https://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/tinnitus
I have it, mostly from hunting without ear pro. I dont always notice it, but its always there. Its usually mostly noticeable when im going to bed at night,when scuba diving, or when on a plane and I havent cleared by ears.
OR if/when i have headphones that create a seal in my ear, like the silicon earbuds that create, which is why you can hear yourself chewing/swallowing. Its a main reason i don't wear those types of earphones.
Tinnitus is always there, its permanent. But it just may be noticeable under certain conditions or circumstances.
There are many different sub-categories of tinnitus, including the type you describe that results from permanent hearing damage.
However, there are other causes of tinnitus that can come and go, or be worsened by different conditions. Some people have tinnitus that changes volume by clenching their jaw, for example.
Classic subjective tinnitus is thought to be similar to phantom limb syndrome, where the patient experiences sensory inputs that are not actually present.
There is even a category called Objective Tinnitus, which is tinnitus that an external observer can hear (with the right tools). This is usually caused by strange blood flow patterns or muscle spasms.
Normally I don't hear anything, but that could be because it's below the threshold that I'd notice it at.
Anyways: people with definitely good hearing, do you hear ringing when you clench your jaw?
Only mentioning to say check that too if you’re checking for jaw-clench ringing
I don't get this. Tinnitus is a ringing in my ears. When I don't notice it, it's not there.
Maybe you're saying that if it's being caused by some physical damage in the ear then that damage is still there. Sure, but it doesn't seem like that's always a component. From your link:
> Although we hear tinnitus in our ears, its source is really in the networks of brain cells (what scientists call neural circuits) that make sense of the sounds our ears hear. A way to think about tinnitus is that it often begins in the ear, but it continues in the brain.
Personally, I develop tinnitus any time I take a vacation, or if I'm consistent with meditation practice. But when my brain is instead constantly active, it's totally absent.
It's there, you're just not noticing it. It may be more correct to say "When I don't notice it, it's not a problem". A bad analogy might be the noise of cars at night if you live in a city. Eventually, you get to the point where you don't notice it most of the time; it's not a problem. That doesn't mean the noise isn't there, just that it's not a problem for you.
Tinnitus is the damage and noise it causes. This can be annoying, but the fact that it's not annoying sometimes doesn't mean it's not there; you're just ignoring it.
Caveat: It is possible to damped/stop the noise caused by tinnitus for periods of time. Generally, this is done by "distracting" your brain in some way.
For those of us that have it (mine is chronic), there is no difference between "I don't notice it" and "it's not there". We can debate semantics, but when I say "it", referring to tinnitus, I mean "it" to be "me noticing the noise". The noise IS "IT". If I don't notice it, it isn't there. It's not like /I/ don't notice it but someone else can, proving its existence.
However my point is, just because some may become aware of their tinnitus when wearing say...AirPods Pro, that doesn’t mean they are the cause. I would notice it with those just as I would with the silicon earbuds that come with Roku remotes. But don’t notice it with my regular AirPods.
There are times it’s worse for me. Like when I’m stressed and times it’s suppressed, like when my adrenaline is pumping. And there are times when it’s more noticeable, like when it’s dark and quiet and my primary senses are dampened.
But regardless I would be part of that % of the population that has tinnitus.
And just because it’s noticeable with x device doesn’t mean that’s the cause.
OK, but I believe in this situation, there is no physical sound, unlike if a tree falls in the woods. It's an auditory hallucination. A visual hallucination isn't there if I don't see it, and neither is an auditory hallucination.
FWIW I think we're largely in agreement. I described that I can gain tinnitus at-will by meditating, but I wouldn't say meditation causes tinnitus. And I can certainly see the AirPod/tinnitus connection being of the same nature - nothing with the physical hearing systems at all and instead a consequence of a change in the mind - even though I wouldn't say tinnitus is "always there".
Edit: sorry, I see about a million people are saying similar thing and have a lot of discussion under them.
I think people without tinnitus are having the normal symptoms associated with use of noise cancelling headphones. Those symptoms admittedly can be pretty nasty including sinus headaches and ringing in the ears.
> You may hear these sounds in 1 or both ears, or in your head. They may come and go, or you might hear them all the time.
