text: why do i hear ringing in my ears? i don't have a cold or anything, but when it's really quiet my ears ring and it's kind of annoying. i can hear it the most when i'm about to fall asleep. i fall asleep fine and everything though. anyone know what causes this and how i can stop it? i'm an audiologist.  any sound inside your head is called tinnitus - it's a very broad, generalized term.  many people just have it naturally.  i have had it my whole life.  the reason it seems louder when you are going to sleep is because there is less external noise to drown it out.  i run a fan to mask the noise in my ears, and many people buy noise machines for this purpose.  sometimes people hear the ringing if there is a blockage of the ear -- from wax, negative pressure restricting eardrum movement, fluid build-up behind the eardrum, or an ear infection. in most cases, once the blockage is removed/treated and the ear has recovered, the ringing goes away.   does your ear feel plugged? you don't mention a clogged sensation or fullness or hearing loss. the only way to know if there's a blockage is to have a doctor look in there. if there is fluid behind the eardrum, it may not be visible through the otoscope; the best way to measure the eardrum movement is through a quick and easy test called a tympanogram. it simply changes the air pressure in the ear canal and measure if/how the eardrum responds.  tinnitus is also one of many migraine aura and may occur simultaneously with a headache or separately. caffeine is a known migraine trigger, so it can trigger/increase tinnitus for some people. in addition, some people who grind their teeth or have problems with their jaw joint (tmj) can also have tinnitus.  noise exposure and systemic causes of tinnitus, like smoking or certain medications, typically effect both ears. one might be worse than the other, but almost never is only one ear effected. none of those herbal supplements have been scientifically proven to reduce or cure tinnitus. ginko biloba is the only substance to date that has some scientific correlation to tinnitus reduction in some patients.   more serious conditions can cause tinnitus, but usually have other associated symptoms like dizziness or significant hearing loss. some of these can be meniere's disease, sudden sensorineural hearing loss and acoustic neuroma.   as you can see, tinnitus is like headache or fever as a symptom - it can be congenital and benign, as it is with me, or it can be symptomatic of an ear or neurological disorder. so if you never had tinnitus, but do now, you should go to the doctor, especially if there are other symptoms, like hearing loss or dizziness, associated with it.  the key is to find the underlying cause, if possible. therefore, it is crucial to have an accurate diagnosis made. see your family physician and/or an otolaryngologist.