Tinnitus is diagnosed when a person describes hearing a sound that does not appear to come from the surrounding environment. People commonly experience tinnitus as a ringing sound, although it can occur has a hum, clicking, or the sound of heart beating.

It is extremely common with one in ten adults reporting tinnitus.

We do not fully understand why tinnitus starts in some people and not in others. The most popular hypothesis suggests that tinnitus is heard when there is an abnormality in the way sound is processed by the body’s hearing system. Since the hearing system goes from the outer ear to the brain there are plenty of conditions that can trigger tinnitus. In fact, a thorough hearing test in those with tinnitus shows a hearing abnormality in nearly 9 out 10 in those with tinnitus. The two most common causes are loud noise exposure and certain medications.

In most cases tinnitus is temporary and self-limiting (within days to weeks), whilst in a few it can last longer and have significant impact on quality of life. In nearly all patients, tinnitus becomes less noticeable with time.

It is important to have new tinnitus assessed by a specialist, as it may indicate another ear issue and need further investigation.

An ear specialist will undertake an examination and tests to check ear health, hearing and balance status.

There are several treatments for tinnitus that have been tested and shown to considerably reduce the impact of your symptom over time.

Treatments depend on the type of tinnitus and suspected cause. Generally speaking there are three principles:

1. Remove or treat underlying cause or associated features, when found

2. Employ techniques that draw negative attention away from tinnitus

3. Avoid further trauma to hearing (avoid loud noise exposure and medications that are harmful to hearing)

It is important that any treatment strategy accurately reflect your own values and lifestyle. This makes it more likely that you see the treatment through, which increases the chance it will work.