Independent · research-referenced · last updated
Tinnitus, explained by the research
The noise has a name. Tinnitus Clarified explains what causes it, what helps and how to live alongside it — and every article lists the named sources its claims draw on.
Just noticed it?
Most tinnitus is not an emergency. These are the exceptions.
Call your local emergency number now if:
- I suddenly have weakness, numbness or drooping in my face or an arm, or trouble speaking or seeing
- I have sudden, severe vertigo or loss of balance that will not settle
- It pulses, and came with a sudden severe headache, sudden neck pain, a drooping eyelid or a change in my vision, or started after a head or neck injury
Get checked today if:
- My hearing dropped suddenly, over hours or a few days
7 other patterns are worth an appointment soon rather than today. The checklist goes through each, and never tells you that you are fine.
Evidence snapshot
Where the evidence is strongest
The 9 of 30 treatments graded A or B on our own evidence scale — not a clinical guideline’s — each graded from the sources its article cites. Alphabetical within a grade.
Our evidence rating: A, Strong
Our evidence rating: B, Moderate
All 30, by grade
- A, Strong
- 1
- B, Moderate
- 8
- C, Limited
- 11
- D, Preliminary
- 2
- E, Insufficient
- 2
- F, Evidence against
- 6
F means the evidence points against a treatment, sometimes from large trials — not that it is untested.
This site, by the numbers
How we check- articles
- 219
- cited papers checked for retractions: none found
- 919
- Checked
- current Cochrane reviews about tinnitus cited
- 12 of 12
- Checked
What brings you here?
It just started
What tinnitus is, and the first things worth knowing.
Is it serious?
The signs that need a doctor, and how soon.
What does it sound like?
Ringing, hissing, buzzing or pulsing: what is typical, and what to get checked.
What actually works?
30 treatments, rated by the strength of their evidence.
The questions most people arrive with
All 219 articlesCauses & Mechanisms · 11 min read
Is Tinnitus a Sign of Something Serious? Brain Tumour, Stroke, MS
Causes & Mechanisms · 12 min read
Pulsatile Tinnitus: When Ringing Beats With Your Heart
Causes & Mechanisms · 11 min read
Does Tinnitus Go Away? What the Long-Term Studies Show
Treatments & Therapies · 8 min read
Can Tinnitus Be Cured? An Honest Answer
Causes & Mechanisms · 6 min read
Ringing in Your Ears After a Concert: Temporary or Not?
Causes & Mechanisms · 9 min read
Tinnitus and Hearing Loss: The Connection Explained
Living With Tinnitus · 7 min read
Sleeping With Tinnitus: Why Nights Are Worse and What Helps
Living With Tinnitus · 8 min read
Tinnitus and Anxiety: Breaking the Feedback Loop
Living With Tinnitus · 11 min read
What Doctor Treats Tinnitus? GP, ENT, Audiologist or Psychologist
Tools you can use now
12 free tools: hearing checks, self-assessments, a journal and guided breathing. No account, no sign-up. None of them replaces an assessment by an audiologist or a doctor.
All tools- Online Hearing Test
- Digits-in-Noise Test
- Audiogram Reader
- Noise Dose Calculator
- Medication Checker
- When to See a Doctor
- Tinnitus Impact Self-Check
- Risk Factors Checklist
- Tinnitus Frequency Test
- Symptom & Flare-Up Journal
- Coping Plan Builder
- SOS Breathing Tool
Sound library
20 masking sounds, synthesized in your browser, with a sleep timer.
Open the sound libraryBrowse by topic
Every article sits in one of four sections. Each opens with the pages its hub puts first.
Causes & Mechanisms
What's actually happening in the ear and brain when tinnitus starts.
- What Is Tinnitus? Ringing, Buzzing, and Hissing Explained
- Tinnitus Symptoms: The Sounds, Patterns and Warning Signs
- Tinnitus in One Ear: Common Causes and When It Needs a Scan
Treatments & Therapies
What's been studied, what helps, and what the evidence actually shows.
- How to Stop Ringing in Your Ears: What Helps Tonight and What Lasts
- Sound Therapy, TRT, or CBT: Which Should You Try First?
- Does Combining Tinnitus Treatments Work Better? A 461-Patient Trial
Living With Tinnitus
Sleep, focus, mood, and daily strategies for the long term.
- How Long Does It Take to Get Used to Tinnitus?
- Tinnitus Flare-Ups: Why Some Days Are Worse Than Others
- Building a Tinnitus Coping Plan: A Step-by-Step Worksheet
Research Watch
What the research shows so far: how common tinnitus is, how it is measured, what is in development, and how to read a study yourself.
- The State of Tinnitus: Global Data, Compiled and Sourced
- Global Tinnitus Prevalence, By the Numbers
- How Tinnitus Is Generated: What Happens in the Ear and the Brain
Recently updated
- Acid Reflux (GERD) and Tinnitus: Is the Link Real?
New · Causes & Mechanisms
- Blood Tests for Tinnitus: What Doctors Check, and When It Helps
New · Living With Tinnitus
- Can Stress Cause Tinnitus? What the Research Shows
New · Causes & Mechanisms
- Can Tinnitus Be a Sign of Stroke? Sudden Hearing Loss and Vertigo
New · Causes & Mechanisms
- Can Viagra or Cialis Cause Sudden Hearing Loss and Tinnitus?
New · Causes & Mechanisms
- Carotid Dissection and Pulsatile Tinnitus: An Emergency to Recognise
New · Causes & Mechanisms
Questions people ask
- Why do I hear ringing when there's no sound?
Answered in What Is Tinnitus? Ringing, Buzzing, and Hissing Explained
- Is it normal for tinnitus to change over time?
Answered in Tinnitus Symptoms: The Sounds, Patterns and Warning Signs
- Does a flare-up mean my tinnitus is getting permanently worse?
Answered in Tinnitus Flare-Ups: Why Some Days Are Worse Than Others
- My audiogram is normal but I have tinnitus. What does that mean?
Answered in How to Read Your Audiogram: What the Shape Says About Your Tinnitus
- Should I stop a medication if I think it is causing my tinnitus?
Answered in Ototoxic Medications That Can Cause or Worsen Tinnitus
- Is being brushed off by a doctor about tinnitus common?
Answered in When Your Doctor Dismisses Your Tinnitus: What to Do