If you have tinnitus, you'll hear a ringing noise in your head that isn't caused by anything outside your body. It may also sound like buzzing, roaring, clicking, or hissing. It's very common – affecting up to 15% of people.
Tinnitus can be triggered by many things, including loud noises, earwax buildup, ear infections, head injuries, certain medications, stress, and aging. There's no cure, but you can avoid some of the things that can bring it on and make it worse.
Environmental Triggers of Tinnitus
Loud, traumatic noises can damage your ears and lead to tinnitus. Sometimes, a single noise – an explosion a close gunshot – is all it takes. Tinnitus also can happen after repeated exposure to loud noise. You are more likely to get tinnitus if you work with loud machinery or go to a lot of music concerts without wearing ear protection.
Lifestyle Triggers of Tinnitus
Lifestyle factors and habits can cause or worsen tinnitus.
Drinking alcohol
This not only raises your risk of tinnitus, but if you already have tinnitus, drinking can make it worse. One possible reason: Drinking alcohol boosts your blood pressure, and high blood pressure makes tinnitus harder to ignore.
Smoking
Smoking increases your risk of hearing loss and tinnitus because it:
- Disrupts nerve signals that carry sound from the ears to the brain
- Irritates lining of the middle ear and the eustachian tube (which connects your middle ear to the back of your nose and throat, and drains fluid from your middle ear)
- Makes you more likely to have diseases that can have tinnitus as a symptom
- Makes you more sensitive to loud noises
Smoking also makes tinnitus worse if you already have it due to its impact on blood flow to your ears.
Disturbed sleep
If you have tinnitus, losing sleep can cause it to flare up. But it’s a two-way street. The ringing in your ears can become more noticeable when you try to rest in a quiet space, making it difficult to sleep.
Exercise
Staying physically active can help reduce the impact of tinnitus. That’s a good thing. But some types of sports and exercise may trigger tinnitus. High-impact sports like football, basketball, and soccer, as well as running, can damage your ears and worsen tinnitus. Lifting weights or similarly exerting yourself can cause damaging pressure in and around your ears, making tinnitus more likely. That doesn’t mean you should avoid these activities. Instead, make sure to take rest days and to warm up before your workout. Varying the types of activities you do may also help protect your ears.
Dietary Triggers of Tinnitus
Research isn't clear on the relationship between diet and tinnitus, and scientists haven't come to any conclusions about whether there are specific foods or nutrients that may trigger tinnitus or make it worse. In fact, some research has been contradictory. For example, one study found that eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables reduces your risk of tinnitus, while another study found the opposite: Fruits and vegetables are part of a diet that might increase your chances of getting tinnitus. So, while diet likely does play a role in tinnitus, experts have yet to fully understand it.
But some foods or nutrients often turn up in discussions of tinnitus triggers. Below are some common examples and what the research says about them.
Too much caffeine
The research does not back up caffeine as a trigger. A recent study found that drinking the equivalent of 3 cups of coffee did not worsen tinnitus in people who already have the condition, though another study found that reducing your caffeine intake could improve your symptoms. Yet more research found that quitting caffeine altogether could make your tinnitus worse. Lastly, other research suggested that caffeine could actually prevent tinnitus.
Your best bet: Let your own experience guide you. If your morning cup of coffee doesn't impact your tinnitus, keep on enjoying it. If it seems to make it worse, try reducing how much you drink and see what happens.
Too much sodium
If your tinnitus is caused by Ménière’s disease, an inner ear disorder, a high-sodium diet might make it worse. That’s because sodium makes your body retain fluid, which in turn increases the fluid pressure in your inner ear. That worsens the symptoms of Ménière’s disease, which include tinnitus. Another reason to blame sodium for your symptoms: It can raise your blood pressure, and tinnitus gets worse as blood pressure goes up.
Lack of nutrition
Researchers have yet to find any nutritional deficiencies that could trigger tinnitus. Studies have looked at deficiencies in zinc, as well as vitamins B12 and B3, and found mixed results.
Eating too much fat
Some research suggests that a high-fat diet could trigger tinnitus. It’s unclear why, though it may be because such diets raise the risk of heart disease, which in turn could impact your ears.
Physical Triggers of Tinnitus
Injuries, illness, infection, and other physical causes can trigger tinnitus. They include:
Aging
About 1 in 3 adults over 65 have tinnitus. It's often linked to age-related hearing loss, and some researchers suggest that other things that happen to your body as you age might also contribute to tinnitus. These may include changes to your cochlea, a part of your inner ear, as well as age-related brain changes.
Allergies and infections
Allergic reactions, such as to tree or grass pollen, can cause mucus to build up in your ears. If your ears don’t drain properly, congestion can trigger tinnitus, among other symptoms, such as ear fullness, popping, and trouble hearing certain types of sounds. Infections also can lead to fluid buildup in your ear, triggering tinnitus.
High blood pressure (hypertension)
High blood pressure changes the way that blood flows throughout your body, including to your ears. That could deprive your ears of the oxygen they need to remain healthy, leading to tinnitus – and hearing loss as well. Another potential cause of damage: High blood pressure could trigger bleeding (hemorrhage) in your cochlea. Research suggests that hypertension nearly doubles the risk of tinnitus.
Earwax buildup
When earwax accumulates in your ear canal, pressure in your inner ear can build up. This affects the way your eardrum works. If it touches your eardrum, the irritation can trigger tinnitus.
Head or neck injuries
Such injuries can trigger tinnitus by causing damage to:
- The structure of your ear
- The nerve that transmits sounds from the ear to the brain
- The parts of the brain that process sound
Sinus pressure
When you have a severe cold, flu, or sinus infection, the nasal congestion that results can create pressure in your middle ear and trigger tinnitus.
