Have you ever heard a faint ringing in your ears when everything around you is silent? Or thought someone called your name when no one was there? If yes, then you’re definitely not alone.
These are examples of phantom sounds. These are noises that your brain creates without any external source. For some people, they come and go. For others, they’re constant.
Let's together explore two common forms of phantom sound: tinnitus and auditory hallucinations. They may sound unusual, but they’re more common than you think. And they tell us a lot about how the brain processes sound, even when no sound actually exists.
We’ll look at what causes these experiences, how they affect people, and what science has discovered about why they happen.
Because sometimes, the silence isn’t really silent at all.
The Most Common Phantom Sound
Tinnitus is when you hear a sound that isn’t coming from the outside world. People describe it as ringing, buzzing, humming, or even hissing. It’s not a disease, it’s more of a symptom, and it’s indeed the most common type of phantom sound.
What Is Tinnitus?
Tinnitus happens when the brain creates the illusion of sound. In most cases, it’s subjective. That means that only the person experiencing it can hear it. Much rarer is objective tinnitus, where a doctor can also detect the sound, often caused by blood flow or muscle movement in the ear.
There’s no single sound or volume; it can be soft, loud, high-pitched, or low. For some people, it fades in and out throughout the day. For others, it’s constant and deeply distressing and annoying.
What Causes It?
Tinnitus has many possible causes:
- Hearing loss, especially age-related or noise-induced
- Loud noise exposure, like concerts or industrial work
- Ear infections, wax build-up, or injury
- Stress and anxiety
- Certain medications, like high doses of aspirin or antibiotics
What these triggers have in common is that they reduce or distort the input the brain receives from the ear. In response, the brain “fills in the gaps” by creating sound.
Researchers believe this is related to neuroplasticity - the brain’s ability to reorganize and adapt. When normal input from the ear is disrupted, the brain may “turn up the volume” in the auditory cortex to compensate.
How Common Is It?
Tinnitus is more common than many people actually think. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), it affects over 740 million people globally, and about 120 million experience it as a chronic and condition that bothers them daily. That’s nearly 1 in 10 people worldwide, quite a lot, right?
It’s most common in adults over 50 but can affect anyone, including young people exposed to loud noise, which is getting more and more common nowadays.
How the Brain Creates Sound Without Sound
Unfortunately, tinnitus is a brain "issue". Even when the ears are damaged or no longer sending clear sound signals, the brain stays active at all times. It tries to compensate for the missing input. This can lead to the perception of sound that isn’t actually there.
Brain Plasticity and Auditory Gaps
When you lose part of your hearing, whether it being from aging, loud noise, or injuries, the brain doesn’t go silent. Instead, it tries to fill in the gaps. It increases activity in the auditory cortex - the part of the brain that processes sound. This is known as central gain. Imagine turning up the volume on your stereo when a song is playing softly. That’s what the brain does when it senses reduced input. It starts to turn the system up, but by doing so, it can start creating sound on its own, fascinating.
The Auditory Cortex on Overdrive
Brain scans support this. People with tinnitus often show abnormal patterns of neural activity in their auditory cortex. Some areas become overactive, while others malfunction. Studies using fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging) have shown that even in complete silence, the auditory brain areas of people with tinnitus “light up,” as if real sounds were being played.
This idea is similar to phantom limb syndrome, where a person feels pain or sensations in a limb that has been amputated. The brain continues to send signals, even when the physical source is gone. With tinnitus, the ears might not be working properly, but the brain continues producing the sound it expects to hear.
This also explains why hearing aids can sometimes help. By restoring more normal input to the brain, they reduce the need for the brain to “invent” sound. In many cases, this can make tinnitus less noticeable or even cause it to fade entirely.
Auditory Hallucinations
Tinnitus is usually a simple sound, such as a hum, buzz, or high-pitched tone in our ears. But some people hear complex phantom sounds, like voices, music, or conversations. These are called auditory hallucinations. They are not the same as tinnitus and often have very different causes.
Beyond Simple Sounds
Auditory hallucinations involve hearing structured, meaningful sounds. A common example is hearing someone speak when no one is there. Some people hear music playing in the background or specific phrases being repeated. These sounds feel real and often seem to come from outside the head, even though there is no real source.
Unlike tinnitus, which tends to be neutral or annoying, auditory hallucinations often have emotional content. They may be comforting, disturbing, or confusing. In many cases, the brain is creating full sensory experiences that seem tied to memory, fear, or belief.
Who Experiences Them?
These hallucinations are most known in psychiatric conditions like schizophrenia or severe depression, where voices may be frequent, loud, and distressing. However, they also occur in people without a real diagnosed mental illness.
They can happen during grief, especially shortly after losing a loved one, for example. Some people hear the voice of the person they’ve lost. Others hear them say a final goodbye, or one they never got a chance to say. These experiences are often described as vivid and emotionally intense, but are not usually signs of mental illness.
People who are sleep-deprived, traumatised, have epilepsy, or are on the verge of waking up or falling asleep can also hear things that aren't there. This is a state known as hypnagogia. In certain circumstances, the brain becomes exhausted or overstimulated, resulting in the production of sounds that do not exist.
