Tinnitus

How it works

The inner ear, the cochlea, is lined with hair cells that turn vibration into nerve signals². Loud noise, ageing, ear infections, and some medicines damage these cells¹. The brain still expects signal from the frequencies those cells covered. When it stops arriving, the hearing neurons turn up their own gain and start generating activity on their own. You hear that activity as a tone, a hiss, or a roar¹. In this way tinnitus is the sound equivalent of floaters: the system’s own noise, made visible.

Nearly everyone has heard a faint tone in a quiet room after a concert. That is temporary tinnitus, and it is the hair cells signalling strain¹. Persistent tinnitus affects about 15% to 20% of people¹. It is more common in older adults and in people exposed to loud noise at work or through headphones¹.

Tinnitus can also come from the middle ear, the jaw joint, or the neck. Tinnitus that beats in time with your pulse is a separate entry.

Is it a problem?

Usually no. Tinnitus is not a sign of brain disease. It does not cause hearing loss, although it often comes with it. When it is loud and constant it can disturb sleep and concentration. Sound therapy and talking therapy help most people who are bothered by it¹.

Get it checked if the sound is in one ear only, if it pulses with your heartbeat, or if it comes with hearing loss, dizziness, or ear pain¹. Tinnitus that starts suddenly together with a drop in hearing needs a doctor within a day or two. That pattern can be sudden sensorineural hearing loss, and early treatment gives the best chance of recovery³.

Wear earplugs at loud events and keep headphone volume moderate. Hair cells do not grow back.