I know how it feels when you lie down in your bed after a busy life to get some comfy sleep, and all of a sudden, the noise starts again… and the worst thing is, the more you focus on it, the louder it becomes.
Now, if you’re struggling with constant buzzing, hissing, or ringing in your ears that won’t just go away. There is a strong reason that it may be due to anxiety or stress.
According to some research, up to 45% of people who are dealing with chronic tinnitus also experience anxiety, and that relationship works both ways, creating a frustrating cycle.
Is Your Tinnitus Related to Anxiety?
Before we go into solutions, there are a few questions you should ask yourself to see whether these things happen to you.
- Does the ringing get louder when you’re stressed or anxious?
- Is it more noticeable during quiet moments?
- Have anxiety, worry, or sleep problems increased alongside the tinnitus?
- Does the sound come and go rather than stay constant?
- Have other causes like ear infections or hearing loss been ruled out?
If you honestly answer yes to any of these questions, anxiety is your story’s villain. Even if you answered just one, anxiety is still playing a role.
Why Does Being Anxious Make Your Ears Ring?
When you understand what’s happening in your body, it’s easier to see why certain treatments actually help.
Your Body’s Alarm System
When you feel anxious, your body releases special chemicals called stress hormones. These are the same chemicals that helped cave people run away from dangerous animals like bears. They also show up when you’re worried about tests, work problems, or family issues.
Your Brain Turns Up the Volume
Here’s another thing that happens when you’re anxious: your brain becomes super aware of everything happening in your body. You know how, when you’re worried about being sick, you suddenly notice every little ache? The same thing happens with sounds in your ears. Your brain stops ignoring the little noises it normally filters out and makes them seem much louder than they really are.
How Is Anxiety Ringing Different From Other Ear Ringing?
You might wonder if all ear ringing is the same. Actually, anxiety-related ringing has some special signs that make it different.
The biggest clue is that it changes based on how stressed you feel. On calm days, you might barely notice it. But when you’re stressed out, it can become really loud and annoying. Other types of ear ringing usually stay about the same all day long.
What Else Might You Notice?
When anxiety is causing your ear ringing, you’ll probably notice other things too:
- Your neck, jaw, or shoulders feel tight and tense.
- You get headaches, or your heart beats really fast sometimes.
- It’s hard to focus on homework or fall asleep at night.
Here’s something important to know: more than half of people with constant ear ringing also feel sad or down a lot. The never-ending noise gets really frustrating and makes you feel tired and upset. This creates a problem where the ringing makes you stressed, which makes the ringing worse, which stresses you out more.
3 Ways to Feel Better Right Now
If anxiety is causing your ear ringing, here are some things you can try today that might help.
1. Try Background Sounds
You don’t need to completely block out the ringing. You just need to give your brain something else to listen to. Turn on a fan in your room, play nature sounds like rain or ocean waves, or use a white noise app on your phone. This works really well at bedtime when everything else is quiet.
2. Give Your Ears a Gentle Massage
This might sound weird, but it actually helps some people. Use your thumbs and pointer fingers to gently rub and pull on your outer ears. This gets more blood flowing to your inner ear. It won’t cure the problem, but it might make the ringing quieter for a little while.
3. The 5-4-3-2-1 Trick
This exercise is great for both anxiety and ear ringing. Here’s how it works:
- Look around and name any of the following 5 things you see.
- Touch 4 different things and notice how they feel.
- Listen for 3 sounds (not counting the ringing)
- Notice 2 things you can smell.
- Think of 1 thing you can taste.
This pulls your brain’s attention away from the ringing and helps you focus on what’s around you instead.
3 Treatments That Really Work
Sometimes the things you try at home aren’t enough. That’s when it helps to know about treatments that doctors and therapists use.
1. Talking Therapy Can Help
There’s a special kind of therapy called CBT that works really well for anxiety and ear ringing. A therapist helps you change the worried thoughts that make the ringing feel unbearable. Instead of thinking “this will never stop and I can’t handle it,” you learn to think “this is annoying, but I can deal with it.” This might sound simple, but it makes a huge difference.
2. Teaching Your Brain to Ignore It
Another treatment combines counseling with background sounds to train your brain to stop paying attention to the ringing. It’s like when you first move near a train track – the trains seem super loud at first, but after a few months, you barely notice them anymore. This treatment takes about a year or two, but it works for many people.
3. See a Doctor First
Before trying any treatment, visit your regular doctor to make sure the ringing isn’t from something like earwax, an infection, or medicine you’re taking. They might send you to a hearing specialist who can test your ears and figure out exactly what sounds you’re hearing.
4 Small Changes That Make Things Better
By making four small changes in your daily routine, you can find relief from both anxiety and ear ringing.
1. Cut Down on Energy Drinks and Coffee
Caffeine makes anxiety worse because it speeds up your heart and makes you feel jittery. Even though we’re not totally sure if caffeine directly affects ear ringing, we do know that it increases anxiety. And since anxiety makes ringing worse, drinking less coffee or energy drinks often helps both problems.
2. Move Your Body
When you exercise, your body makes special chemicals that help you feel better and less stressed. You don’t have to join a sports team or go to a gym. Even walking around your neighborhood for 20 minutes can help you feel calmer and make the ringing less noticeable.
3. Get Better Sleep
Not sleeping well makes both anxiety and ear ringing much worse. Use background sounds at night, keep your room cool and dark, and stop looking at screens an hour before bed. If the ringing keeps you awake, focus on the background sounds instead, or try relaxing each part of your body one at a time.
4. Eat Foods With Magnesium
Some studies show that a mineral called magnesium might help with stress-related ear ringing. You can get magnesium from foods like spinach, almonds, avocados, and even dark chocolate.
When You Need Help Right Away
Most ear ringing from anxiety isn’t dangerous, but sometimes you need to see a doctor quickly. Go to the doctor right away if the ringing suddenly starts in just one ear, you feel dizzy, or your ear hurts, or the sound matches your heartbeat.
If the ringing or anxiety makes you feel so bad that you think about hurting yourself, get help immediately. In the United States, you can call or text 988 to talk to someone who can help.
What You Can Do Today
Let’s make a simple plan you can start right now.
Tonight, before you go to sleep, turn on a fan or download a free white noise app. Tomorrow, ask a parent or guardian to help you make a doctor’s appointment to check your ears. Starting today, keep notes on your phone about when the ringing is loud, how stressed you feel, and what you’re doing when you notice it.
Writing these things down helps you spot patterns and gives your doctor useful information. It also helps you feel more in control of the situation.
Most people who stick with these strategies start feeling better in about two to four weeks. The ringing might actually get quieter, or it might stay the same volume but bother you way less. Both of these are wins.
Some people find that once they get their anxiety under control, the ear ringing goes away completely. Other people learn to live with it as just a tiny background noise that doesn’t ruin their day. Studies show that doing several things together works better than just trying one thing.
Be patient and kind to yourself. Dealing with anxiety and ear ringing is hard, and it’s okay if it takes time to feel better. Understanding how they’re connected gives you the power to do something about it. With the right help and tools, you really can feel better.
