What lifestyle modifications or therapies are supported by evidence for managing tinnitus symptoms?

Lifestyle modifications and therapies supported by evidence for managing tinnitus symptoms include:

• Correcting hearing loss: Offering hearing aids to people with tinnitus who have hearing loss that affects communication can reduce listening effort and generally reduce tinnitus perception. Hearing aids may also be considered for those with hearing loss but no communication difficulties, but should not be offered to those without hearing loss ¹,².
• Sound therapy: Using continuous, low-level, unobtrusive background sounds (such as quiet music, water sounds, or fans) can help reduce the starkness of tinnitus and aid habituation, relaxation, and distraction from tinnitus. However, evidence for long-term effectiveness is limited, and sound therapy is mainly used for acute relief or as an adjunct ¹,².
• Psychological therapies: A stepped approach to psychological interventions is recommended for tinnitus-related distress impacting emotional and social wellbeing. This includes digital tinnitus-related cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), group-based psychological interventions (including mindfulness-based cognitive therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, or CBT), and individual tinnitus-related CBT, all delivered by appropriately trained practitioners ².
• Self-care advice and education: Providing information about tinnitus, its causes, factors that worsen it (e.g., stress, loud noise), safe listening practices, and coping strategies (such as relaxation techniques and self-help resources) is important ¹.
• Addressing associated conditions: Managing comorbid depression, anxiety, or insomnia through appropriate referral and treatment can improve overall wellbeing in people with tinnitus ¹.

Not recommended: Medication, dietary supplements, herbal medicines, acupuncture, and betahistine are not supported by evidence for tinnitus treatment and may cause harm ¹,².