For many patients who visit South Florida ENT Associates (SFENTA), tinnitus typically begins as a faint ringing that is most noticeable in quiet rooms or at the end of a long day. Over time, that sound can grow louder, shifting from a background hum to a constant companion. With more than 30 years of experience and a network of over 50 board-certified otolaryngologists, SFENTA’s ENT Doctors have helped thousands of South Floridians understand and manage this condition, which can sound different from one person to the next.
What Is Tinnitus?
Tinnitus is not a disease in itself, but a symptom, an internal perception of sound without an external source. It can affect one or both ears, appear intermittently or continuously, and vary widely in pitch and intensity.
There are two broad types of tinnitus:
- Subjective tinnitus is a condition that is only heard by the patient, often resulting from problems in the auditory pathway, including the outer, middle, or inner ear, the cochlear nerve, or the brain's auditory centers. Damage to the tiny hair cells in the cochlea can cause abnormal neural activity, which the brain interprets as sound.
- Objective tinnitus is rare and can be detected by clinicians using specialized instruments. It's often caused by vascular abnormalities, muscle spasms, or changes in the middle ear bones that create audible noise.
Because tinnitus can arise from such a wide range of medical causes, such as:
- Age-related hearing loss
- Noise exposure
- Earwax impaction
- Blood vessel disorders
- Temporomandibular joint dysfunction (TMJ)
Common Ways People Describe Tinnitus
Because tinnitus isn’t a fixed, external noise, its “sound” can vary widely. Here are common descriptions and what they might suggest:
| Description | What Many People Use | Possible Underlying Clue |
|---|---|---|
| Ringing (like a bell or tone) | Probably the most frequent descriptor | Often linked to cochlear or auditory-nerve involvement |
| Buzzing/humming / electrical | A “bee buzz,” continuous hum, or electrical crackle | It could be due to nerve irritation, background noise interference, or metabolic causes |
| Hissing / whooshing | Like air flowing, wind, or static | Might reflect vascular or Eustachian tube involvement |
| Roaring / low roar | Deep, rumbling, or distant | Sometimes connected to lower-frequency inner ear or bone conduction components |
| Clicking / pulsatile (in sync with heartbeat) | Clicking or “thump-thump” | Could suggest objective or vascular causes (like blood flow noises) |
| Musical/tonal fragments | Snippets of melody, tones, or harmonics | Rare, but documented (called musical hallucinations) |
Other patients report static, ocean waves, cricket-like chirps, or a mix of tones. Some tinnitus sounds are low and steady; others fluctuate over time, with changes in stress or body position.
It may feel like the sound is in one ear, both ears, or inside your head, and its pitch may range from very low to extremely high.
In some cases, tinnitus is intermittent, only coming at certain times; in others, it's constant.
Your description of what you hear—tone, rhythm, intensity, location, and triggers—is crucial for diagnosing tinnitus. These details help your ENT determine whether the issue originates from the ear, the surrounding areas, or how your brain processes sound.
What Different Descriptions Can Signal
- High-pitched ringing or squealing is often linked to cochlear damage or hearing-loss related tinnitus
- Pulsatile or clicking sounds, especially if in time with your pulse, may suggest vascular causes or blood-flow anomalies
- Roaring or hum-like tinnitus might implicate bone/conductive pathways or more diffuse inner ear dysfunction
- Sounds that change with head, neck, or jaw movement can suggest a somatosensory or cranial origin of tinnitus
When to Schedule an ENT Assessment with South Florida ENT Associates
If you experience tinnitus that:
- Persists beyond a few days without improvement
- Worsens or intensifies
- Is pulsatile, clicking, or rhythmic
- Comes with hearing changes, dizziness, fullness, or pressure
- Is disturbing your sleep, concentration, or quality of life
…then a specialist evaluation is warranted.
At SFENTA, we believe tinnitus deserves more than masking — we believe in getting to the root cause, combining diagnostic clarity with personalized treatment options and symptom management strategies. Contact us today to book your consultation.
