Tinnitus Help: Things That Helped Me Live Well Again

If you’ve searched for “tinnitus help”, there’s a good chance you’re feeling overwhelmed, frustrated or wondering if life will ever feel normal again.

I know that feeling because I’ve been there too.

I’ve lived with tinnitus for most of my life, and while I still have tinnitus today, it no longer controls my life. 

In this blog, I’ll share the things that helped me get to that point.

No fluff.

Just honest advice from someone who’s lived it.

Whether you’re at the very beginning of your tinnitus journey or you’ve been searching for help with tinnitus for years, I hope something in this blog gives you reassurance, practical advice and, most importantly, hope.

Tinnitus Help Starts with Understanding Your Tinnitus

If there’s one piece of tinnitus help I wish I’d received sooner, it’s this:

Take the time to understand your own tinnitus.

As you’ve probably already discovered, tinnitus isn’t a condition on its own, it’s usually a symptom that something isn’t quite right.

In truth, there are hundreds of possible reasons why someone might experience tinnitus. Hearing loss, earwax, jaw problems, certain medications, stress and many other factors can all play a role.

I know what you’re thinking…

“Hundreds of causes? That’s not exactly reassuring.”

Believe me, I felt exactly the same.

If you’re anything like me and your tinnitus reacts to stress, hearing that there are so many possibilities can make your mind race even more.

Back in 2022, I was in a terrible place with my tinnitus. Fast forward to today, and I’m living a genuinely happy life despite it. Looking back, one of the biggest things I wish I’d known sooner was the importance of seeking a second opinion if you feel like you’re not getting the answers you need.

You may relate to my journey.

GP appointments.

ENT appointments.

Private audiologists.

High street hearing tests.

Walking away from each one feeling like you’re getting nowhere.

Being told:

“There’s nothing wrong.”

“Your hearing loss isn’t too bad.”

Or the sentence that almost everyone with tinnitus has heard at least once…

“You’ll just have to live with it.”

Easier said than done, right?

It’s incredibly frustrating when someone who doesn’t have tinnitus says those words as if they’re simple. They probably mean well, but when you’re struggling, it can feel like nobody truly understands.

In my case, if I’d stopped after those first hearing tests, I honestly don’t know where I’d be today.

For years, I assumed I’d never know why I had tinnitus.

Then, I finally found the answer.

It turned out I have a rare cookie-bite hearing loss, which accounts for less than 1% of hearing loss cases. No one had ever made a big deal about it because I was “too young” and I’d “get used to it.”

Then I went to the private audiology clinic where I now work, funny how life works, and they couldn’t understand why nobody had fitted me with hearing aids years earlier.

Steven Hale fitting me up with hearing aids using real ear measurements

Being in my ear 20s, hearing aids certainly weren’t on my vision board!

But why am I telling you all of this?

Because understanding the cause of my tinnitus gave me something I’d been searching for for years.

Clarity.

It felt like a door had finally closed.

Now, I also want to reassure you of something.

Not everybody finds the cause of their tinnitus.

For some people, despite every test and every appointment, there simply isn’t one clear answer.

And that’s okay.

Because here’s what surprised me most…

Even before I was fitted with hearing aids, I’d already started making peace with having tinnitus.

Learning about my tinnitus instead of constantly fearing it became one of the biggest turning points in my life. It helped me stop seeing tinnitus as something I had to fight every second of every day and start accepting that, while I couldn’t always control the sound, I could learn to control my response to it.

Understanding your tinnitus won’t always change the sound.

But it can completely change your relationship with it.

And sometimes, that’s the very thing that helps you start living again.

Get Your Ears Checked

If you’re looking for tinnitus help, getting your ears checked properly is one of the first things I’d recommend.

I know… it’s probably the first thing you’ve already done, but hear me out…

Most of us book an appointment with our GP, they have a quick look inside our ears with an otoscope and say, “Yep, everything looks fine.”

Sometimes that’s absolutely the case.

But sometimes, it isn’t.

After spending over two years working as an Ear Wax Removal Practitioner and Hearing Care Assistant, I’ve learnt just how much difference the right equipment can make.

Checking my dads’ ears using a video otoscope

I’ve seen people come to us after being told their ears were completely clear, only for us to find fully impacted earwax using specialist equipment. For some of those people, removing the wax made a huge difference to their hearing and tinnitus symptoms.

Now, I’m not saying going private will solve everyone’s tinnitus.

It won’t.

Tinnitus is incredibly complex, and I never want to give false hope.

