Pressure Points for Tinnitus: A 9-Minute Routine to Press Along

If that sounds like your nights, you are far from alone, and the sound is real, even if no one else can hear it. This page is the written version of my 9-minute press-along video. You sit in a chair and press four spots with me: the groove in front of the ear (along Ermen TE21, Tinggong SI19 and Tinghui GB2), the ear reflex spot on the palm, the ear reflex spot on the back of the hand, and the ear reflex spot on the sole of the foot.

Why is my tinnitus louder at night?

In the daytime, the world is noisy. The fridge hums, cars pass, someone talks in the next room. All that sound sits on top of the ringing, like a blanket over a ticking clock.

At night the blanket comes off. The room goes silent, and the ringing is the only thing left to hear. It may not be any louder than at noon. There is nothing else competing with it. That is why it can feel like it fills the whole room.

Lying still with nothing to do makes it worse. Your attention goes looking for something, and it finds the sound. Then you start to worry about the sound, and your shoulders and jaw tighten.

A small thing that helps many people: keep a soft sound on at night. A fan, a quiet radio, a gentle rain sound. Keep it low, a little below the ringing, so the room is never fully silent. The ringing has company, and it stops being the only voice in the room.

Two more things from the end of the video. Go easy on coffee late in the day. And protect your ears from loud noise, like mowers, power tools and loud music.

Before you start: when to see a doctor first

Most tinnitus is not dangerous. But some patterns need a doctor before any routine. Please get checked soon if:

• the ringing is in one ear only
• it pulses in time with your heartbeat, a whooshing or thumping sound
• it came on suddenly, or is getting quickly worse
• you also have dizziness, a spinning feeling or trouble with balance
• it started after a fall or a blow to the head
• you have ear pain, or fluid coming from the ear
• it started after a new medicine (don't stop it on your own; ask your doctor or pharmacist)

Sudden hearing loss is an emergency. If the hearing in one ear drops away over hours or a day or two, go to urgent care or A&E the same day. Don't wait to see if it passes, and don't spend that time pressing points. Getting help early matters.

Also call for help straight away if ringing comes with a drooping face, weakness on one side, slurred speech or a sudden, severe headache.

Keep taking your medication and keep seeing your doctor. This routine is something you do alongside it.

The routine, point by point

I have studied Vietnamese acupressure for fifteen years. This is the routine I show people with ringing ears. First the area in front of the ear, then the ear spots on the hand, and last, the ear spot on the foot. Sit on a chair, feet flat. I keep the time in the video; you press along.

For the jaw and ears: in front of the ear — Ermen (TE21), Tinggong (SI19), Tinghui (GB2)

This one is done on both sides at once (video 0:48). Hold up two fingers on each hand. Place the fingertips in the soft groove right in front of each ear, by the small flap of cartilage at the ear opening.

Now move them slowly up and down along that groove. Go from the top of the ear down toward the earlobe, then back up. If you find a tender spot, pause there and make small circles.

Use light pressure, slow and even. Breathe out a little longer than you breathe in, and let your jaw go soft. About a minute is enough.

For the hands: the ear spot on the palm

Spot two is on the palm (video 2:10). Hold one hand up, palm facing out. Put the thumb of your other hand at the base of the ring finger and the little finger.

In the Vietnamese hand map I work from, this is the ear area of the palm. The map is on screen in the video. Search there for the tender spot. Move a little between the ring finger and the little finger, and stay where it feels tender. Make small, slow circles.

Breathe out slowly and let your shoulders drop. After about a minute, lift off and switch hands. Same spot, at the base of the ring and little fingers.

For the hands: the ear spot on the back of the hand

Spot three is the same ear area, on the back of the hand (video 4:37). Raise one hand. With your other hand, find the back of the hand, right behind the knuckles of the ring finger and the little finger.

Wrap your other hand around it, rest your thumb on that spot, and make small, slow circles. Keep the pressure gentle. The skin here is thin, with bone close underneath. Halfway through, switch hands and do the same spot on the other side.

For the feet: the ear spot on the sole

Spot four, the one I save for last, is on the foot (video 5:58). Cross one foot over your knee, so you can see the sole. If crossing your leg is hard on your hip or knee, rest the foot on a low stool instead and lean forward only as far as is comfortable.

On the foot reflex map, the ear area sits on the sole, at the base of the fourth toe and the little toe. Search at the base of those two toes for the tender spot, and make small circles.