Barometric trauma
Tinnitus can be triggered by sudden or extreme changes in water or air pressure, called barotrauma or barometric trauma. This can happen when you’re diving, snorkeling, or scuba diving or when rapid and extreme changes in altitude occur when flying (usually not a concern on commercial flights). Explosions also can cause barotrauma.
Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorder
The TMJ connects your jaw to your skull very close to your ears. It shares some nerve and ligament connections with your middle ear. If the muscles, ligaments, or tendons in this joint become damaged, tinnitus could develop.
Psychological Triggers of Tinnitus
Having tinnitus can make you feel depressed or anxious, especially if it bothers you on a daily basis. It’s also possible that mental health problems could trigger tinnitus.
Stress and anxiety
It’s well-known among experts that tinnitus can cause stress. And research suggests that the connection may work the other way as well. Stress could trigger tinnitus. In fact, people who have chronic stress appear just as likely to get tinnitus as those whose tinnitus was caused by things in their environment. Chronic stress also makes existing tinnitus worse. And some research suggests that anxiety more than triples the risk of having tinnitus.
Obsessive-compulsive tendencies
If you have obsessive-compulsive tendencies as well as tinnitus, the two together can create a vicious cycle. It may be extremely difficult to avoid focusing your thoughts on your tinnitus symptoms. The more you think about them, the worse it can seem and the more disabling the tinnitus can become.
Tinnitus Caused by Medications
Many drugs can trigger tinnitus as a side effect. Called ototoxic (meaning damaging to the ears), these medications include both over-the-counter (OTC) and prescription drugs:
- OTC painkillers, including aspirin, acetaminophen, and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like ibuprofen
- Diuretics (also called water pills)
- Quinine-based medications
- Some antibiotics
- Some antidepressants
- Some cancer drugs
Fortunately, when you stop taking these medications, your tinnitus likely will go away. Keep in mind, though, that you may need that medication to manage health issues that are more significant than your tinnitus, so don’t stop taking any medications without talking to your doctor first. Your doctor may be able to prescribe an alternative that does not cause tinnitus.
Health Conditions That Trigger Tinnitus
A health condition you have might trigger tinnitus, such as:
- Anemia
- Atherosclerosis
- Autoimmune diseases like fibromyalgia, lupus, Lyme disease, and rheumatoid arthritis
- Blood vessel abnormalities
- High blood pressure (hypertension)
- Hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism
- Ménière’s disease
- Otosclerosis, an abnormal bone growth in your ears
- Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorders
- Vestibular schwannoma (acoustic neuroma), a benign, or non-cancerous, tumor that grows on your vestibular nerve, which sends signals from your inner ear to your brain
Relationship between tinnitus and hearing loss
Experts don’t fully understand how hearing loss and tinnitus are connected. Your brain has to process sound differently when you have hearing loss because it no longer receives sound signals of certain frequencies. Tinnitus could be how your brain compensates for those lost signals, but that’s just a theory.
What is clear: Gradual hearing loss often comes with getting older, and tinnitus can be the first symptom. Hearing loss usually begins around age 60, affecting both of your ears. Loud noises – blaring music, noisy machinery, and other disturbances – also can cause hearing loss by damaging your inner ear. The same things can trigger tinnitus.
Ways to Prevent Tinnitus
You may not be able to avoid all causes of tinnitus, but you can take steps to protect the health of your ears:
Lower the volume. Keep your headphones and earbuds at a reasonable volume. If available, turn on the noise-canceling function to reduce the sounds around you. This allows you to listen at a lower volume even in noisy places.
Wear protection. Use earplugs or other ear protection while in concert halls, construction sites, and other loud places. Custom-made earplugs or those designed for musicians will lower the volume but still allow you to hear clearly.
Live a healthy lifestyle. A nutritious diet, regular exercise, avoiding smoking, limiting alcohol, and other good-for-you lifestyle choices support your overall health and the health of your ears.
Get your hearing checked regularly. Regular hearing tests track how well you hear over time and can help identify problems, including tinnitus, that may require treatment. If you’re over 50, have a family history of hearing problems, or work in a loud environment, get checkups every year. Otherwise, the recommendation is every 3 years.
When to Contact Your Doctor
If you develop ringing in your ears and it does not go away within a week, call your doctor to have your ears checked. Act more urgently if you get hearing loss suddenly as well as tinnitus. Treatment for sudden hearing loss should begin within 3 days, when it’s most effective.
Keep in mind that tinnitus can be a symptom of a health problem. You should see a doctor, who can rule out any diseases that may be causing it.
Takeaways
Tinnitus has many causes, from loud noises to rare diseases. It can be temporary, such as the ringing in your ears after a rock concert, or it can be permanent. You can take steps to prevent it – and you shouldn't ignore it, as it may be an early sign of hearing loss or a symptom of a serious health condition. Talk to your doctor about what might be causing yours.
Tinnitus Trigger FAQs
What is the main cause of tinnitus?
Exposure to loud noises is the most common cause.
Does tinnitus go away?
It can. For example, you may have ringing in your ears for a few hours after a rock concert. But tinnitus can also be lifelong.
How do I control my tinnitus?
There’s no cure for tinnitus, but if the ringing in your ears bothers you, there are things you can try. These include noise machines and smartphone apps that play white noise, nature sounds, and other gentle ambient noises, which can distract you from your tinnitus. Earbuds that play white noise also may help, as can fans, humidifiers, and other household things that make steady, low-key noises.
Is tinnitus serious?
You should take any changes to your hearing seriously. Not only is tinnitus often the first sign of hearing loss, it also can be a symptom of a health problem. And, of course, it can be quite disturbing and stressful on its own. People with bothersome tinnitus have a higher risk of anxiety, for example.