what is tinnitus?

tinnitus

is an auditory impairment where a person hears a phantom sound in their head when there's no external auditory stimulus to produce the sound. It's often described as a ringing in the ears. It can be heard in a single, or both ears at various volumes, and pitches.

Tinnitus can be acute or chronic. Acute tinnitus is temporary, something often experienced after being exposed to acoustic trauma (like a loud concert). Chronic is permanent, a never ending sound in your head attributed to various causes. Currently, there's no cure available. For the person with chronic tinnitus, an invasive sound lives in the head making it impossible to experience silence.