3 Questions to Ask Your Audiologist About Tinnitus
If you experience tinnitus or the perception of ringing, buzzing, humming, or other sounds without an external source, an audiologist can help evaluate your hearing and determine how tinnitus is affecting your daily life.
Tinnitus can have many possible associations, including hearing loss, noise exposure, certain medications, ear-related conditions, and other health factors. Because the experience and potential causes vary from person to person, an individualized evaluation is important.¹
Here are three useful questions to discuss with your audiologist.
1. What Could Be Contributing to My Tinnitus?
Understanding what may be associated with your tinnitus is an important first step.
Tinnitus frequently occurs alongside hearing loss, but there are many other potential contributors. These can include exposure to loud noise, certain medications, earwax blockage, ear or sinus infections, head or neck injuries, and some medical conditions.¹
Consider telling your audiologist:
- When you first noticed the tinnitus
- Whether you hear it in one ear, both ears, or in your head
- Whether the sound is constant or intermittent
- Whether it seems to pulse with your heartbeat
- Whether you have noticed changes in your hearing
- Your history of occupational or recreational noise exposure
- Medications and dietary supplements you currently take
- Whether tinnitus affects your sleep, concentration, mood, or daily activities
These details can help your audiologist determine what additional evaluation may be appropriate.
Certain tinnitus characteristics can also warrant further medical assessment. Clinical guidelines recommend distinguishing between symptoms that may require additional evaluation and more common presentations of tinnitus.²
2. What Tests Will You Perform to Evaluate My Tinnitus?
Ask your audiologist what assessments are appropriate based on your symptoms and medical history.
A comprehensive hearing evaluation can help identify hearing loss and provide information about how your auditory system is functioning. Clinical guidelines recommend a comprehensive audiologic examination for people with tinnitus that is unilateral, persistent, or associated with hearing difficulties.²
Your evaluation may include a discussion of your medical and hearing history along with audiologic testing.
Imaging is not routinely recommended for every person with tinnitus. Clinical guidelines indicate that imaging may be considered when tinnitus is localized to one ear, is pulsatile, occurs with certain neurological findings, or is associated with asymmetric hearing loss.²
If your audiologist identifies findings that require medical investigation, they may recommend evaluation by an otolaryngologist (ENT) or another appropriate healthcare professional.
3. What Evidence-Based Management Strategies Are Appropriate for Me?
There is no single management approach that is appropriate for everyone with tinnitus. Your audiologist can help you understand which strategies may be appropriate based on your hearing, symptoms, and how tinnitus affects your quality of life.
For people who have tinnitus accompanied by hearing loss, hearing aids may be considered.² Other approaches can include education and counseling, strategies that reduce the contrast between tinnitus and environmental sound, and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for persistent, bothersome tinnitus.¹˒²
Clinical evidence supports CBT as an option for reducing tinnitus-related distress and improving quality of life, even though it does not necessarily eliminate the perceived sound itself.²
Lifestyle and wellness habits may also be worth discussing with your healthcare professional, particularly when tinnitus affects sleep, stress levels, or overall well-being. Rather than assuming that a particular food, diet, or lifestyle factor will reduce tinnitus, consider discussing your individual experiences and health needs with your healthcare team.
When Should You Seek Additional Medical Care?
Tinnitus is common, but certain symptoms deserve additional medical attention. Talk with an appropriate healthcare professional if tinnitus develops suddenly, occurs primarily in one ear, pulses with your heartbeat, accompanies sudden or asymmetric hearing changes, or occurs with other concerning neurological or balance symptoms.¹˒²
An audiologist can be an important part of your hearing healthcare team and can help determine whether additional medical evaluation is appropriate.
Key Takeaway
Three valuable questions to ask your audiologist are:
- What could be contributing to my tinnitus?
- What tests are appropriate for my symptoms?
- What evidence-based management strategies are appropriate for me?
Tinnitus varies considerably from person to person. A professional hearing evaluation can provide individualized information about your hearing and help you understand appropriate next steps.
References
1. National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), National Institutes of Health. What Is Tinnitus? — Causes and Treatment.
NIH/NIDCD: Tinnitus
2. Tunkel DE, Bauer CA, Sun GH, et al. Clinical Practice Guideline: Tinnitus. Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery. 2014;151(2 Suppl):S1–S40. PMID: 25273878. DOI: 10.1177/0194599814545325.
PubMed: Clinical Practice Guideline — Tinnitus