Tinnitus is the perception of sounds that are not really present in your surrounding environment; it is often called a “phantom” sound.

It is unique for each individual. Although it is common for tinnitus to be described as “ringing in the ears,” descriptions like whirring, clicking, chirping, or buzzing are also used to describe symptoms.

Tinnitus is not a disease but a symptom of something else; there are countless causes of tinnitus, with the #1 cause being a damaged auditory system.

Unfortunately, the root causes in most tinnitus cases are not curable conditions. If the root cause can’t be cured, then neither can the tinnitus that results from it.

Many researchers compare tinnitus to the neurological disorder known as “phantom limb” experienced by amputees, suggesting the sounds you hear are overcompensation for their absence when you experience a hearing loss. However, this does not explain the tinnitus symptoms that occur in individuals without a hearing loss.

Tinnitus can occur in one ear or both ears, be continuous, episodic, or pulsating in nature, and be subjective or objective. In subjective cases, the sound is only heard by the person with the condition, but if someone is experiencing objective tinnitus, someone else can hear it by using a stethoscope.

Pulsatile, objective tinnitus is often associated with circulation issues in and around the ears and can often be treated with surgical or other medical interventions.