Ringing in the ears is what experts say tinnitus, a condition in which a person perceives noises without apparent external source. Many people hear ringing tone in one or both ears. However, other tinnitus can have different qualities of noise heard. While some hear continuous tones, some hear intermittent noises. There is no exact explanation to answer why different sufferers hear different sounds of tinnitus. 

Ringing or hissing noise may be usually due to noise-induced cochlear damage. Damage from prolonged exposures to loud noises causes some of the most annoying tinnitus. Most of us do not know that bad habits like playing music too loud or staying in disco pubs almost every night can be bad to the hearing.  

The inner ear is very sensitive to loud noises because it is in this part of the ear where the delicate tissues are. When you are frequently exposed to excessive noise, the hair cells in the cochlea sustain gradual damage. As more hair cells become injured, the impairment becomes more apparent. This damage is irreversible, which means that once destroyed, cochlear hair cells no longer function normally. 

Damaged hair cells send random signals. These fired signals become interpreted by the brain as sound. That is one logical explanation. However, other neuroscientists believe that neural pathways within the brain may have something to do about this problem. Indeed some studies have shown over active neural responses at certain spots in the brain believed to have caused tinnitus. 

Ear specialists suggest that whatever sounds of tinnitus you hear, you must be evaluated by a certified medical expert especially if you are trying to determine the culprit or trying a medication. Self diagnosis and self medication are not recommended as always. 

Certain tests will be conducted to check the health of your ears. Otoscopy may reveal what is inside the ear canal. Sometimes an earwax accumulation can cause conductive hearing loss and tinnitus. An eardrum perforation can cause some of the most disconcerting ear impairment symptoms like earache and hearing loss, though temporarily. 

The frequency and loudness of your tinnitus is checked, too. This is to ensure you will be fitted with the right masking device that emits enough intensity of white noise, whose frequency matches those of tinnitus. When an ear exam reveals hearing loss of some degree, hearing aids may best be ordered to let patients as normally as possible. These fitting devices may drown tinnitus noise by making ambient noise louder. 

The sounds of tinnitus are internal in origin. In most cases, having this condition means you could be experiencing an underlying disorder. This is why you need to be checked by a physician.