What is this thing called tinnitus in our heads?

According to the Mayo Clinic, Tinnitus is "when you experience ringing or other noises in one or both of your ears. The noise you hear when you have tinnitus isn't caused by an external sound, and other people usually can't hear it." As a practicing audiologist, I have seen countless cases of tinnitus. Often, the ringing is related to inner ear damage caused by an over exposure to loud noises. Most individuals that I have seen have had a history of working around loud machinery, construction equipment, playing live music professionally or have some sort of military background. As a professional who also lives with tinnitus, I will be sharing my personal experience in upcoming posts and video blogs. 

But doc, what if I have it and have never had that kind of exposure?

Tinnitus is a tricky thing. However, there is a lot of research coming out and we are learning that there are many other causes. For example, age related hearing...