You know the sound. The show's over. The room is finally quiet … but your ears aren't.

That thin, high ringing while you lie in bed. The cotton-head feeling the next morning. Asking your friends to repeat themselves at brunch.

And then (a day or two later) it fades.

That's the moment everyone stops worrying.

The Shocking Truth? Audiologists say it's the most dangerous moment of all.

Because what happens in your ears when the ringing "fades" isn't what you think. There are 9 reasons this keeps happening …