A Ringing Sound in Your Ears on a Quiet Night? It Might Be Stress-Induced Tinnitus

Modern medicine defines tinnitus as a subjective sound perceived in the ears or head in the absence of external acoustic stimulation. Just as the Donguibogam viewed tinnitus as an imbalance of the whole body, modern medicine also understands it not as a simple ear issue, but as a complex interaction between the brain and the nervous system. In particular, the high-frequency tinnitus with a ringing sound that many people experience is deeply linked to stress. Under stress, the fight-or-flight response activates, leading to sympathetic hyperactivity. During this reaction, the stress hormones cortisol and adrenaline are released, causing vasoconstriction and elevated blood pressure. The inner ear is densely supplied with microvessels; when these vessels constrict, blood flow within the cochlea can be compromised. If the blood supply is insufficient, auditory hair cells struggle to function properly, generating abnormal electrical signals that are sent to the brain. The brain mistakes these signals for an external sound and perceives them as ringing tinnitus. Stress also directly affects the auditory cortex. The brain normally filters out unnecessary ambient noise, but this function can weaken under persistent stress. Like an impaired filter, the brain can become overly sensitive to small internal sounds or neural signals, amplifying them into tinnitus. In addition, psychological factors such as anxiety or depression alter how the auditory center processes sound, which can worsen tinnitus or heighten awareness of it, adding to the distress. What the Donguibogam describes as vital qi deficiency of the kidney corresponds in modern medicine to autonomic nervous system imbalance and endocrine system hypofunction brought on by chronic stress or fatigue. When late nights and poor sleep persist, the body's recovery system becomes depleted. This leads to generalized hypofunction, which can adversely affect the microvessels of the ear. Furthermore, the classical phrase describing liver fire surging upward reflects the modern concept of stress-induced sympathetic hyperactivity, vasoconstriction, and central hypersensitivity reactions. Stress influences the brain's emotional processing areas and auditory center, manifesting as tinnitus. Modern medicine similarly demonstrates that tinnitus is not merely an ear problem, but is closely tied to systemic health, including stress, fatigue, and psychological factors.