What I am saying is that if you feel like something isn’t right, don’t be afraid to seek a second opinion. Seeing an ear care professional or audiologist means you’ll often have access to more specialised equipment and someone who works with ears every single day.

Looking back, I sometimes wonder whether I’d have found answers sooner if I’d gone down that route earlier.

Then again…

If I had, maybe I wouldn’t have spent so much time searching for other people going through the same thing.

Maybe I wouldn’t have started sharing my journey online.

And maybe I wouldn’t be writing this blog today.

Anyway, do you want to know the biggest lesson I learnt?

Never be afraid to advocating for yourself.

You know your body better than anyone else.

If something doesn’t feel right, it’s okay to ask questions. It’s okay to ask for another opinion. Sometimes that’s exactly what you need.

Don’t Fight The Sound

The reason I’ve spent so much time talking about hearing tests, appointments and understanding the cause of your tinnitus is because they all play an important role in something called habituation.

Habituation is a word that’s thrown around all the time in the tinnitus world, but no one ever really explained what it meant to me.

So let me explain it the way I wish someone had explained it to me.

Habituation doesn’t mean your tinnitus disappears.

It doesn’t mean you never hear it again.

It doesn’t even mean you’ll never have another bad day.

For me, habituation simply means that tinnitus no longer creates the same negative emotional reaction every single time I notice it.

I hear it.

I acknowledge it’s there.

Then, I carry on with my day.

That might sound impossible if you’re really struggling right now, but I promise you it isn’t.

Habituation is a journey, not a destination.

It happens through hundreds of tiny moments where your brain slowly learns that tinnitus isn’t a threat.

Looking back, one of the biggest things holding me back wasn’t actually the sound itself.

It was my constant search for a cure.

And I don’t mean I was signing up for clinical trials.

And I wasn’t reading scientific papers or the latest research.

I was doing what so many of us do.

Googling

Every.

Single.

Day.

“New tinnitus cure.”

“Has anyone cured their tinnitus?”

“How do I stop tinnitus?”

“Can tinnitus disappear overnight?”

If that sounds familiar, please know you’re not alone.

As human beings, we’re wired to solve problems. When something feels threatening, our brains naturally search for answers.

The problem is, every time I Googled tinnitus, checked whether it had changed or desperately searched for a miracle cure, I was unknowingly teaching my brain that tinnitus was something dangerous.

I was reinforcing the very cycle I was trying to escape.

Now, some people might read that and think…

“So should I stop caring about a cure?”

Not at all.

If someone handed me a safe, evidence-based cure tomorrow, I’d take it in a heartbeat.

But here’s what changed for me.

I stopped putting my life on hold while I waited.

Living happily with tinnitus is something we can work towards today.

If a cure comes one day, amazing.

I’ll be celebrating with you.

Until then, life doesn’t stop because of tinnitus.

And neither should you.

Use Sound When You Need It

I vividly remember searching YouTube for sounds to help tinnitus.

A healthcare professional had briefly mentioned using sound, but they didn’t really explain how or why it helped. So I did what most people would do.

I searched YouTube.

Before long I’d found videos claiming things like,

“Listen to this frequency for six hours to cure tinnitus.”

Back then, I didn’t know any better.

So I did exactly that.

I sat there with my headphones on, listening for hours, convinced this was finally going to be the answer.

When the six hours were over, I took my headphones off…

…and immediately listened for my tinnitus.

Harder than ever.

Had it worked?

Was it quieter?

Had I finally found the cure?

Looking back now, I can smile at myself because I realise what I was actually doing.

I wasn’t training my brain to ignore tinnitus.

I was training it to pay even more attention to it.

Of course that sound wasn’t going to cure my tinnitus.

If it could, every doctor and audiologist in the world would be recommending it.

That’s why it’s important to understand the difference between sound masking and sound enrichment.

Years ago, sound masking, completely covering your tinnitus with another sound, was commonly recommended.

These days, many professionals prefer sound enrichment instead.

The idea isn’t to drown tinnitus out completely. It’s to gently reduce the contrast between tinnitus and silence, helping your brain stop treating tinnitus as the only sound worth listening to.

Personally, I’ve never followed sound enrichment in a strict way.

Instead, I’ve built it naturally into my daily life.

I simply try not to sit in complete silence when I know my tinnitus is likely to take centre stage.

One of the best things I’ve ever bought is a smart speaker.

As soon as I get home, my Alexa automatically starts playing the radio.

I actually set it up for my lovebirds, Sully and Randall… Who are also great at breaking silence…

…but it turns out it helps me just as much as it helps them.

