What is Tinnitus?

It can be heard as a ringing, buzzing, hissing, whistling, throbbing, booming, clicking, roaring or cicada-like noise. Tinnitus can be a single sound or a number of different sounds. It can be present all the time or only occasionally, and can vary in intensity.

It can develop gradually or suddenly.

Tinnitus is usually a symptom of a problem within the auditory system.

Tinnitus is a common phenomenon with most people experiencing tinnitus at some time, especially in quiet surroundings. Approximately 20% of the population experience persistent tinnitus, and 4% of the population have tinnitus that severely impacts on quality of life.

People with tinnitus often find that they can no longer tolerate moderate to loud sounds, or they find everyday sounds increasingly annoying. This is known as decreased sound tolerance, with more severe cases known as hyperacusis.

What Causes Tinnitus?

While there are a number of factors which can lead to tinnitus, a common cause is hearing loss.

The auditory system has a constant background of neural activity. In the case of a hearing loss, this background activity is altered and can become exaggerated within the auditory region of the brain. Think of a radio that is not quite tuned correctly. To hear better you turn the volume up, but this increases the level of the background static at the same time.

This audible perception of neural activity is referred to as ‘subjective tinnitus’.

Tinnitus Treatment & Management

The aim of tinnitus treatment and management is to achieve habituation. Tinnitus habituation is when a person becomes less aware of their tinnitus and, when heard, does not associate the tinnitus with distress or anxiety. Just as someone living next to a railway track will tune out the sound of passing trains, so the brain can be trained to ‘tune out’ tinnitus.