Do Certain Tinnitus Sounds Correspond to Certain Physiological Causes?

Hil

Member
Author
Feb 9, 2016
73
Tinnitus Since
11/2015
I know there are so many different types of tinnitus sounds people get, and I was wondering if there's any connection between certain sounds and the physiological source of the sound.

For example, I know some tinnitus is due to problems with the nerves, maybe a compressed nerve or something like that. Would tinnitus due to that tend have a particular sound, or could it be different for everyone?

Looking at it from the sound standpoint, some people have, say, a low rumbling sound. Would there be dozens of different possible causes for that sound, or are there only just a few?

Have any correlations been made between types of sounds and their sources, or is it all just different from person to person?
 
That's a good question. For some types, like pulsate tinnitus that follows your heartbeat it's pretty obvious. Others, I do wonder about. In general tonal tinnitus is thought to be an (inappropriate) brain response to a loss of auditory input, be it damaged hair cells or damaged nerves.

One thing I keep wondering is the difference between 'ear' tinnitus and 'head' tinnitus. I have experienced both and both are distinctly different. The head tinnitus for me is the loudest and the one that never fluctuates at all. Does that mean it's centralized? I don't know.
I asked about it here: https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/tinnitus-hub-talk-survey-results.14295/
The data does not show a strong correlation between how long a person has had tinnitus and whether they perceive it in their ears or in their head. There does, however, seem to be a trend for people to develop tinnitus in both ears the longer they've had it.

I think these surveys are a great tool, and something we could use to help give a better understanding of the different types of tinnitus.
 
Hi, @Hil,

I found an interesting article about this from the Mayo Clinic, identifying possible causes for certain tinnitus sounds:
http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/tinnitus/diagnosis-treatment/diagnosis/dxc-20180390

I have high-pitched tinnitus myself, and I do have some hearing loss in my tinnitus ear. This article does seem to go along with that.

Your question is very interesting, and I'd like to hear about other people's tinnitus, and the sounds they hear.

Apart from the issues listed there, a vestibular schwannoma normally causes high-frequency hearing loss and T, often only in one ear (although you might get one on both sides).

As far as I know, most people have a T with ~4kHz.
 
Hil, old post but did you find any more information on what was causing yours? I have the tonal morse like sound too (I relate mine to multiple car alarms)
 

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