Dave, my boyfriend, with Sully on his head

I’ve found that the transition between work and home has often been one of the biggest triggers for my tinnitus.

When I’m working in clinic, I’m busy.

Talking.

Helping people.

Focused on everything except my tinnitus.

Then I walk through the front door.

Everything goes quiet.

And suddenly…

Tinnitus becomes the loudest thing in the room.

I’ve spoken to so many people who experience exactly the same thing.

But having gentle background sound ready when you get home can make that transition feel so much easier.

At night, I usually listen to rain sounds while I sleep.

These days, my boyfriend Dave actually puts them on for me.

That might sound like a tiny thing, but having Dave in control of the sound stopped me obsessing over whether I’d picked the “perfect” sound or the “perfect” volume.

Sometimes handing over that responsibility means it becomes just another part of your bedtime routine instead of another thing to worry about.

The goal isn’t to make your tinnitus disappear.

The goal is to help your brain stop giving it centre stage.

Learn About Habitation

I’ve already touched on habituation throughout this blog, but I wanted to dedicate a whole section to it because, honestly, I don’t think anyone ever explained it to me in a way that truly made sense.

For the longest time, I treated habituation like a finish line.

I’d check in with myself almost every day.

“Am I habituated yet?”

“Why can I still hear it?”

“Does this mean I’m back to square one?”

I genuinely thought I’d wake up one morning and suddenly be “habituated.”

Spoiler alert…

That’s not how it happened.

Instead, something much better happened.

Little by little, without even realising it, my relationship with tinnitus began to change.

Habituation isn’t something that suddenly happens to you.

You’re not waiting for your brain to flick a switch one morning.

You’re gradually changing the way your brain responds to tinnitus, and that takes time.

The way I like to think about it now is that habituation isn’t really a destination, it’s a journey.

Even now, I still feel like I’m growing.

Life changes.

Stress changes.

Our circumstances change.

Sometimes tinnitus changes too.

That doesn’t mean you’ve failed.

It just means you’re human.

So, if you’re wondering whether you’re actually habituating, let me make it really simple.

Every little win counts.

Every time you get out of bed instead of lying there worrying about tinnitus…

You’re habituating.

Every time you notice your tinnitus but carry on making yourself a cup of tea…

You’re habituating.

Every time you go out with friends, even though you’d rather stay at home…

You’re habituating.

Every time you catch yourself spiralling and gently bring your attention back to the present…

You’re habituating.

Those moments might feel tiny.

But they’re exactly what teaches your brain that tinnitus isn’t something to fear.

I often say tinnitus eventually becomes a passenger in your car instead of sitting in the driver’s seat.

It’s still there.

But it no longer decides where you’re going.

Be proud of those small wins.

They might not feel life-changing in the moment, but over weeks and months they slowly build into something much bigger.

That’s habituation.

Manage Stress and Anxiety

If there’s one thing I’ve learnt from living with tinnitus, and now helping people with tinnitus every day, it’s this:

Stress and tinnitus are deeply connected.

Not just emotional stress.

Any kind of stress on your body.

Had a difficult day at work?

Your tinnitus might seem louder.

Coming down with a cold?

You might notice it more.

Got a migraine?

Travelling somewhere new?

Lost your dog and spent the morning searching for them?

Even exciting life events like moving house or planning a wedding can put your body under stress.

When your body is working overtime, tinnitus often becomes more noticeable too.

There’s actually a reason for that, so bear with me while I get a little bit science-y… I’ll keep it simple.

Your brain has a part that’s responsible for processing emotions, called the limbic system.

It also has a small area called the amygdala, which acts a bit like your brain’s alarm system. Its job is to constantly scan for anything it thinks might be a threat.

When you’re stressed or anxious, both become much more active.

Your brain starts scanning your environment for anything it thinks could be dangerous.

If tinnitus is already something that’s worrying you, your brain often locks onto it.

It thinks it’s protecting you.

In reality, it’s making tinnitus feel louder and more intrusive.

Then, another cycle begins.

Stress makes your tinnitus seem louder.

Often, the louder your tinnitus feels, the more anxious you become and then, you struggle to sleep.

Poor sleep makes it harder for your brain to regulate emotions.

You often wake up more stressed than the day before.

And round and round the cycle goes.

I’m definitely not a sleep expert, but from my own experience and from speaking to hundreds of people with tinnitus, I know how important good quality sleep is.

When we don’t sleep well, everything feels harder.

We become less resilient.

More emotional.

More reactive.

Tinnitus is no exception.

Your muscles play a part too.

