All articles
107 editorial notes, indexed alphabetically.
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types
Acute vs chronic tinnitus: the three-month line and why it matters
How clinicians distinguish acute (under three months), subacute (three to six), and chronic tinnitus, and why the treatment menu changes at each stage.
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lifestyle
Alcohol and tinnitus: short-term spikes versus long-term effects
Acute alcohol intake transiently changes blood flow and central neural activity, which can briefly amplify tinnitus. Long-term heavy use is associated with hearing loss. What the data say.
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causes
Antimalarials and tinnitus: quinine, chloroquine, mefloquine
Antimalarial drugs in the quinoline family cause ototoxicity at therapeutic doses. Patients with travel medicine prescriptions should know the symptoms.
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science
Auditory brainstem response (ABR): the test that bypasses behavior
ABR uses scalp electrodes to record auditory nerve and brainstem responses to clicks. The standard test for newborns, retrocochlear lesions, and patients who can't respond behaviorally.
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science
Auditory cortex and phantom sound: why your brain rings when nothing does
Tinnitus is generated centrally even when triggered peripherally. fMRI and MEG studies of the auditory cortex point to maladaptive plasticity as the dominant model.
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causes
Autoimmune inner ear disease (AIED): rare but treatable
AIED is rapidly progressive bilateral sensorineural hearing loss thought to be immune-mediated. It responds to steroids and immunosuppressants in many cases.
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management
Benzodiazepines and tinnitus: short-term benefit, long-term concern
Benzodiazepines reduce tinnitus distress short-term, but tolerance and withdrawal tinnitus complicate long-term use. Clinical guidelines and patient considerations.
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management
Best tinnitus supplements (2026): what the evidence actually shows
No supplement is proven to cure tinnitus, and none has passed an independent randomized trial. An honest, source-cited ranking of the ingredients and what the data say.
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management
Bimodal stimulation (Lenire): the tongue-and-sound device explained
Bimodal stimulation pairs auditory tones with tongue electrical stimulation. The Lenire device received FDA approval in 2023. Evidence summary and patient eligibility.
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sound-therapy
Binaural beats and tinnitus: an evidence review
Binaural beats are widely marketed for tinnitus relief. Controlled studies are small, mixed, and rarely blinded. What we can and cannot say from the evidence base.
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causes
Blood pressure and tinnitus: pulsatile ringing, vascular noise, and what to ask your doctor
How high blood pressure, atherosclerosis, and vascular abnormalities can produce pulsatile tinnitus you can hear in time with your heartbeat.
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lifestyle
Caffeine and tinnitus: what controlled trials actually show
The folk belief that caffeine worsens tinnitus has been tested. Controlled withdrawal trials show no consistent effect. What this means for your morning coffee.
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management
CBT for tinnitus: the evidence-backed psychological treatment
Cognitive behavioral therapy has the strongest evidence base of any tinnitus intervention. What sessions actually involve, who responds, and where to find a trained provider.
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causes
Chemotherapy and tinnitus: cisplatin and beyond
Platinum-based chemotherapy (especially cisplatin) is highly ototoxic. New protective agents like sodium thiosulfate are in clinical use. Risk factors and monitoring.
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lifestyle
Choosing a hearing protector: NRR ratings, fit, and lab vs real-world
Noise Reduction Rating is one number among many. Real-world attenuation is often 30-50% lower than the NRR. How to actually pick the right protector.
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management
Cochlear implants and tinnitus: when restoring input quiets phantom sound
Most cochlear implant recipients report reduced tinnitus in the implanted ear. The leading explanation is that restored auditory input downregulates central gain. Evidence and exceptions.
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science
Cochlear traveling wave: von Bekesy and the basilar membrane
Sound enters the cochlea as a fluid wave that travels along the basilar membrane, peaking at a frequency-specific location. The mechanical basis of frequency selectivity.
