The most obvious symptom of tinnitus is the sound you hear in your ears. These sounds are not coming from any external source — if someone else stands right next to you, they would hear nothing. That’s because the sound is being generated from inside your ears or brain.
The noise you hear in your ears when you have tinnitus may include the following:
- Ringing
- Buzzing
- Hissing
- Whistling
- Clicking
If you are not sure that what you are hearing is tinnitus, the American Tinnitus Association has a sound sample. If you listen to it with some headphones and it sounds very similar to what you hear, there is a very good chance you have tinnitus.
With tinnitus, the severity of the noise can vary. You can hear it one ear or in both ears. The volume can be very subtle so you barely notice it, but it can also be so loud you can’t focus on hearing anything else. The pitch of the noise may vary from a low roar to a high-pitched screech.