When we’re stressed, we naturally tense our shoulders, neck and jaw without even realising it.

These areas have close connections with the auditory system, which is why many people notice changes in their tinnitus during particularly stressful periods.

One of the biggest mindset shifts I ever made was changing the question I asked myself.

Instead of asking,

“How do I get rid of my tinnitus?”

I started asking,

“How can I better look after my nervous system?”

That one question changed everything.

Because when you support your nervous system, you’re also supporting your brain.

For me, that looked different depending on the season of my life.

Sometimes it was going for a run.

Sometimes it was journaling.

Sometimes it was spending time in nature.

Sometimes it was simply sitting in the garden with a cup of tea and giving myself permission to slow down.

Those moments aren’t just “nice to have.”

They’re teaching your brain that you’re safe.

And when your brain stops constantly searching for danger…

It often stops treating tinnitus like one too.

Protect Your Hearing, But Don’t Overprotect

University was when my tinnitus really started to affect me.

Looking back, it wasn’t just one thing that caused it to become more intrusive. It was the perfect storm.

There was the stress of starting a new chapter.

Freshers’ flu.

Deadlines.

Meeting new people.

Living away from home.

Living off quick meals that were probably a little too high in salt.

Not getting enough sleep.

My body was under constant stress.

But there was something else I wasn’t thinking about at the time…

The amount of noise I was exposing my ears to.

In the UK, nights out are a huge part of university life. Where there’s alcohol, there’s usually loud music, and hearing protection is often the last thing on anyone’s mind.

If you have tinnitus, you’ve probably asked someone else whether they’ve ever experienced ringing in their ears.

A lot of people will say,

“Yeah, I get it after a night out, but it goes away the next day.”

So…Why does that happen?

When we’re exposed to loud noise, the tiny hair cells inside the cochlea have to work incredibly hard. They become temporarily exhausted, meaning they send fewer sound signals to the brain. This is often referred to as a temporary threshold shift.

Your brain doesn’t like missing information.

So it tries to compensate by turning up its own internal sensitivity to search for the sounds it’s no longer receiving. This process is often called central gain, and it’s one of the reasons researchers believe tinnitus can become more noticeable.

For many people, this settles as the ears recover.

But repeated exposure to loud sounds can permanently damage those delicate hair cells and increase the risk of hearing loss and persistent tinnitus.

That’s why protecting your hearing is so important.

As a general guide, around 85 dB can be tolerated for approximately eight hours. Increase that to 100 dB, the sort of level you might experience at a concert, nightclub or sporting event and the recommended safe exposure time drops to around 15 minutes.

The world is noisy.

Some of the best memories in life are noisy too.

That doesn’t mean you should stop living.

It simply means you should protect your hearing when it matters.

Personally, I always carry hearing protection with me. High-fidelity earplugs (often called musician’s earplugs) reduce the volume without making everything sound muffled. If you’re regularly exposed to loud environments, custom-moulded earplugs fitted by an audiologist are an excellent investment.

But here’s something that’s just as important…

Don’t overprotect your hearing.

This is something I had to learn myself.

When tinnitus becomes frightening, it’s easy to start avoiding everyday situations because you’re scared they’ll make it worse.

Restaurants.

Family gatherings.

Coffee shops.

Birthday parties.

Even walks through busy town centres.

The goal isn’t to hide from sound.

The goal is to protect yourself from harmful noise while continuing to live your life.

For me, that’s what balance looks like.

If I’m going somewhere I know will be loud, I wear hearing protection without feeling guilty.

If I’m going for lunch with friends or popping to the supermarket, I let myself enjoy normal everyday sounds.

A good rule of thumb is this:

If you instinctively wince, feel the need to cover your ears or have to shout to hear the person next to you, it’s probably time to put your earplugs in.

Protect your hearing.

But don’t let fear stop you making memories.

Me enjoying life at a summer festival

Find People Who Understand

If I could give just one piece of tinnitus help, it would be this:

Find people who understand what you’re going through.

I honestly can’t stress this enough.

For years, I felt incredibly isolated.

Tinnitus is invisible and nobody else can hear what you’re hearing.

That can make you feel like you’re carrying the weight of it completely on your own.

But here’s something that surprised me.

Tinnitus is incredibly common.

Around 1 in 7 adults experience tinnitus to some degree.

Think about that for a second.

The chances are that someone you know has tinnitus, or knows someone who does.

When I first learnt that, it didn’t make my tinnitus disappear.

But it did make me feel less alone.

And that matters.

When your brain no longer feels like it’s facing a threat by itself, it can begin to settle.