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lifestyle
Custom musician earplugs: flat attenuation, preserved sound quality
Custom-molded musician earplugs attenuate evenly across frequencies, preserving music quality unlike foam plugs. Cost, fitting, brands, evidence.
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management
Do tinnitus supplements actually work? What the evidence says
Do tinnitus supplements work, or are they a waste of money? The honest, source-cited answer: no supplement is proven to reduce tinnitus, with one narrow exception.
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causes
Earwax and tinnitus: when impacted cerumen causes ringing, and safe removal
How impacted earwax can produce conductive tinnitus, why you should never use cotton swabs, and what AAO-HNS recommends instead.
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lifestyle
Exercise and tinnitus: when movement helps and when it doesn't
Aerobic exercise improves sleep, lowers stress, and is associated with better tinnitus tolerance. Heavy resistance training can briefly amplify ringing through pressure changes.
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management
First tinnitus appointment: what to ask, what to bring
Preparation for your first audiology or ENT appointment. Symptom diary, medication list, exposure history, and the questions that often go unasked.
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lifestyle
Gen Z noise exposure: dB studies, smartwatch data, future projections
Modern noise-exposure data from Apple Watch hearing monitoring and CDC studies. How Gen Z patterns of personal audio and concert attendance compare to prior generations.
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management
Ginkgo biloba for tinnitus: Cochrane review verdict
Ginkgo biloba has been studied for tinnitus in multiple randomized trials. The Cochrane review verdict is no benefit beyond placebo. What the data show.
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management
Hearing aid features explained: directional mics to Bluetooth
Modern hearing aids have 8-12 channels, AI noise reduction, directional microphones, and direct Bluetooth streaming. Which features actually matter for tinnitus management.
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management
Hearing aids for tinnitus: why amplification often quiets ringing
When hearing loss accompanies tinnitus, restoring environmental sound through hearing aids reduces perceived ringing. Combination devices add masking. Evidence overview.
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science
Hidden hearing loss: when an audiogram looks normal but listening is hard
Cochlear synaptopathy damages the synapses between hair cells and auditory neurons before audiometric thresholds shift. Why this matters for tinnitus and what 'normal' audiograms miss.
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frequencies
High-frequency tinnitus: why 4 to 8 kHz ringing is the most common pattern
Why noise damage hits 4 kHz first, why aging accelerates damage above 6 kHz, and what the 'noise notch' on your audiogram has to do with your ringing pitch.
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science
How the cochlea works: a tour from eardrum to neuron
Three windings, two fluid compartments, 16,000 hair cells, and one tonotopic map. The cochlea translated for non-anatomists.
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frequencies
How to read an audiogram: thresholds, the dB-HL scale, and what 'normal' means
Decode your audiogram. The dB-HL scale, frequency axis, air vs bone conduction, red and blue symbols, and where the speech banana lives.
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lifestyle
Hydration and inner ear health: separating myth from mechanism
The inner ear has the most precisely regulated fluid in the body, but ordinary dehydration is unlikely to change tinnitus. Where the myth comes from and the narrow cases that are real.
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types
Hyperacusis vs tinnitus: when ordinary sounds become painfully loud
Hyperacusis is sound intolerance, tinnitus is phantom sound. They share central-gain mechanisms and often co-occur. How clinicians distinguish them.
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lifestyle
In-ear monitors (IEMs): louder isolation, lower SPL
IEMs provide passive isolation from stage noise, letting performers monitor at lower SPL. How to use them safely and when they backfire.
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lifestyle
Live music hearing protection: foam, silicone, custom, electronic
Concert noise exposure can hit 110 dB. Comparison of foam plugs, silicone musician plugs, custom-molded, and electronic suppression. Reusable picks reviewed.
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science
Loudness discomfort level (LDL): the volume at which sound becomes painful
LDL is the lowest sound level at which a stimulus is judged uncomfortably loud. Standard hyperacusis assessment and the input to safe hearing-aid fitting.
