Swoosh, swoosh...why can I hear my pulse in my ear? UPDATE of sorts post 25

[nkjzmom]

At first it was just at night when the house was really quiet...now it's constant. I've got an appt. with an ear/nose/throat doctor but am wondering if anyone else has had this happen to them....

 

[Chloe'sMom]

When I was training for my half marathon it would happen to me after a long run. Usually only lasted for 30 minutes or so and I always figured it was the hot blood pumping through my cold ear - as it was winter when I trained.

~Amanda

 

[nkjzmom]

It started about 2 months ago and has slowly gotten louder. It doesn't come and go, it's constant.

 

[Green Tea]

My neighbor said that was the sign he had of a blocked caroid artery. It happens to me occasional, but by no means constantly. If I get up from laying down too quickly...something like that might trigger it.

 

[m2dh7]

Mine does that at night when I lay down on the wrong side. It hurts too! But it usually goes away after about half hour. I notice it more when I've changed elevations too, like going in the mountains, riding elevator, flying. I've wondered about it too!

 

[Frantasmic]

http://www.otohns.net/default.asp?id=14642

Here's a list of possible causes.

 

[JunieJay]

I have it ocassionally, usually in combination with vertigo. Mine is directly related to sinus issues - if my sinsues are acting up really bad, its pretty likely I'll hear my pulse in my ear and feel dizzy too. Its an inner ear infection that is only cleared up after my sinus stuff is cleared up.

Good luck to you....I know how maddening this can be!

 

[Dakota_Lynn]

There are many reasons for getting that, most of them harmless. I have that problem, along with regular tinnitus. I get a LOT of noise in my ears. The pulsing seems worse when I'm upset, very tired, or after I exercise. My ear nose and throat doctor said it was just that my ear drum was too close to my artery.

You learn to live with it. I have a white noise machine that goes with me everywhere. Those things are wonderful! The human brain cannot process both internal and external noise at the same time, so as long as you have noise going on....TV, radio, fan, white noise machine, you probably won't have much difficulty with it. You just have to learn tricks to deal with it.

One thing your doctor will ask is if you take any meds like aleve. The non-narcotic anti-inflamatory meds tend to make these problems worse. I was told to go off naproxen for a month. It did help the noise and the pulsing as well, however, I didn't appreciate the pain that came with it so I have opted to stay on the naproxen and just find ways to deal with the ear noise.

Good luck! I know it is a pain in the ear to deal with that! But if there is no way to get rid of it, you will learn tricks to deal with it and over time, you just sorta stop noticing it. Hard to believe, I know! Let is know how it goes at the doctor's!

 

[transparant]

I had that too - it drove me INSANE! It only lasted about 3 months and than went away. Good Luck - hope yours goes away soon too.

 

[nkjzmom]

Wow, thanks for the information everyone. I'm going to check out the website.

I haven't had any pain associated with it at all. It's just annoying. I'm not taking any medications either.

 

[TIGGER'SFRIEND]

Mine was caused from TMJ dysfunction--drove me crazy--motrin helped relieve the inflamation which caused swelling--swelling pressed against an artery causing me too hear my heart beat--Hope you can relieve it

 

[jel0511]

I have this, but my reason is MOST LIKELY NOT THE CAUSE of yours. I had a bad stroke in my carotid artery 2 years ago, and ever since then at night and when it's really quiet, I hear the swish/swish.

 

[MM27]

The noises in my ears started when I first started teaching. I've always been a teeth grinder while I sleep and I had mentioned it to my dentist (I've had TMJ issues since high school too) She said it was probably from grinding but suggested that I go to an ear/nose/throat doctor. He did a hearing test and a few other things and then asked about my job. After telling him about it his reply was "Welcome to the world of stress" I've noticed that when I have an extremely stressful week, the noises become more noticeable.

 

[ducklite]

I have tinnitus--it's constant, sometimes worse than others.

When I hear the "swoosh swoosh," which is different, it's usually because my blood pressure is up.

 

[disney1990]

I have tinnitus. It can be really annoying when everything is quiet -- like when I got to bed at night. My sounds like crickets chirping. I first noticed it last summer. I thought I was hearing the crickets from the window being open, but the window was closed. My doctor said it was probably from all of those very loud concerts that I attended years ago. I have a machine on my nightstand that plays different sounds -- waves, nighttime noises, thunderstorms, etc. If I concentrate on that, I forget about the sounds in my ears. Most times, during the day, there are enough other noises, that I don't hear my ear noises at all. Some of the things that I have been trying are: cutting back on caffeine, taking zinc and ginkgo biloba. I'm not sure how much it helps, but it seems like if I have a lot of a caffeine, the sounds are louder.

 

[ducklite]

I have tinnitus. It can be really annoying when everything is quiet -- like when I got to bed at night. My sounds like crickets chirping. I first noticed it last summer. I thought I was hearing the crickets from the window being open, but the window was closed. My doctor said it was probably from all of those very loud concerts that I attended years ago. I have a machine on my nightstand that plays different sounds -- waves, nighttime noises, thunderstorms, etc. If I concentrate on that, I forget about the sounds in my ears. Most times, during the day, there are enough other noises, that I don't hear my ear noises at all. Some of the things that I have been trying are: cutting back on caffeine, taking zinc and ginkgo biloba. I'm not sure how much it helps, but it seems like if I have a lot of a caffeine, the sounds are louder.

Crickets? Really? Mine is a classic ringing. My hearing tested within the normal range for my age. I've been to thousands of concerts, but have always worn ear plugs. My doctor doesn't think that caused it, but he has no idea what did.

 

[FayeW]

I had that a couple of years ago, right after I took a day trip where I had to fly in the morning and then fly home at night. I think my ears hadn't recovered from the first flight before the second. My doctor told me to stand in the shower and let the water pour down on my head for 5-10 mins at a time. It worked within a few days. I get it now occasionally, usually when I am very stressed. Maybe I should check the list for other causes.

 

[nkjzmom]

Ringing...crickets chirping?? I don't think I could handle that. Mine is definitely the swoosh swoosh of a pulse. It reminds me of listening to a baby's heartbeat only slower.

I don't drink caffeine but I do weigh more than I should which makes me wonder about high blood pressure. My dad and one of my sons are teeth-grinders but DH has never mentioned me doing it. I haven't flown in over a year.

I was reading a story about a lady who had to have surgery to close up a vein that ran too close to her ear and was causing the same problem. She said the bloodflow slowly gets dispersed amongst the other veins but that she had headaches for a few months until it was complete. I'm probably not explaining it well but it sounded frightening. After donating the kidney to my brother I swore I was done with IVs and hospital stays for a LONG time but right now I'd be willing just to get rid of this sound.

 

[IwasatWDWforamonth]

I have that too, it started 2 years ago, it doesnt happen as much lately, but I was really worried about it when it first started.

 

[NorgeKathrine]

I have tinnitus also. Mine is constant and is usually quiet enough that daily noises drown it out, although it gets louder when I am about to have vertigo attacks. When I lay down to sleep at night and the house is quiet is when I hear it most. My tinnitus sounds just like the old emergency broadcast system, except it's permanent. I have on occasion gotten the pulse sound also.

My dr. diagnosed me with Meniere's disease and told me both kinds of tinnitus were common with that.

It is very annoying having an extra sound in your head all the time, but you learn to live with it after a while, and it only really gets to me every once in a while now.