What does tinnitus sound like?
Many people experience tinnitus as a ringing in their head or ears, but it can take a variety of forms. You might experience it as a buzzing, hissing, humming, screeching or whistling sound. Some people describe it as the sensation of a roaring ocean or even music or singing. Moreover, tinnitus can be a constant tone (tonal tinnitus) or a pulsating sound (pulsatile tinnitus).
“Some people pronounce tinnitus as “TINN-a-tus” while others say “ti-NIGHT-us”. The word tinnitus actually comes from the Latin for ‘to ring’, or ‘to tinkle’ “.
Tinnitus and hearing loss
An estimated 90%2 of people who suffer from tinnitus also experience some degree of hearing loss, though they may be unaware of it. What is more, people can experience temporary tinnitus, which is a sign that your ears have been overexposed to sound. So, we know tinnitus is closely linked to hearing loss.
Hearing aids can help reduce tinnitus for people with hearing loss, because they give the brain more sound to focus on.
Tinnitus facts
• Tinnitus can be temporary or permanent
• It can be constant or intermittent
• You may experience it in one ear or both
• Tinnitus may even wake you up when you are asleep
• It can begin gradually or suddenly
• It can be soft or loud, or fluctuate in volume
• It can be a particular tone (frequency), or multiple frequencies, either all at once or at different times
How long does tinnitus last?
For some people, tinnitus is intermittent – lasting for minutes, hours, or days at a time. A single rock concert or loud explosion may cause ringing in your ears. This temporary type of tinnitus usually goes away in a matter of hours or days. For some people however, tinnitus seems to never stop, and they hear sounds all the time.
Both types of tinnitus can be very stressful and distressing. However, tinnitus in itself is not harmful and doesn’t cause further damage to your hearing. Rather, it can be a symptom of hearing damage or a result of high emotional stress.
How tinnitus symptoms can affect your life
Tinnitus can have a major impact on your life, bringing stress, anxiety, anger and sleep loss. This can often have a significant impact on day-to-day activities. Some people have taught themselves to ignore it. For others, tinnitus symptoms can worsen to the point that getting a full night’s sleep is barely possible. Unfortunately, stress and lack of sleep are actually linked to tinnitus. They can affect your tinnitus negatively the next day, potentially starting a vicious cycle.
Seeking help for your tinnitus is important for your overall health. Although your tinnitus may not go away entirely, small changes in your everyday activities can make living with tinnitus more manageable. The first step towards taking control of tinnitus is to consult a hearing care professional, so that together, you can find the treatment plan that will work for you.
How can I treat my tinnitus?
Learn all about the different ways we can treat and manage your tinnitus symptoms.
Is there a cure for tinnitus?
Unfortunately there is no tinnitus cure, but there is plenty you can do. We know how to treat tinnitus and reduce its effect on your life by relieving the symptoms and making it more comfortable for you. Learning to manage the tinnitus symptoms is the key.
The best thing to do is contact your doctor or a hearing care professional to get help. If left untreated, the constant ringing in the ears is distracting. Like untreated hearing loss, this can cause people to withdraw and become isolated. Luckily it doesn’t have to be this way. Oticon hearing aids have embedded support that is proven to reduce the impact of tinnitus.
What causes tinnitus?
It is still uncertain exactly how tinnitus begins, and some people develop tinnitus for no apparent reason. However, it can result from a variety of causes, just as hearing loss does. Possible causes of tinnitus include:
- Exposure to loud sounds
- Natural aging process
- Sudden impact noises
- Injuries to the head and neck
- Reaction to medication
- Emotional distress or stress
- Ear infections, and other ear complications
What are the physical causes of tinnitus?
The mechanisms of tinnitus aren’t entirely clear. Experts think most tinnitus arises from a change in the amount of information going to the brain.
- Tinnitus is a symptom, not a disease
- Tinnitus can originate anywhere between the inner ear and the brain
- It often arises after a change in the sound information coming from the ears
Although the causes appear to vary, experts believe that the brain sometimes misinterprets the reduction of signals coming from the ear, resulting in a perception of sound – tinnitus – that isn’t really there. However, not everyone with tinnitus has hearing loss as well, which indicates that tinnitus is a phenomenon created by the brain.
Tinnitus can also arise after a traumatic emotional event in your life that is unrelated to your hearing. This supports the hypothesis that tinnitus is a mental phenomenon.
Let us help you find treatment
References
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Mancktelow, B. (2024). All about tinnitus. Tinnitus UK.
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Hearing Health Foundation. (2024). Tinnitus (ringing in the ears). Can tinnitus be treated or cured?