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frequencies
Low-frequency tinnitus: when ringing sounds more like a hum or roar
Low-pitched tinnitus is less common than high-pitched but is the signature of Meniere's disease, eustachian tube dysfunction, and some vascular causes.
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causes
Lyme disease and tinnitus: what the evidence actually shows
Lyme disease occasionally produces audiovestibular symptoms including tinnitus, sensorineural hearing loss, and vertigo. The evidence base and current clinical recommendations.
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causes
Meniere's disease and tinnitus: low-pitched roaring, vertigo, and fluctuating hearing
The classic Meniere's triad, what endolymphatic hydrops means, and how the disorder's tinnitus differs from noise-induced ringing.
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management
Mindfulness-based therapies for tinnitus: what MBSR can and cannot do
Mindfulness-based stress reduction does not silence tinnitus. It changes the relationship to the sound. Evidence summary from controlled trials of MBSR and MBCT for tinnitus distress.
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management
Minimum masking level (MML): the loudness needed to cover your tinnitus
MML measures the broadband noise level required to completely mask your tinnitus. A core part of psychoacoustic tinnitus assessment.
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lifestyle
Mixing engineer hearing loss: occupational risk and counter-measures
Audio engineers face chronic moderate-volume exposure. Calibrated monitoring, listening hygiene, and Fletcher-Munson considerations help preserve a working career.
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lifestyle
Musicians and tinnitus: prevalence, monitoring, prevention
Professional musicians have 4x the tinnitus prevalence of the general population. Causes, mitigation strategies, and what AAOHNS and BTA recommend.
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sound-therapy
Nature sounds for tinnitus: rain, ocean, and waterfall as broadband maskers
Rain, ocean, and waterfall recordings are pleasant broadband sounds with masking properties similar to pink noise. Why many find them more tolerable than synthetic noise.
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causes
Noise-induced tinnitus: what 85, 95, and 110 decibels do to your hearing
NIOSH and NIDCD permissible-exposure data, what each decibel level does to cochlear hair cells, and why the first sign of damage is often ringing rather than hearing loss.
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management
Notched music therapy for tinnitus: theory, evidence, and limits
Notched music removes a narrow frequency band centered on the tinnitus pitch. Lateral inhibition theory predicts this can reduce the auditory cortex's overactivation. What the trials actually show.
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causes
NSAIDs and tinnitus: dose, duration, reversibility
Ibuprofen, naproxen, and other NSAIDs can produce tinnitus at high doses. Aspirin classically does so reversibly. What chronic users should know.
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science
Olivocochlear efferent system: feedback control of the cochlea
Medial olivocochlear efferents from the brainstem suppress outer hair cell amplification, providing feedback control. Implications for hearing in noise and tinnitus.
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science
Otoacoustic emissions (OAE) test: how it detects outer hair cell function
OAEs are sounds the cochlea itself emits. The OAE test checks outer hair cell function, often catching damage before standard audiometry shows it.
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causes
Otosclerosis and tinnitus: when the stapes fixes
Otosclerosis is abnormal bone growth in the middle ear that immobilizes the stapes. It causes conductive hearing loss and often a low-pitched tinnitus that improves with stapedectomy.
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causes
Ototoxic medications that can trigger tinnitus, by drug class
Aminoglycoside antibiotics, loop diuretics, cisplatin, high-dose aspirin, quinine. Which drug classes the literature links to reversible or permanent tinnitus, and when to ask your prescriber.
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science
Outer vs inner hair cells: the two-cell choreography behind hearing
Inner hair cells signal to the brain. Outer hair cells amplify the cochlear traveling wave. Noise damage hits outer hair cells first, which is why noise-induced tinnitus starts so quietly.
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causes
Patulous eustachian tube: when your ear is too open
Patulous eustachian tube is when the tube fails to close, producing autophony (hearing your own voice loudly) and breath-synchronous tinnitus. Causes, diagnosis, and management.
