Tacet · Guides
Protecting your hearing when you already have tinnitus
Noise exposure is a recognised cause of tinnitus. Practical protection at concerts, at work and with headphones, without living in silence.
In this guide6
Why this comes first
Hearing loss is the commonest association with tinnitus, and loud noise is one of the recognised causes of both. Whatever else you do, avoiding further damage is the one intervention that is free, certain and entirely under your control. It will not remove the tinnitus you already have; it protects you from making it worse.
The rule of thumb that works
If you have to raise your voice to be heard by someone an arm’s length away, the sound around you is loud enough to matter. Damage depends on level and duration together: a very loud few minutes and a moderately loud whole day can carry similar risk. Your phone can measure the level, and most people are surprised by concerts, power tools, bars and hair dryers.
| Situation | Typical level | Practical rule |
|---|---|---|
| Conversation | 60 dB | No limit |
| Busy street | 80 dB | Hours |
| Bar, hair dryer | 90 dB | Plugs if hours |
| Concert, power tool | 100 dB and above | Plugs from the start |
Headphones without fear
Headphones are not the enemy; sustained high volume is. Two habits cover most of the risk. Use the volume-limit setting on your phone rather than relying on judgement, and prefer noise-isolating headphones in noisy places, because the reason people push the volume up on a train is the train. Take a break of a few minutes every hour of listening.
Concerts, tools and the plugs to actually buy
Foam plugs from a chemist work well and muffle the treble, which makes music sound dull. Musicians’ filtered plugs reduce all frequencies more evenly and cost a little more, which is worth it if you go to concerts or play. Wear them from the start rather than after your ears start ringing, and step outside for a few minutes when you can.
Silence is not protection
Avoiding all sound does not protect your ears and it makes tinnitus more noticeable, because a quiet room removes the natural masking that daily life provides. The aim is ordinary sound at ordinary levels, with protection for the genuinely loud moments. Total avoidance also tends to increase sensitivity to everyday sounds, which is a separate problem worth raising with a clinician if it develops.
Get a hearing test even if you hear well
A hearing test is the standard first step for tinnitus, and it often reveals a loss at high frequencies that conversation does not expose. If a loss is found, hearing aids are used routinely when tinnitus and hearing loss coexist, although the Cochrane review of that specific question found limited trial evidence. Knowing your audiogram also gives you a baseline to compare against in a few years.
Questions
Can loud noise make existing tinnitus worse?
Noise exposure is a recognised cause of both hearing loss and tinnitus, so protecting your hearing is about preventing further harm rather than treating what you have.
Should I avoid all noise if I have tinnitus?
No. Silence removes the natural masking of daily life and makes tinnitus more noticeable. Aim for ordinary sound, with protection for genuinely loud situations.
Do hearing aids help tinnitus?
They are used routinely when tinnitus and hearing loss coexist, though the Cochrane review of that question found limited trial evidence.
Further reading
- Baguley, McFerran & Hall (2013), Tinnitus, The Lancet
- Hoare et al. (2014), Amplification with hearing aids for patients with tinnitus and co-existing hearing loss, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews
- Tunkel et al. (2014), Clinical Practice Guideline: Tinnitus, Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery
- Cima et al. (2019), A multidisciplinary European guideline for tinnitus: diagnostics, assessment, and treatment, HNO
Guides
What tinnitus is, and what the evidence says about treating it
A plain account of ringing in the ears: what causes it, what the guidelines recommend, and which treatments have evidence behind them.
Sleeping with tinnitus: what helps at three in the morning
Why tinnitus is loudest at night, what sound to use and at what level, and the sleep habits that make the biggest difference.
How to find the pitch of your tinnitus, and why it is useful
A step-by-step method for matching the frequency of your tinnitus with a tone generator, and what to do with the number once you have it.
Tinnitus treatments that do not work, according to the guidelines
Supplements, drugs and devices sold for tinnitus, and what the clinical practice guideline actually recommends against.
Habituation: what the first months with tinnitus actually feel like
Why new tinnitus feels catastrophic, what changes over weeks and months, and how to tell progress from a bad day.
Protecting your hearing when tinnitus is part of the picture
A calm guide to sound exposure, listening habits and the limits of a tinnitus-support app.
Ringing ears after a loud night: what to do next
What temporary tinnitus after a concert or a loud event usually means, what helps in the first days, and when to get your hearing checked.
White, pink or brown noise for tinnitus: which to try
How the common background sounds differ, why a lower pitch often feels softer, and how to choose a level that supports you without covering everything.
Tinnitus spikes: what to write down and what to ignore
A short method for logging louder days, the four things worth recording, and how a journal turns bad nights into a useful conversation with a clinician.