Ontario Hearing Center is an audiology practice in Brighton. We provide tinnitus evaluation and management, and we have served the Rochester area since 1956.
Which natural remedies help tinnitus?
Natural remedies are habits that make tinnitus easier to live with: protecting your ears from loud sound, adding background sound, managing stress, sleeping enough, and watching caffeine and alcohol. They do not remove the sound.
Protect your ears from loud noise
Loud noise causes tinnitus and makes it worse. Wear earplugs or earmuffs at concerts and around machinery, and keep headphone volume low.
We make custom ear protection for musicians, sleep, and swimming.
Add background sound
A steady background sound makes tinnitus less noticeable, especially in a quiet room at night. A white noise machine, a fan, or soft music can all work. Tinnitus sound generators work the same way. They look like hearing aids and make the tinnitus seem less loud.
How do stress and sleep affect tinnitus?
Stress and fatigue make tinnitus seem louder. Deep breathing, regular exercise, and enough sleep help you manage both. A white noise machine in the bedroom helps if the ringing keeps you awake.
Yoga and meditation can help you relax. Among treatments aimed at tinnitus itself, the 2026 AAO-HNSF update specifically recommends only cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). A trained provider delivers CBT, and it focuses on how much tinnitus bothers you.
Can diet affect tinnitus?
Diet changes how noticeable tinnitus is for some people. No diet cures it. Some people hear more ringing after caffeine or alcohol.
The research on caffeine is mixed. In one study, women who drank more caffeine were less likely to hear ringing. If you notice more ringing after coffee, cut back for a few weeks and see whether it changes.
Do supplements work for tinnitus?
No supplement has been shown to treat tinnitus, and the guidelines recommend against them. The 2014 AAO-HNSF guideline named ginkgo biloba, melatonin, and zinc, and the 2026 update again recommends against routine use of dietary supplements.
Tell your doctor before you take any supplement or herb.
What treatments do the guidelines support?
The 2026 AAO-HNSF update says every patient with tinnitus should have a comprehensive hearing evaluation. For persistent, bothersome tinnitus, it points to cognitive behavioral therapy, hearing aids, and sound enrichment. It covers adults whose tinnitus lasts six months or longer and affects their quality of life.
No single approach works for everyone. The 2014 guideline recommends a hearing aid evaluation for people who have both hearing loss and tinnitus.
What causes tinnitus?
Tinnitus has many causes, including hearing loss, loud noise exposure, earwax, some medicines, and head or neck injuries.
Medicines that can cause tinnitus include high doses of aspirin, aminoglycoside antibiotics, loop diuretics, quinine, and platinum-based chemotherapy drugs. Other pain relievers, such as ibuprofen and naproxen, are also linked to it.
Tinnitus from a medicine often fades after it is stopped, but chemotherapy drugs and some antibiotics can cause lasting tinnitus. Do not stop a prescribed medicine on your own. Ask the doctor who prescribed it.
Why a tinnitus evaluation comes first
An audiologist finds out whether hearing loss, earwax, or something else is behind your tinnitus, then builds a plan around it. Tinnitus often goes with hearing loss, and a hearing test shows whether you have it.
Your evaluation includes a comprehensive hearing test and questions about your tinnitus: when you notice it, what it sounds like, how loud it is, and whether it affects your sleep or concentration. Management can then include hearing aids with tinnitus support, sound enrichment, and counseling, depending on what the evaluation shows.
Every patient at Ontario Hearing Center is seen by a doctoral-level audiologist. Audiologists and ENT doctors work together on tinnitus. If everyday sounds also feel painfully loud, we evaluate sound sensitivity, called hyperacusis.
When to see a doctor first
The guidelines call for a prompt hearing evaluation when tinnitus is in one ear, lasts six months or longer, or comes with hearing difficulty. Get a prompt hearing evaluation and a doctor’s visit if your tinnitus:
- Is in one ear only
- Pulses with your heartbeat
- Started suddenly or came with a change in hearing
- Comes with dizziness, or with weakness or numbness
- Started after a head or neck injury
- Started after a new medicine
- Follows a cold and lasts longer than about a week
Frequently asked questions
Can diet affect tinnitus symptoms?
For some people, yes. Caffeine, alcohol, and nicotine can change how noticeable the ringing is, and the research on caffeine is mixed. No diet cures tinnitus.
Are there exercises to relieve tinnitus?
Regular exercise helps with stress and sleep, which affect how noticeable tinnitus is. No exercise treats tinnitus itself, and the guidelines do not list one.
How does stress management help tinnitus?
Stress makes tinnitus seem louder. Relaxation techniques and CBT reduce the stress. CBT, delivered by a trained provider, is the behavioral treatment the guidelines recommend for tinnitus that bothers you.
What supplements are effective for tinnitus?
None. The AAO-HNSF recommends against routine use of dietary supplements for tinnitus, including ginkgo biloba, melatonin, and zinc. Tell your doctor before you take any.
Book a tinnitus evaluation
If you have tinnitus, an evaluation with an audiologist is the first step. Our tinnitus evaluations include a hearing test and questions about your tinnitus, and we build a management plan around the results.
Our office is at 2210 Monroe Avenue, Rochester, NY 14618. We are open Monday to Thursday, 8 to 12 and 1 to 5, and Friday, 9 to 12 and 1 to 4. Call (585) 442-4180 or book online to schedule.