Back in 2022, I became incredibly reclusive.

I stopped doing things I loved.

I withdrew from people.

I truly believed nobody would understand what I was going through.

So, I started sharing my story online.

At first, I wasn’t trying to build a community.

I was simply looking for someone who understood.

Instead, I found thousands.

People from all over the world who had the same fears, the same questions and the same hopes.

Talking about tinnitus didn’t make it worse.

It helped me heal.

The reason I’m writing this blog today is because I want you to know something that I desperately needed to hear back then.

You are not alone.

You are safe.

And although it might not feel like it today, this doesn’t have to be the rest of your life.

I’m living proof that it’s possible to have tinnitus, go through some incredibly dark moments and still build a happy, fulfilling life.

I still have tinnitus.

I still talk about tinnitus every day.

But tinnitus no longer controls my life.

And I truly believe that can be your reality too.

Focus on Living Your Life

I’ve had tinnitus since I was young, but it didn’t start affecting me severely until around lockdown.

I’ve spent a long time thinking about why that was.

Before then, life was busy.

I was studying.

Learning.

Socialising.

Working towards my degree.

My brain didn’t have much time to lock onto tinnitus because it was focused on living.

Then life slowed down.

I started thinking more about my health, my future and everything that could go wrong.

Without realising it, my brain started scanning for threats.

Tinnitus became one of them.

I convinced myself I’d never enjoy life again.

I worried I’d never graduate from university.

I thought this huge chapter of my life would always be overshadowed by tinnitus.

Looking back now, those thoughts weren’t facts.

They were fear.

Did I graduate?

Yes.

Did I make the most of university despite everything?

Absolutely.

Those anxious thoughts stole so much joy from moments that deserved to be celebrated.

As I learnt more about tinnitus and began changing my relationship with it, something shifted.

I stopped waiting for life to begin once my tinnitus disappeared.

I started living alongside it instead.

For a few years, I considered myself habituated.

Then my boyfriend and I moved into our first home.

A wonderful milestone.

But also a stressful period.

I found myself questioning everything again.

“Have I lost my habituation?”

The answer was no.

My nervous system was simply under pressure.

Once I recognised that, I stopped fighting myself.

This year has probably been one of the happiest I’ve had in a long time, and here’s why:

I’ve joined a running club.

I’ve founded The Tinnitus Journaling Club.

I’ve explored spirituality.

I’ve spent more time outdoors.

I’ve been gardening move (check out my massive monstera!)

I’ve found hobbies that genuinely make me excited to get out of bed in the morning.

None of those things cured my tinnitus.

But every single one of them made my life feel bigger than it.

And that’s what I want for you.

Find something that lights you up.

It doesn’t have to be a marathon.

It doesn’t have to be a new business.

It could simply be reading a book.

Painting.

Gardening.

Walking your dog.

Meeting a friend for coffee.

Start small.

Build from there.

As I’ve said many times on my social media…

If you’re sad, do it sad.

If you’re anxious, do it anxious.

Don’t wait until you feel fearless to start living.

Every time you choose to keep living despite tinnitus, you’re teaching your brain something incredibly powerful.

“I’m safe.”

And over time, your brain starts to believe you.

Tinnitus may still be there.

But it doesn’t have to be in the driver’s seat anymore.

You do.

And a huge thank you for taking the time to read my story.

If you’re here because you’re searching for tinnitus help, I hope this article has reminded you of one thing above all else:

There is hope.

You don’t have to have all the answers today.

You don’t have to be perfectly habituated.

You just have to keep taking the next small step.

One day, you’ll look back and realise just how far you’ve come.

I know that because I did.

Written by Caris Lount

Caris Lount is the founder of The Tinnitus Journaling Club, a tinnitus advocate, Hearing Care Assistant, author and content creator. She shares evidence-informed education, practical guidance and personal experiences to help people navigate life with tinnitus.

https://www.tinnitusjournalingclub.com/carislount

You Don't Have to Do This Alone

If this story resonated with you, I want you to know that you don't have to navigate tinnitus on your own.

If you're looking for a supportive space to reflect, learn and connect with others, I'd love to welcome you to The Tinnitus Journaling Club.

I created the club because it's exactly the kind of positive, encouraging community I wish I'd had during my own most difficult days with tinnitus.

Together, we explore gentle journaling, share experiences, support one another and celebrate the small wins that help us move forward.

It's a place where you'll be reminded that life can still be full of hope, meaning and joy alongside tinnitus.

If that sounds like something you'd benefit from, I'd love to welcome you.

Explore the Club