Treating underlying causes, practicing mindfulness, and living a healthy lifestyle may help reduce the volume and distress.
The distant peal of bells from a town square or church can be a lovely and even comforting sound. The ringing of tinnitus in your ears is quite the opposite. The internal high-pitched ringing, whooshing, or hissing noise can cause great distress.
“Having tinnitus can make it hard to concentrate, reduce sleep quality, and cause irritability, nervousness, anxiety, depression, or feelings of hopelessness. This, in turn, can lead to mental, physical, and social repercussions, causing people to withdraw from the company of others,” says Emma Alscher, an audiologist at Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts Eye and Ear.
As a service to our readers, Harvard Health Publishing provides access to our library of archived content. Please note the date of last review or update on all articles. No content on this site, regardless of date, should ever be used as a substitute for direct medical advice from your doctor or other qualified clinician.