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causes
Perilymph fistula: when inner ear fluid leaks
Perilymph fistulas are abnormal openings between the inner ear and middle ear. They cause fluctuating hearing loss, vertigo, and tinnitus, often after barotrauma.
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sound-therapy
Pink vs white vs brown noise: which color is best for tinnitus relief
All three are broadband sounds. They differ in their spectral slope, which changes how 'bright' or 'muffled' they feel. Why pink is more popular for sleep and brown for masking deep tinnitus.
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comorbidities
Presbycusis and tinnitus: age-related hearing loss explained
Presbycusis is gradual sensorineural hearing loss from aging. Roughly half of adults over 65 have it; tinnitus often accompanies it. Mechanism and management.
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types
Pulsatile tinnitus explained: when ringing pulses with your heartbeat
Pulsatile tinnitus is mechanically different from ordinary ringing. Its causes range from benign sinus congestion to vascular anomalies that need imaging. What every adult should know.
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frequencies
Pure-tone average (PTA): the single number from your audiogram
PTA averages thresholds at 500, 1000, and 2000 Hz to summarize hearing loss severity in one number. What the ranges mean and where the metric falls short.
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management
Quietum Plus review: does it actually work for tinnitus?
An evidence-first Quietum Plus review. It is a real product with a money-back guarantee, but no independent trial shows it reduces tinnitus. What that means before you buy.
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management
Quietum Plus vs Tinnitus 911: an evidence-based comparison
Quietum Plus and Tinnitus 911 are the two most-searched tinnitus supplements. Neither has an independent trial. A side-by-side comparison and an honest verdict.
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sound-therapy
Residual inhibition: when masking sound briefly silences tinnitus afterward
Residual inhibition is the temporary suppression of tinnitus after exposure to a masking sound. Used both diagnostically and as a basis for sound therapy.
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lifestyle
Safe listening volume: the 60/60 rule and what WHO recommends
The 60/60 rule (60% volume, 60 minutes) is a starting point but not the whole story. WHO Make Listening Safe guidelines for personal audio.
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lifestyle
Salt intake and tinnitus: the Meniere's connection and what generalizes
Low-sodium diet is a first-line recommendation for Meniere's disease tinnitus. For tinnitus without endolymphatic hydrops, the evidence is much weaker. Plain summary.
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lifestyle
Sleep deprivation and tinnitus: the bidirectional loop
Even one short night magnifies perceived tinnitus loudness the following day. Why this happens, and the small habits with the largest effect on the loop.
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lifestyle
Smoking and hearing loss: a meta-analytic dose-response story
Multiple meta-analyses link smoking with hearing loss in a dose-response pattern. Mechanism is likely vascular and oxidative. The implications for tinnitus risk.
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types
Somatic tinnitus: when neck and jaw movement changes your ringing
Somatosensory tinnitus is modulated by physical input from the neck, jaw, or eye. How clinicians test for it and why the diagnostic distinction matters.
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science
Speech-in-noise testing: why your audiogram can be normal but listening is hard
QuickSIN, BKB-SIN, HINT: the tests that quantify how well you understand speech against background noise. Why audiologists run them when audiograms look fine.
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causes
SSRIs and tinnitus: paradoxical link, mixed evidence
SSRIs are both reported to cause tinnitus and used to treat tinnitus-related distress. Untangling the literature: case reports vs trial outcomes.
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causes
Statins and tinnitus: what large cohort studies suggest
Statin-tinnitus associations have been studied in cardiovascular cohorts. The evidence is weak but worth understanding for patients with both.
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lifestyle
Stress and tinnitus: the limbic-auditory loop researchers point to
Stress doesn't cause tinnitus directly, but the limbic system's response to stress amplifies the salience of phantom sound. Why this is the strongest lever in self-management.
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science
Stria vascularis: the cochlea's metabolic engine
The stria vascularis maintains endolymph composition and the endocochlear potential. Its decline with age is a major contributor to presbycusis.
