That pesky ringing, buzzing, or humming in your ears? That's tinnitus – a phantom noise that only you can hear. It's not a disease itself, but a symptom with a variety of underlying causes. And while it often sounds like ringing, tinnitus can be experienced differently by each person. Effectively, they’re sounds generated by your nervous system or brain, and it's more common than you might think. In fact, nearly 1 in 5 Australians experience tinnitus at some point in their lives.