Tinnitus is the perception of sound when no external sound is there. People describe it as ringing, hissing, buzzing, whooshing, or roaring; it can be constant or come and go, faint or intrusive.
It is common. A 2022 meta-analysis in JAMA Neurology estimated that around 14% of adults worldwide experience it, and for a smaller share it is severe enough to affect sleep, concentration, and mood.1
How it relates to hearing loss
Tinnitus often accompanies hearing loss, and its pitch frequently sits near the frequencies where hearing is worst. A common explanation is that when the ear stops sending signals in a frequency range, the auditory system turns up its own sensitivity there — and fills the silence with activity of its own.
That's why the simulator's default tinnitus is at 4 kHz, the frequency most affected by noise.
In the simulator
Turn on Tinnitus under any profile and a steady tone is added on top of the processed sound, at the pitch and loudness you choose. Because it sits on top of everything, it partially masks real sounds near its pitch — try it with the Birdsong sample and a 4–6 kHz tone.
Getting help
There is no single cure, but there is a lot that helps: treating any hearing loss (hearing aids often reduce tinnitus), sound therapy, and cognitive behavioral therapy for the distress it causes.2 Tinnitus in only one ear, tinnitus that pulses with your heartbeat, or tinnitus that arrives with sudden hearing loss or dizziness should be checked by a doctor.
Sources
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C. M. Jarach et al., "Global prevalence and incidence of tinnitus: a systematic review and meta-analysis," JAMA Neurology 79, no. 9 (2022): 888–900. ↩
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D. E. Tunkel et al., Clinical practice guideline: tinnitus, American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery Foundation (2014). ↩