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types
Subjective vs objective tinnitus: which 1% can a doctor actually hear
Why nearly all tinnitus is subjective (only you hear it), what the rare objective forms sound like to a clinician, and how the distinction changes the workup.
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causes
Sudden sensorineural hearing loss: the 72-hour emergency
Sudden SNHL is a medical emergency. Within 72 hours, oral steroids give the best chance of recovery. AAO-HNS guidelines and what to do if it happens to you.
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causes
Superior canal dehiscence (SCDS): the third-window syndrome
SCDS is a thinning or absence of bone over the superior semicircular canal. It produces autophony, pulsatile tinnitus, and Tullio phenomenon. Diagnosis and treatment.
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comorbidities
Supporting someone with tinnitus: what helps, what hurts
Tinnitus is invisible. Family and friends often unintentionally make it worse. Communication patterns that help and the ones to avoid.
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lifestyle
Teens, headphones, and hearing loss: the WHO 1.1 billion estimate
WHO estimates 1.1 billion young people are at risk of hearing loss from personal audio. What the data show and what teen patients should hear from clinicians.
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science
The cochlear amplifier: outer hair cells as the mechanical pre-amp
Outer hair cells provide ~50 dB of mechanical amplification of basilar membrane motion. Their electromotility is the mechanism behind the cochlear amplifier.
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science
The dB scale explained: logarithms, dB-SPL, dB-HL, and dBA
Why doubling decibels does not double loudness. The four dB scales you'll see on audiograms, exposure regulations, and consumer products.
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science
The endolymphatic potential: the +80 mV battery powering hearing
The cochlea maintains an unusual +80 mV potential in the endolymph, generated by the stria vascularis. This battery powers hair-cell transduction.
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management
Tinnitus 911 review: what the evidence says before you buy
An honest Tinnitus 911 review. It is a real PhytAge Labs product with a guarantee, but no independent trial supports its tinnitus claims. What to know first.
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causes
Tinnitus after head injury: TBI, concussion, and the auditory pathway
Why mild TBI and concussion often produce tinnitus even when audiograms look normal, what researchers think is happening, and the typical recovery curve.
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comorbidities
Tinnitus and anxiety: how attention amplifies phantom sound
Anxious threat-monitoring elevates auditory attention, which makes tinnitus more perceptible. The interaction is well documented and forms part of why CBT helps.
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comorbidities
Tinnitus and concentration: when ringing competes with attention
Working memory and selective attention measurably degrade in people with chronic tinnitus. Why this happens and the strategies cognitive psychologists recommend.
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comorbidities
Tinnitus and depression: the bidirectional link and what trials show
Depression is more common in chronic tinnitus and chronic tinnitus is more common in depression. Treating one often improves the other. Trial evidence reviewed.
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comorbidities
Tinnitus and migraines: shared mechanisms in the central nervous system
Migraine sufferers have higher rates of tinnitus, vertigo, and sound sensitivity. Cortical spreading depression and central sensitization are the leading shared mechanisms.
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comorbidities
Tinnitus and PTSD: the veterans-health connection
Tinnitus is the most common service-connected disability in the U.S. veteran population. The PTSD overlap is substantial. What VA clinical guidelines recommend for combined management.
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management
Tinnitus and sleep: why nights are worst and how to break the cycle
Sleep deprivation worsens tinnitus and tinnitus worsens sleep. Cognitive, environmental, and behavioral interventions with the strongest evidence for breaking the feedback loop.
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management
Tinnitus cure scams: how to spot a fake tinnitus supplement
No supplement cures tinnitus, so any product promising to silence it permanently is overselling. A source-cited guide to the red flags, and what a legitimate option looks like.
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management
Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI): the 25-question distress score
THI scores tinnitus distress from 0 to 100. Audiologists use it to track patient burden over time and gauge treatment response.
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comorbidities
Tinnitus in children: prevalence, screening, communication
Up to 13% of children with normal hearing report tinnitus. Most do not seek help because they assume it is normal. Pediatric audiology screening recommendations.