This spot is small and tight, so in the video I use the fine tip of a pen-shaped tool. No tool? Use your fingertip, gently. Hold the tool loosely, like a pencil, and let the tip do the work. After about a minute, cross the other foot over your knee and do the same spot.

Skip the foot if the sole has cracks, sores or infection, or if your feet have poor feeling.

When you finish, sit quietly for a moment and notice the sound. Some people find it sits a little further back after this. Some notice no change in the sound, but feel calmer. Both are normal.

How I press the points for tinnitus

1. Find the area. You don't need a pinhead. Get into the right neighbourhood using the landmarks: the ear flap, the base of the ring and little fingers, the base of the fourth and little toes.
2. Search for the tender spot. Move slowly around the area. One spot will feel a little more tender than the rest. That's your spot.
3. Make small, slow circles there. Gentle pressure is enough. Hunt for the spot that stings. That's the one. Stay on it.

Start with about a minute per spot. It should feel tender while you press and ease once you lift off. Leave a spot alone if it still hurts after you lift off, or if the skin is broken, swollen, red or hot.

Stiff thumbs, or spots too small to find? The reflex spots on the hand and foot are small. A stiff or sore thumb is too wide and too tired to press one small spot for a full minute. That is why I use the Neuro Reset Acupressure Pen on the foot in the video. Its fine tip lands on the small spot, and you hold it like a pencil, so your thumb gets a rest. Your hands get tired. The pen doesn't. If you'd rather keep it simple for now, a fingertip works for the whole routine.

The honest timeline for tinnitus

Some things you can feel the first time: a softer jaw, looser shoulders, slower breathing. Some people notice the sound sits a little further back for a while.

The rest is slower. Try the routine once a day, at the same time, for two to three weeks. Many people find the evening calmer and settle back to sleep more easily. Some notice very little change in the ringing itself, and I'd rather you heard that from me now than find out after three weeks.

One small plan for tonight: when the lamp goes off and the ringing starts, sit up on the edge of the bed and try the first spot, once. Would you give it that one try?

What This Won't Do

This won't make tinnitus go away, and I won't promise you that it will lower the sound. It won't bring back hearing that has been lost, and it won't tell you why your ears ring. Only a check-up can do that.

What it can do is give you nine calm minutes with your own hands. A looser jaw and neck, slower breathing, and something to do other than lie there listening. For many people, that makes the night easier to get through.

Questions people ask about tinnitus

What pressure points help tinnitus? The ones I use are the groove in front of the ear (along TE21 Ermen, SI19 Tinggong and GB2 Tinghui), plus the ear reflex spots on the palm, the back of the hand and the sole of the foot. They can help you relax the face, jaw and neck. They won't make the ringing disappear.

Why is my tinnitus louder at night? A quiet room has no other sound to cover it, so the ringing stands out. Lying still with nothing to do also points your attention at it. A fan or soft background sound, kept low, often helps.

Can acupressure stop ringing in the ears? I can't promise that, and I won't. The research on acupressure for tinnitus is small, and I wouldn't call it proof of anything. What pressing can offer is a calmer body and a few minutes where the sound feels less in charge.

How do I sleep with ringing ears? Keep a soft sound on in the room, low and steady. Do this routine sitting on the edge of the bed before you lie down. If you wake in the night, don't check the clock; breathe out slowly and let the background sound do its work.

Is ringing in one ear serious? It can be. Ringing in only one ear, ringing that pulses with your heartbeat, or ringing with dizziness or hearing loss should be checked by a doctor soon. Sudden hearing loss is an emergency, so go the same day.

Where is the ear point on the hand? On the palm, it's at the base of the ring finger and the little finger. On the back of the hand, it's right behind the knuckles of those same two fingers. Search for the most tender spot and make small circles.

Where is the ear point on the foot? On the sole, at the base of the fourth toe and the little toe. The spot is small, so a fine-tipped tool or a fingertip works better than a wide thumb.

I have spent fifteen years studying traditional Vietnamese medicine, and I write about things you can do for yourself at home, sitting down.

This is general wellness education, not medical advice. It is not a substitute for care from your doctor. If you have a health condition, are pregnant, take blood thinners, have a pacemaker, or take medication, check with your doctor first. Do not press on broken skin, a rash or a swollen area.

(Points shown: TE21 Ermen, SI19 Tinggong and GB2 Tinghui along the groove in front of the ear; ear reflex zones on the palm, the back of the hand and the sole of the foot.)