You can retrain the brain

Tinnitus is not classed as an illness in itself, but a symptom of a hearing problem.

It is believed the auditory cortex – the part of the brain where sound is processed – malfunctions, causing the person to hear a noise that does not have an external source.

Tinnitus is more common in the over-65s and hearing loss is the most common trigger. It’s thought that the less sound a person hears, the more they focus on perceived noises.

The auditory nerves can be damaged by exposure to a loud noise or an ear infection.

One treatment is called tinnitus retraining therapy, through which a sufferer learns mental tricks to ‘filter out’ unwanted sounds.