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sound-therapy
Tinnitus masking devices: from radio-static earpieces to modern combination aids
Masking devices generate broadband sound at the tinnitus pitch to reduce contrast. From 1970s analog devices to modern combination hearing aids with maskers built in.
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management
Tinnitus retraining therapy (TRT): what it is and how long it takes
TRT combines counseling and low-level broadband sound to habituate the auditory system to tinnitus. Treatment timeline, evidence, and how it differs from CBT and masking.
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sound-therapy
Tinnitus sound therapy apps: what to look for and what to avoid
App stores have hundreds of tinnitus apps. A small minority are paired with published trials. What features evidence supports, and which marketing claims to discount.
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management
Tinnitus tracking diary: what to log, for how long, why
A two-week structured tinnitus diary helps identify triggers and track treatment response. What to log, how to score, and which apps automate it.
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causes
TMJ disorders and tinnitus: how the jaw joint produces ear ringing
Anatomical and somatic links between the temporomandibular joint and the middle ear, why TMJ-related tinnitus often changes when you move your jaw, and standard management approaches.
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management
TMS for tinnitus: what 20 years of research has shown
Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation has been studied extensively for chronic tinnitus. Results are modest but real for a subset of patients. Current state and access.
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science
Tonotopic map development: from birth to cortex
The cochlear-cortical tonotopic map develops in the first year of life under sensory experience. Sensitive periods, plasticity, and implications for cochlear implant outcomes.
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science
Tympanometry explained: what the pressure test measures and why
Tympanometry measures eardrum mobility under varying pressure. It is the standard test for middle-ear effusion, ossicular issues, and patulous eustachian tube. What the trace shapes mean.
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types
Unilateral tinnitus: why one-sided ringing warrants a closer look
Tinnitus in only one ear is uncommon enough that AAO-HNS guidelines treat it as a red flag warranting imaging to rule out acoustic neuroma and other treatable causes.
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management
Vagus nerve stimulation for tinnitus: paired-VNS protocols
VNS paired with auditory tones aims to drive targeted neural plasticity. Clinical trial results, current device development, and where the science sits.
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causes
Vestibular schwannoma (acoustic neuroma): unilateral tinnitus red flag
Vestibular schwannomas are slow-growing benign tumors on the eighth nerve. Asymmetric hearing loss or unilateral tinnitus warrants MRI to rule them out.
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causes
What causes tinnitus: the four main mechanisms researchers agree on
Tinnitus is a symptom, not a disease. NIH/NIDCD and AAO-HNS group its causes into four mechanisms: hair-cell damage, neural rewiring, somatic input, and vascular noise. Plain-language overview with sources.
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frequencies
What pitch is your tinnitus, and what your answer reveals about its source
Tinnitus pitch usually mirrors the frequency of your hearing loss. How to estimate your tinnitus pitch with a free online tone generator and why it correlates with cochlear damage location.
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management
What vitamin deficiency causes ringing in the ears?
Low vitamin B12, zinc, and iron are the deficiencies most linked to tinnitus. When a deficiency is the cause, correcting it can help, which is why testing comes before supplements.
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management
When to see an audiologist: 7 specific triggers
Not every ear concern warrants an audiologist visit. The seven specific symptoms and situations where you should book one within 2 weeks.
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management
White noise machines for tinnitus: what masking actually does
White noise does not cure tinnitus. It changes the contrast between phantom sound and background, which makes ringing harder to notice. Mechanism, evidence, and how to choose a machine.
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science
Why hearing loss causes ringing: the central-gain hypothesis
When the cochlea sends less signal, the brain's auditory pathway turns up its gain. That gain amplifies internal noise into perceptible ringing. The current dominant model explained.
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lifestyle
Zinc supplementation for tinnitus: small effect, narrow patients
Zinc deficiency has been linked to tinnitus in small studies. Supplementation results are mixed and only relevant if you are actually deficient.