There are basically only three main causes of ringing in the ears. In actual fact, the sounds folks actually hear differ from person to person, and also in the same individual at different times. It can sound like waterfall-like sounds, roaring, buzzing, hissing, whistling, rushing etc.

The 3 main causes of ringing in the ears (tinnitus) are (in order of commonness):

• Cochlea Damage Tinnitus - this is "medical talk" for ringing in the ears because of damage caused by loud sounds (the small bones in our ear cannot tell between our favourite music blasted in through a headset and environmental noise such as working in a factory with inadequate ear protection!) - this causes ringing in the ears (tinnitus) in 80 to 85% of cases.

Prevention is obviously better than cure! Steer clear of prolonged exposure to any loud sounds. Make certain you do not play music too hard and wear the correct ear protection if you work in a noisy surroundings. This type of ringing in the ears (tinnitus) increases over time - this means that the first time you've been to a really loud party, the ringing in the ears may fade away by itself after a while, but every time it happens, further damage is done to your ears, until it could become irreversible!

• Stress is known to cause ringing in the ears in 8% to 10% of tinnitus cases.

In this instance it's really a part of the brain (the hypothalamus) is the cause of ringing in the ears. When we are exposed to severe stress over a long time, our hypothalamus might stop create certain essential trace elements that our body requires to work properly.

Although, in our social order, stress is unavoidable, there are varous systems we can employ to diminish its negative effect on ourselves. For example, journalling, meditation etc.

• Chronic Sinusitis or Hay Fever causes ringing in the ears in approximately five percent of tinnitus cases.

This is the most avoidable causes of ringing in the ears. Frequently the drugs prescribed for sinusitis and hay fever cause a thick fluid build up at the back of the ear drum. All that is called for is to have that fluid drained and your issue is solved.

If none of the above causes of ringing in the ears pertains to you, then you should visit your medical practitioner for a thorough and full physical exam. Sometimes a fatty deposit develops in the carotid artery (the principal artery taking blood to your head) and that could also be the reason for tinnitus. Very rarely (and only if the ringing is confined to only one ear) a tumour might be the cause.

Ok, so you have investigated all the causes of ringing in the ears (tinnitus); you've gone to your doctor who has found nothing actually amiss and informed you to "just live with it" - what do you do now?