A buzzing and ringing sound is what the majority of people hear when they suffer from tinnitus. But tinnitus can’t always be categorized like this. Tinnitus doesn’t always show up in one of those two ways. Rather, this specific hearing ailment can make a veritable symphony of different noises. And that’s important to note.
That “ringing and buzzing” classification can make it hard for some people to identify if the sounds they’re hearing are genuinely tinnitus symptoms. It might not even occur to your friend Barb that the whooshing and crashing sounds in her ears are caused by tinnitus. So everyone, including Barb, will profit from having a stronger idea of what tinnitus can sound like.
A List of Noises You Might Hear With Tinnitus
Tinnitus is, generally, the sense of noises in your ears. Sometimes, this is a real noise (this is called objective tinnitus). And at other times, it can be phantom noises in your ears (that is, the sound doesn’t truly exist and can’t be heard by others – that’s called subjective tinnitus). The type of tinnitus you’re coping with will likely (but not always) have an impact on the noise you hear. And you could potentially hear a number of different sounds:
- Ringing: A ringing in the ears is the most common of the tinnitus noises. Usually, this is a high pitched whine or ring. The ringing is frequently called a “tone”. Ringing is probably what most people think about when they contemplate tinnitus.
- Screeching: You know that sound of grinding metal? Maybe you hear it when your neighbors are working on a building project in their back yard. But for individuals who cope with tinnitus, this sound is commonly heard.
- Electric motor: The electric motor inside of your vacuum has a distinct sound. Some people with tinnitus hear a similar sound when their tinnitus flares up.
- High-pitch whistle: Think about that sound your tea kettle makes when it begins to boil? Occasionally, tinnitus can cause you to hear that specific high-pitched squeal. Not surprisingly, this one can be quite annoying.
- Buzzing: Sometimes, it’s a buzzing rather than a ringing. Many people even hear what sounds like cicada’s or a variety of other insects.
- Whooshing: Frequently experienced by people who have objective tinnitus, a rhythmic whooshing sound in the ears is often caused by circulation through blood vessels around the ear. You’re basically hearing the sound of your own heart pumping blood.
- Roaring: This one is usually characterized as “roaring waves”, or even simply “the ocean”. It may sound calming at first, but the reality is that the noise is much more overwhelming than the gently rolling waves you might think.
- Static: The sound of static is another kind of tinnitus noise. Some individuals hear a high intensity static and some hear a low intensity static.
A person who is suffering from tinnitus could hear many potential noises and this list is hardly complete.
Over Time Tinnitus Sounds Can Change
It’s also entirely feasible for one person to experience multiple tinnitus-related noises. Brandon, as an example, spent most of last week hearing a ringing noise. Now, after going out to a loud restaurant with friends, he hears a static sound. Tinnitus noises can and do change, sometimes regularly.
The reason for the change isn’t really well known (that’s because we still don’t really know what the root causes of tinnitus are).
Treating Tinnitus
There are typically two potential approaches to dealing with tinnitus symptoms: masking the noise or helping your brain determine how to dismiss the noise. Whatever your tinnitus sounds might be, the first step is to identify and familiarize yourself with them.
