What is that continuous tone in your head?

[Richard N]

This might sound a little weird, but have you ever noticed that there is a tone in your head that is really high pitched and can be easily heard when your in a very quiet room (or just going to sleep). It isn't annoying in any way, but it never disappears, sometimes the tone changes pitch slightly as well. Any clues?

 

[robert b]

This is tinnitus. It's a condition that I have to live with all the time. You can get this noise occurring if there is a small drop of moisture lodged in a delicate part of your ear, in which case the noise will disappear when this goes. Tinnitus can be caused by damaging your ears with loud noise - a disco maybe. It can be caused by ageing. You can just ignore it and teach your brain to take no notice. Because you mentioned it I can now hear the loud whistle. Before that I wasn't aware of it. Isn't the brain an amazing thing.

 

[gatordawg99]

Yes. It's called "tinnitus." And, not everyone has it - only people suffering from "tinnitus" have it. It's very common however, and usually caused by scar tissue on the inner ear. It's a very benign condition in most people who have it, but for some the ringing is so constant, and so loud, that it becomes intolerable and renders them practically deaf. If you notice that yours begins to increase in severity, you should see a doctor. However, it is most likely that you will just continue to experience it the way you do now for the rest of your life.