MemberMy interest was sparked by another thread discussing silence. I decided to see if I could find other people's descriptions of it as I have long forgotten what it is that we "hear" as silence. I found a discussion on Reddit amongst a bunch of normal people and found it fascinating. It really shows how many people have ringing and don't even mention it. A lot assume it's normal. I think the 10% figure that gets floated around may possibly be a little on the low side, mainly due to under reporting of tinnitus symptoms. Just talking to friends and family a while back was a shock, because a lot of people told me they had ringing too. Some were clearly quite bad as well. I've taken some quotes to list here but I'll add the link at the bottom. I recommend reading through it as the answers vary so much, it really shows the hidden world of people's personal perception of silence.
Here's some quotes:
"I didn't notice that I heard it. Now that you have pointed it out, that is all I can hear. Thanks."
"This is exactly like when someone points out the crackling noise you hear when you swallow.
You're welcome"
"Or that your tongue is sitting uncomfortably in your mouth"
"Everyone is suggesting Tinnitus, but does that mean that there are people who don't hear anything in silence?
I have always heard a high-pitched noise, my entire life, and have talked about it with other people. I have never met anyone who didn't hear it. As far as I'm aware I've never met any of the criteria for "cuasing" Tinnitus.
I've always just figured it was, like, the subtle electrical interference of your brain working, or something."
"I've had this as long as I can remember and constantly. I don't listen to headphones or spend time in noisy environments. I can hear it now over the noise of my fan. I've heard it mentioned in literature (fiction), but can't remember specifically where. Seem to remember it described as an "open" signal
For me it sometimes gets louder, but the pitch never changes.
One thing I remembered: If I push my lower jaw back, the pitch goes up."
"It is tinnitus. Everyone has it to some degree from the day they are born. The type of tinnitus you are thinking of is just a worsening of the ringing you naturally have so you can always hear it even when not in silence.
Source: I had the worsened version for almost a year, it was very annoying..."
"I strongly believe tinnitus is becoming the norm. I don't have a source for it, but something like 10% of people have reported having tinnitus. As for those that go unreported due to assuming it's normal...I expect that number to be very high, although that's clearly just speculation.
Bottom line, OP, it's nothing to be concerned about. As others have suggested, get a fan to turn on while you sleep (and while you work, if you so desire). I've had tinnitus since I was quite young, and I've always just kept music on. Also, as a precaution, I highly recommend getting a set of fitted ear plugs for loud situations (concerts, being around loud machinery, etc). You won't need them often, but they can come in handy."
Read the rest here:
https://m.reddit.com/r/explainlikei.../eli5_what_is_the_ringing_noise_we_hear_when/
Here's some quotes:
"I didn't notice that I heard it. Now that you have pointed it out, that is all I can hear. Thanks."
"This is exactly like when someone points out the crackling noise you hear when you swallow.
You're welcome"
"Or that your tongue is sitting uncomfortably in your mouth"
"Everyone is suggesting Tinnitus, but does that mean that there are people who don't hear anything in silence?
I have always heard a high-pitched noise, my entire life, and have talked about it with other people. I have never met anyone who didn't hear it. As far as I'm aware I've never met any of the criteria for "cuasing" Tinnitus.
I've always just figured it was, like, the subtle electrical interference of your brain working, or something."
"I've had this as long as I can remember and constantly. I don't listen to headphones or spend time in noisy environments. I can hear it now over the noise of my fan. I've heard it mentioned in literature (fiction), but can't remember specifically where. Seem to remember it described as an "open" signal
For me it sometimes gets louder, but the pitch never changes.
One thing I remembered: If I push my lower jaw back, the pitch goes up."
"It is tinnitus. Everyone has it to some degree from the day they are born. The type of tinnitus you are thinking of is just a worsening of the ringing you naturally have so you can always hear it even when not in silence.
Source: I had the worsened version for almost a year, it was very annoying..."
"I strongly believe tinnitus is becoming the norm. I don't have a source for it, but something like 10% of people have reported having tinnitus. As for those that go unreported due to assuming it's normal...I expect that number to be very high, although that's clearly just speculation.
Bottom line, OP, it's nothing to be concerned about. As others have suggested, get a fan to turn on while you sleep (and while you work, if you so desire). I've had tinnitus since I was quite young, and I've always just kept music on. Also, as a precaution, I highly recommend getting a set of fitted ear plugs for loud situations (concerts, being around loud machinery, etc). You won't need them often, but they can come in handy."
Read the rest here:
https://m.reddit.com/r/explainlikei.../eli5_what_is_the_ringing_noise_we_hear_when/
