The AudioNotch Tinnitus Treatment Blog
Can Coffee Help My Tinnitus?
Please note: the following information does not constitute professional medical advice, and is provided for general informational purposes only. Please speak to your doctor if you have tinnitus.
Understanding Tinnitus
Tinnitus is a condition that causes a person to frequently experience a ringing sensation in their ears. A person may also experience a whooshing sound. It is normal to experience tinnitus after being exposed to a loud noise. However, this problem is chronic for many people.
There are many treatments available, but there is no cure for it. Many people have been wondering, “Can coffee help my tinnitus?” A team of researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston set out to find the answer to that question.
Can Coffee Help My Tinnitus?
The Study And Results
The study started in 1991, and it lasted until 2009. There were 65,000 women involved in the study. At the beginning of the study, none of the women had tinnitus. However, 5,300 women developed tinnitus during the study. The participants were asked to record how often they experienced tinnitus symptoms.
The participants were also asked questions about their lifestyle, diet and medical history. The results of the study showed that the women who had 400 to 600 milligrams of caffeine per day were 15 percent less likely to develop tinnitus than women who had less than 150 mg of caffeine per day. Women who had more than four cups of coffee per day were 20 percent less likely to develop tinnitus. One cup of coffee typically has between 95 and 200 milligrams of caffeine.
Study Helped Dispel Myths About Caffeine And Tinnitus
The findings of this study do conflict previous beliefs. In the past, people were encouraged to cut down on coffee and other caffeinated beverages because health experts believed that caffeine can make tinnitus worse. However, a study done in 2010 showed that people who cut caffeine completely out of their diet did not have an improvement in their tinnitus symptoms.
The researchers in the new study also noted that decaffeinated coffee did not seem to have the same benefit. Additionally, they stated that 70 percent of the subjects’ caffeine consumption came from coffee. That is why the researchers believe that caffeinated coffee can protect against tinnitus.
How Exactly Can Coffee Help My Tinnitus?
Dr. Gary Curhan was the lead author of the study. He has stated that the researchers do not know exactly how coffee can help tinnitus. However, he has stated that caffeine can help stimulate the central nervous system. Dr. Curhan has also stated that previous studies have shown that caffeine can affect the inner ear.