Tinnitus is the medical term for any noise that people hear in one ear, both ears or in their head. These sounds do not come from outside the head, although they may occasionally sound as if they do. People experience tinnitus in many different ways but it is normally described as a ringing sound. However, some people will hear other sounds such as buzzing, humming, whistling, tunes or songs. Sometimes tinnitus noise beats in time with your pulse - this is known as pulsatile tinnitus. For further information see our factsheet Different types of tinnitus – and what to do about them.

Tinnitus is not a disease, nor is it life-threatening. It is quite common and can occur at any age. A third of all adults report some tinnitus.

The history of tinnitus

In 1953 two researchers called Heller and Bergman put a group of young, healthy students in a soundproofed room. None of them had reported tinnitus or hearing loss. They were then asked to record what they could hear. Although none of them could hear any external sounds, nearly all of them reported hearing sounds and noises - the same as those reported by people with tinnitus. This shows that in the right environment many people can experience the sounds of tinnitus.

In 1987 the MRC Institute of Hearing Research based in Nottingham carried out a study into the prevalence of tinnitus. They found that:

In 2007 RNID carried out some research which found that one in seven people in the UK have experienced tinnitus. Read the press release about this tinnitus research.

The mechanics of tinnitus

To fully understand how tinnitus occurs, an understanding of the "hearing pathway" is useful. Read our explanation of how the ear works. 

The hearing pathway has a complex filtering system, which allows you to 'tune in' to sounds that have meaning to you and 'filter out' sounds that are not important to you. This system works all the time and stops you being bombarded with sound. Your brain also has systems that respond to the meaning of sound and help influence the way you filter it. Together these filters and response systems help to control how you react to sound. For example, if you hear your name at a party you will tune in to hear what is being said about you. This is because the sound of your name has lots of meaning for you.

Your hearing pathway, your filters and your sound response systems are all involved when you hear tinnitus. Firstly, a tinnitus signal is present, usually in your inner ear or the auditory nerve, but it could be anywhere within the hearing pathway. This is usually very weak and most people don’t notice it. However, if you become aware of tinnitus, this means your filters have started to pick up this signal. If you become anxious or annoyed by your tinnitus then your sound response systems will tune your filters into it and you will start to hear it more.  The good news is that your filters and sound response systems can be taught to ignore the tinnitus signal- this process is called 'habituation'.