Tinnitus

What is Tinnitus?

“Tinnitus is the sensation of sound without any external source.” (Aazh et al, 2016). You may hear sounds like humming, hissing, buzzing, ringing, whooshing or some people experience musical type tinnitus also known as musical tinnitus or musical hallucination.

What causes Tinnitus?

Tinnitus is common affecting around 30% of the population in the UK with around 13% of adults experiencing “persistent tinnitus”. Tinnitus often coexists with hearing loss (NICE, 2020). However, occasionally tinnitus can be caused by exposure to loud noise, stress and anxiety, certain medications, ear wax or ear infection, head and neck injuries, or can also occur spontaneously with no cause at all. (NICE, 2023)

There is no cure for tinnitus because it’s not an illness or disease. Although the cause is still unclear, it is thought that tinnitus is additional brain activity being sent to the brain which is usually filtered out (BTA, 2018).