What Is Tinnitus?

The senses we have were made so that we can all enjoy life at its fullest. We see the beauty of a sunset, smell the crisp scent of woodsmoke and we can hear the trill of birds or the sounds of our favorite music.

But for some people, there’s a condition that can interfere with or rob them of the joy of listening to their favorite sounds. It can also rob them of many of life’s pleasures. That condition is tinnitus.

What is tinnitus? Tinnitus is hearing a sound inside your ear when the sound doesn’t exist outside of your ear. The definition for the word tinnitus means ringing. But it’s not always limited to ringing.

People who suffer with tinnitus might hear a variety of noises including ringing or buzzing or a high-pitched whine in their ear.

Millions of people struggle with tinnitus and the condition often affects just one ear, but can be in both.

In some rare cases, the patient has a medical condition, which is cause behind the tinnitus.

Often called phantom noises because they can’t be heard outside the ear, the sound these noises give off can range from a dull, annoying buzz to a sharp, high-pitched whining noise.

For the cases that are dull and merely annoying, the tinnitus is more easily ignored. But some cases of tinnitus can reach the point where the noise can make it hard to get any work done.

The noise in the ear can reach such a pitch that it can cause you to miss parts of conversations around you or interrupt any activity that requires listening. Some of these cases can quickly become intolerable.

Tinnitus can be chronic and ongoing, in which case it doesn’t ever let up. However, tinnitus can also be transient or temporary and only show up unexpectedly at random times.

There can be reasons behind any sudden onset of the condition - and that occurs when auditory signals processed by the brain fail to properly translate the signal.

Any tinnitus that suddenly appears after a virus should be checked out by a doctor.

The symptoms of tinnitus can vary and no two people will report the exact same symptoms, but most people who have the condition report hearing a low pitched buzzing sound or hissing.

People with tinnitus can also hear roaring or a whistling sound like the high-pitched noise a teakettle can give off.


The high-pitched ringing appears to be the most common sound.

Many people also get the feeling that something is lodged in or clogging the ear, making hearing more difficult.

Stress and Tinnitus

Stress is something we all have to live with. It’s how we deal with what goes on in our lives that matters. Stress can be associated with both good and bad events.

For example, celebrating the birth of a child or making a move to a new state can both be happy events.

But even happy events can cause stress - and the stress associated with life changes affect our physical selves.

Any stress you experience has a reaction inside your body. Stress raises the blood pressure and makes the heart work harder at ordinary tasks.

Stress can cause stomach problems and problems concentrating. Stress can also cause us to lose sleep, which affects our health and can worsen any physical ailments.

People who have tinnitus deal with a different level of stress because stress can ratchet up their symptoms.

Since tinnitus can be a chronic condition, it can lead to feeling depressed that their tinnitus will never go away.

Stress can cause people with tinnitus to lose sleep – and this compounds the stress because insomnia makes the condition worse.

Stress interacts with tinnitus in a negative way. One of the ways it interacts is by causing the ringing (or other sounds) in the ear to last longer and rise in frequency of noise level.

For people who live with tinnitus, stress management techniques are a must have.

If you do have the condition, to lessen the stress in your life, learn techniques that can minimize or eliminate the fallout from the stress. This will include things like meditation or yoga.

Both of these teach people the art of relaxing and letting go. Yoga helps lower feelings of anxiety and it helps level out your blood pressure.

Another stress relieving technique is to verbally release any of the anxieties you feel in any area of life.

Share your anxieties with someone trained in the art of stress management, such as a therapist.

Taking steady, deep breaths can help patients learn how to exhale the stress and relax. Some people with tinnitus use hypnosis sessions as a way of dealing with the condition.

Getting physical with exercise helps the body with circulation. It can improve poor blood flow, which has been linked to tinnitus symptoms.

Exercise can also help you get a good night’s sleep so you get the rest your body needs.

If you’ve discovered that your tinnitus is suddenly worse than what it used to be, examine your life for any areas of stress and deal with them quickly so you can get back to enjoying your life and all of the sounds that come with it.

Learn more about your health online when you read the rest of our information here about: Ear and Hearing Health - free online guide and also download the free health report available there!

Warren Tattersall has been a full time nutritional consultant for over a decade and works with people all over the world to help them improve their health, increase their personal energy levels and to use supplements to assist with diet related health issues.

Just send him a note on the form here - Contact Us - to request a personal no obligation one-on-one consultation with Warren

New order website for Australian customers:

For all the subscribers that don't want to talk to anyone, just want to buy their products direct, I'm creating these websites that process orders for you once you register with them.


The Australia GoHerbalifeSite is the first one completed, other countries will come along soon...
Australian customers: Click this link or tap on the banner below to check it out and get registered to place your orders... and remember your 15% discount code: HLIntro15




Did you find this post fun, informative and useful? If so, please share it with others!

If you have a comment, question or suggestion, please leave a comment below!