While tinnitus is most commonly found in people over 50 who may be experiencing age-related hearing loss, it is also quite common in younger people whose jobs or lifestyles expose them to repeated high levels of noise. Musicians, DJs, and club owners often develop tinnitus, for example.

Today there is no “cure” for tinnitus, though there are many approaches to managing the condition. Managing tinnitus may involve dietary changes, supplements, behavioral therapy, or the use of hearing aids. What works best for one person may not work at all for another, and most tinnitus sufferers go through a fair amount of trial and error before finding a way to control the problem.

But research into the condition continues apace, with scientists learning more about how the ears and the brain interact in people with tinnitus. For example, it is believed that while the condition usually originates in the ears, it only become chronic due to changes in the brain, as the brain tries to cope with the noise. Stress tends to make the condition worse, as do numerous drugs, including common over the counter drugs like aspirin.

One of the complaints that bothers tinnitus suffers most is loss of sleep due to the sounds. But in many cases, sufferers can be fitted with special hearing aids that produce sounds to counteract the frequencies experienced from tinnitus, and in some cases, people with tinnitus can be helped to sleep with simpler measures such as use of white noise or pink noise machines.

Treatment generally begins with the simplest, least expensive measures, and if these don’t work, other measures are attempted. While most tinnitus is not dangerous, it can be profoundly annoying. Tinnitus lasting longer than a few weeks should be brought to the attention of a physician.