There is a study that showed that up to 10% of people in the general population experience some form of auditory hallucination in their lifetime, often briefly and without illness. This shows that the line between “normal” and “abnormal” perception isn’t always as clear as we believe.
Creating Healthier Sound Environments
Whether you have tinnitus, struggle to concentrate, or are just overwhelmed by noise, your surroundings have a significant impact on how your brain processes sound. Many people are unaware of how much the acoustic quality of a place influences their tension, concentration, and mental health.
How Sound Shapes Our State of Mind
The brain is constantly processing sound, even when you're not paying attention. In rooms with echo, reverberation, or background noise, your brain has to work harder to filter out what doesn’t matter, which can lead to you feeling more tired faster. This can also increase mental fatigue and make conditions like tinnitus feel worse.
On the other hand, a quiet and well-balanced spaces allow your auditory system to relax. Less noise means less effort. It helps your brain focus on important sounds, like speech or music, without straining your senses.
The Role of Acoustic Panels
One way to improve your sound environment is by using acoustic panels. These materials absorb excess sound reflections in a room. That means less echo, clearer speech, and a more comfortable space. Places such as homes, offices, therapy rooms, or studios, and more can be treated.
They're not limited to professionals or musicians. Acoustic panels can help anyone who needs a more relaxed, concentrated environment. Perhaps you work from home, have sensory sensitivities, or simply want some peace and quiet after a long day.
This is about creating the kind of space where your brain doesn’t have to fight to hear clearly. That small shift can make a big difference.
How Do You Treat Phantom Sounds?
Better acoustics can reduce stress and ease the mental strain of unwanted noise. Many people dealing with tinnitus or auditory hallucinations need more structured support. The good news is that phantom sounds can often be managed, even if they can’t be completely treated.
Managing Tinnitus
As we know, there is no one-size-fits-all solution for tinnitus, but several approaches can help reduce its impact.
- Sound therapy uses background noise, like white noise, pink noise, or soft nature sounds, to make the ringing less noticeable and help the brain shift its attention away from it. Some people also benefit from customized masking tracks that target specific frequencies.
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is one of the most effective treatments. It doesn’t remove the sound, but it helps reduce the emotional distress it causes.
- Hearing aids can be quite beneficial for those with hearing loss. By improving regular sound, they minimise the contrast between quiet and tinnitus, making the false sound less apparent.
- Stress reduction is a big factor. Tinnitus often worsens with anxiety, fatigue, or high-stress periods. Mindfulness, exercise, and sleep hygiene can help keep symptoms manageable.
Treating Complex Auditory Experiences
Treatment for people who hear structured phantom noises, such as voices or music, is determined by the reason. If it is related to a psychological or neurological disorder, treatment may include:
- Talk therapy to explore emotional triggers or trauma
- Medication, if symptoms are severe or persistent
- Improved sleep routines, since hallucinations often appear when the brain is tired or overstimulated
Even in non-clinical cases, these experiences deserve attention. The goal is not to silence the brain completely, but to support it, so it doesn't have to work so hard to make sense of the world.
Phantom sounds might seem strange, but they’re more common and more human than most people think. Whether it’s a ringing that never goes away or a voice that isn’t really there, these experiences are reminders of just how active and responsive the brain is, even in silence.
They can be frustrating. Sometimes, maybe even frightening. But they’re also not your fault. These sounds aren’t signs of weakness or imagination. They’re how the brain reacts to change, to loss, or to stress. And while they may not always go away completely, they can be understood, managed, and softened.
Simple things like a quieter room, a calmer mind, or a bit of background sound can go a long way. And so can talking to someone who understands.
If you or someone you care about hears sounds that aren’t really there, know this: you’re not alone. And you’re not imagining it. The silence may not be silent, but it doesn’t have to be loud forever, either.
Additional Reading & References:
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Baguley, D. M., McFerran, D. J., & Hall, D. A. (2013). Tinnitus. The Lancet, 382(9904), 1600–1607. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(13)60142-7
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Johns, L. C., & van Os, J. (2001). The continuity of psychotic experiences in the general population. Clinical Psychology Review, 21(8), 1125–1141. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0272-7358(01)00103-9
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Mühlau, M., Rauschecker, J. P., Oestreicher, E., Gaser, C., Röttinger, M., Wohlschläger, A. M., ... & Sander, D. (2006). Structural brain changes in tinnitus. Cerebral Cortex, 16(9), 1283–1288. https://doi.org/10.1093/cercor/bhj070
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Roberts, L. E., Eggermont, J. J., Caspary, D. M., Shore, S. E., Melcher, J. R., & Kaltenbach, J. A. (2010). Ringing ears: The neuroscience of tinnitus. Journal of Neuroscience, 30(45), 14972–14979. https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.4028-10.2010
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World Health Organization. (2023, February 14). WHO highlights tinnitus as a public health concern. https://www.who.int/news/item/14-02-2023-who-highlights-tinnitus-as-a-public-health-concern
