Tinnitus can present as a ringing, buzzing, pulsing or even whooshing sound in the ears. Just like every person hears tinnitus a little differently, every person needs a personalized approach to manage the symptom.
Let’s look at a few simple tinnitus management tools you can employ to help control it; you may want to try all of them, or find that the very first provides sufficient relief.
1. Sound Masking
Sound masking covers the internal noise of tinnitus with a soothing external one. Because your brain can’t give 100% of its attention to more than one noise source, the presence of a soothing one will divert your attention away from the internal ringing.
You can use a white noise machine, fan, smartphone app or even hearing aids to try sound masking.
2. Stress Relief
A 2023 study found that stress has the same likelihood of developing and worsening tinnitus as occupational noise exposure.1 Because tinnitus can also cause stress, you may benefit from some stress-relieving practices. Try one or more of the following:
- Grab a good book from Tombolo Books and read for at least twenty minutes each day
- Take a hot bath
- Get regular exercise
- Take a yoga or meditation class
- Spend a day at the park
- Journal
- Listen to your favorite music
Just like tinnitus relief, stress relief is personal. If you have another form of stress relief, like a fun hobby, set aside a little time in your schedule every day or week to practice it.
3. Try Counseling
Tinnitus retraining therapy (TRT) or cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) can teach you to ignore tinnitus or to redirect your response to the ringing. You will need to see a mental health professional for CBT, but a hearing specialist at Kampsen Hearing can help you with TRT.
4. Treat Your Hearing Loss
An estimated 90% of tinnitus cases have an underlying hearing loss.2 Many researchers believe that tinnitus pops up alongside hearing damage because your brain is used to receiving a certain level of noise. When the brain stops receiving the noise it’s used to, it may generate its own in the form of tinnitus.
Treating your hearing loss with hearing aids will reintroduce some of that sound.
For more information on managing tinnitus or hearing loss, contact Kampsen Hearing today.
Sources
[1] Patil, J. D., Alrashid, M. A., Eltabbakh, A., & Fredericks, S. (2023). The association between stress, emotional states, and tinnitus: a mini-review. Frontiers in aging neuroscience, 15, 1131979. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnagi.2023.1131979
2 American Tinnitus Association. Other Hearing Conditions Associated with Tinnitus. Accessed July 22, 2026. https://www.ata.org/about-tinnitus/why-are-my-ears-ringing/other-hearing-conditions/