Tinnitus is the perception of sound in the absence of any external acoustic source. This internal noise is a highly personal auditory experience. For the individual experiencing it, the sound is entirely real, originating from activity within the auditory system and the brain itself. The condition affects a significant portion of the population. While often described simply as “ringing in the ears,” this definition barely scratches the surface of the complexity of the sounds involved. Understanding the full range of these phantom noises requires exploring how the sound can be described and how its characteristics can shift.
The Most Common Auditory Manifestations
The most frequent description of tinnitus is a high-pitched, steady ringing, often likened to a tea kettle whistling. This sharp, pure tone is particularly common and can be intensely distracting, especially in quiet environments. Many people also report a distinct hissing sound, which they describe as similar to escaping steam or the static noise heard on an untuned radio channel.
A low-frequency buzzing or humming can resemble the drone of a distant swarm of bees or the constant vibration of a refrigerator motor. Some individuals experience a more powerful, deep sound, sometimes described as a roaring, similar to the deep rumbling of a distant storm. A less common, yet distinct, sound is clicking or tapping, which is often rapid and intermittent.
Variable Characteristics of Tinnitus Perception
The internal sound possesses highly variable characteristics. The pitch, or frequency, of the perceived sound can range dramatically from a low-frequency roar up to a high-frequency whistle. While many cases feature a high-pitched sound, often around 6,000 to 8,000 Hertz, the exact tone is unique to each person.
The perceived loudness can also fluctuate significantly, sometimes changing hourly or daily. The noise is most noticeable when the environment is quiet, such as when trying to fall asleep. The location of the sound is another variable factor, with the perception sometimes being confined to one ear, present in both ears, or even felt diffusely as being “in the head.”
The sound’s presence may be continuous or intermittent. A specific, rhythmic characteristic is known as pulsatile tinnitus, where the sound is a whooshing or thumping synchronized with the person’s own heartbeat. This pulsing sensation is often related to changes in blood flow near the ear, making its rhythm a distinct feature of the sound.
Sounds Only You Hear Versus Sounds Others Can Detect
The overwhelming majority of tinnitus cases fall under subjective tinnitus, which means the perceived sound is generated internally and is audible only to the person experiencing it. This type of perception is often the result of abnormal neural activity in the brain’s auditory pathways, typically linked to some degree of hearing loss. Despite being a phantom sensation, the sound is entirely real to the individual, often manifesting as the common ringing, buzzing, or hissing.
In contrast, objective tinnitus is a rare form, accounting for less than one percent of all cases. This form of tinnitus is caused by actual physical sounds produced within the body that are transmitted to the inner ear. These internal noises, such as turbulent blood flow or muscle spasms, are occasionally loud enough that a clinician can detect them using a stethoscope or other specialized equipment. The sounds associated with this rare type are often pulsatile whooshing, rhythmic clicking, or a simple thumping noise that follows the body’s vascular or muscular activity.