LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Tinnitus: Sounds
built 314 days ago
Tinnitus (head noise) is a common and annoying experience. There are some 50 million Americans who experience it. Tinnitus may be a steady, constant sound or may come and go. It may be soft or loud and may sound like a ringing, buzzing, hissing or something else. Typically, only the individual with tinnitus can hear it, but there are rare types that can ... be heard by others. There was a study done in the 1950's where normally hearing individuals who had no complaints of tinnitus were placed in a sound treated booth and asked to report what they heard. About 94% of them described hearing sounds described similarly to those identified by persons complaining of tinnitus. Thus, under the right conditions and when asked to focus on the issue, most people are able to detect internally generated noises.
Source:
Tinnitus is a perception of sound in the absence of an acoustic stimulus. The sound may be a buzzing, ringing, roaring, whistling, or hissing, or it may involve more complex sounds that vary over time. Tinnitus may be intermittent, continuous, or pulsatile (synchronous with the heartbeat). An associated hearing loss with tinnitus is usually present.
Source:
Tinnitus affects an estimated 50 million adults in the United States. For most people the condition is merely an annoyance by the buzzing, chirping, clanging, hissing, ringing, roaring, tinkling, or whistling sounds. In severe cases... tinnitus can cause people to have difficulty concentrating and sleeping. It may eventually interfere with work and personal relationships, resulting in psychological distress. About 12 million people seek medical help for severe tinnitus every year.
Source:
Tinnitus must always be thought of as a symptom and not a disease, just as pain in the arm or leg is a symptom and not a disease. Because the function of the auditory (hearing) nerve is to carry sound, when it is irritated from any cause the brain interprets this impulse as a noise. This phenomenon is similar to the sensation nerves elsewhere. If one pinches the skin, it hurts because the nerves stimulated carry pain sensation.
Source:
Tinnitus can be masked by competing sounds, such as low-level music, ticking clocks, or other noises. Tinnitus is often more noticeable when you go to bed at night because your surroundings are quieter. Any noise in the room, like a humidifier, white noise machine, or dishwasher, can help mask tinnitus and make it less irritating.
Source:
Tinnitus is classified as any sounds heard in the head or ears that are not externally produced. People who have tinnitus hear a constant noise, often a ringing sound, though tinnitus may ... create roaring, hissing, chirping, or other sounds. The severity of tinnitus can vary widely – it may be barely noticeable, or it may be a constant annoyance.
Source:
MORE ABOUT
Sounds