Putting it together

1. Rule out the red flags (one-sided, pulsatile, sudden, or with hearing loss/vertigo) — get seen promptly if any are present. 2. Get an audiogram and treat any hearing loss — a hearing aid is often the single biggest help. 3. Add sound enrichment, especially at night. 4. Do CBT (or MBCT/ACT) — the best-evidenced way to defuse the distress. 5. Protect your hearing so it doesn't worsen. 6. Fix sleep and stress. 7. Screen for a somatic (jaw/neck) component. 8. Consider bimodal neuromodulation if you're moderate-to-severe and motivated.

The 'tinnitus cure' pills, blanket caffeine and salt bans, and waiting for a breakthrough drug. None of them earns its place, and the first and last actively cost you — money in one case, and months of not doing the things that work in the other.

The goal is not silence but for the sound to matter less — and for most people, with the steps above and some time, it does. Tinnitus is a real brain process, it's common, it's rarely dangerous, and it is very manageable. Decide anything medical with a clinician, using your own hearing test rather than a headline.