If you have constant or intermittent noises in your head (or in one or both of your ears), you may have a condition known as tinnitus. The noises can be anything from ringing and buzzing to clicking or chirping all the way to whistling or hissing sounds. For every person who suffers from tinnitus, the description of the condition will be unique to that person.It's important to note that tinnitus is a condition, not a disease. It refers to the perception of ringing, buzzing, or other sounds in the absence of an external source. Tinnitus can be caused by a variety of factors, including hearing loss, exposure to loud noise, certain medications, and underlying health conditions.
And it's not a noise you can run from because there's nothing making the noise in your immediate environment -- tinnitus really is all in your head. Tinnitus ranges from an annoyance to a debilitating and life-altering problem.
Here's a TED Ed video by Marc Fagelson that explains tinnitus, why it happens and how to treat it:
If the sound is fairly easy to relegate as background noise (or maybe it happens once in a long while for a very short duration each time), then life can pretty much go on as usual. If, however, the noise is loud and constant, then a person's ability to concentrate and even the ability to sleep are affected -- sometimes to a point of disability.
There are many tinnitus treatments offered, but first the cause of the condition needs to be determined.
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