Doctor explains the reason you sometimes get random ringing in one ear

A doctor has revealed what that random ringing sound in your ear is.

You'll be sat at home watching a rom-com on Netflix and then one of your ears decides it's watching Oppenheimer.

It's an alarming sound, similar to hissing, humming, whistling or sizzling bacon.

Over on TikTok, a medical professional has explained that it's a totally normal thing, and that '75 percent of people' have experienced this at least once in their lifetime.

Dr Kunal Sood, MD, who practices in the US, shared an explainer video with his 2.6 million followers, with the caption: "When you're going about your business and your ear does that thing."

Why is my ear ringing?

On what the probably cause is, he said: "This is the human equivalent of going offline.

"Have you ever experienced this? Transient ear noise, also called 'SBUTT', which stands for 'sudden brief unilateral transient tinnitus'.

"Thankfully, it does not mean something bad is going on, and it is pretty common with over 75 percent of people experiencing this at some point in their life."

According to the doctor, you might think of it as a 'random twitching of your ear', however, sleep deprivation, stress, caffeine, or infection are all possible risk factors of SBUTT.

"It usually lasts for less than a minute," he continues to say.

"But if it occurs more frequently, or for a longer duration, it could be a sign of something more serious. At that point, please see your doctor."

People in the comments were stunned, as one person wrote: "This whole time I thought it was my spirit guides trying to get my attention."

Another quipped: "My brain must be rebooting often lol."

"We always thought that happened when someone was talking bad about you," a third penned.

How to check if you have tinnitus

According to the NHS, tinnitus can sound like a ringing or hissing noise in the ear. It also can cause your ear to throb.

When to see a GP?

You should see a GP if:

• symptoms are regular or are getting worse

• tinnitus is bothering youth the point that it's affecting your sleep or concentration

How to cope with tinnitus

If you are suffering from tinnitus, there are ways to cope:

• think about taking up yoga to relax

• try to cut down on caffeine and come up with a more effective sleep routine that works for you

• try to avoid stress or loud background noises when you can

• talk to others who are going through the same thing