Most people refer to tinnitus as a ringing or buzzing sound. But that classification, though helpful, is woefully inadequate. Tinnitus doesn’t always show up in one of those two ways. Actually, a large array of sounds can be heard as a result of this condition. And that’s important to note.
Because, as useful as that “ringing and buzzing” shorthand might be, such a restricted description could make it challenging for some people to recognize their tinnitus symptoms. It may not even occur to your friend Barb that the whooshing and crashing sounds in her ears are caused by tinnitus. So everybody, including Barb, will benefit from having a better idea of what tinnitus can sound like.
Tinnitus Might Cause You to Hear These Noises
Generally speaking, tinnitus is the perception of noise in the ears. Sometimes, this is an actual noise (this is called objective tinnitus). And sometimes it’s a noise created in your ears (which means that the sounds can’t be heard by others and don’t actually exist – that’s known as subjective tinnitus). The specific type of sounds you hear will most likely depend on what form of tinnitus you suffer from. And there are a lot of conceivable sounds you may hear:
- Ringing: We’ll start with the most common sound, a ringing in the ears. This is frequently a high pitched ring or whine. Sometimes, this sound is even described as a “tone”. Ringing is probably what the majority of people think about when they contemplate tinnitus.
- Electric motor: The electric motor in your vacuum has a distinct sound. Some people who have tinnitus hear a similar noise when their tinnitus flares up.
- Roaring: This one is usually characterized as “roaring waves”, or even simply “the ocean”. It might sound calming at first, but the reality is that the sound is much more overwhelming than the gently lapping waves you might think.
- Screeching: You know that sound of metal grinding? Maybe you hear it when someone who lives near you is working on a construction project in their back yard. But for people who cope with tinnitus, this sound is frequently heard.
- Buzzing: In some cases, it’s not ringing you hear, but a buzzing sound. This buzzing can even sound like an insect or cicada.
- High-pitch whistle: Picture the sound of a boiling tea kettle. Sometimes, tinnitus can cause you to hear that specific high-pitched squeal. Not surprisingly, this one can be quite unpleasant.
- Static: In some instances, your tinnitus may sound like static. Some individuals hear a high intensity static and some hear a low intensity static.
- Whooshing: Frequently experienced by individuals who have objective tinnitus, a rhythmic whooshing sound in the ears is often a result of circulation through blood vessels around the ear. You’re basically hearing the sound of your own heart pumping blood.
This list is not complete, but it certainly begins to give you a notion of just how many potential sounds someone with tinnitus may hear.
Change Over Time
It’s also totally possible for one individual to hear a number of tinnitus-related sounds. Brandon, for instance, spent the majority of last week hearing a ringing noise. He got together with friends at a noisy restaurant last night and is now hearing a loud static noise. It isn’t unusual for the noise you hear from tinnitus to change like this – and it may change frequently.
It’s not well known why this happens (that’s because we still don’t really understand what the root causes of tinnitus are).
Canceling Out Tinnitus
There are generally two potential strategies to dealing with tinnitus symptoms: masking the noise or helping your brain determine how to ignore the noise. And in either case, that means helping you identify and get familiar with the sounds of your tinnitus, whatever they may be.