>\n