Tinitus - How does it affect you?

[H3LL]

I have tinitus and have had it all my life. For about 25 years, I thought nothing of it and just assumed that everyone could hear something when all was quiet. Until I discovered otherwise.

However, I am also deaf, and that condition is progressing nicely as I get older to the extent that I'm almost totally deaf in one ear and the other is steadily losing its, already poor, definition as time passes.

Annoyingly, for me, the tinitus does not diminish as deafness increases - quite the opposite. With less background noise to mask it, it sometimes becomes the dominant sound and can be quite distracting.

I've become used to some people equating deafness with stupidity as they misinterpret lack of response or odd answers to misheard statements. However, my unintentional reaction to a sound only I can hear is adding another odd quirk to the many others I already have.

I find this annoying (both some reactions and my increasing quirkiness) but there is little I can do about it and I also cannot expect others to have some magical psychic power to know of my disability. It's not obvious like a missing limb or similar and it's not something I advertise. Present post excepted. ;)


As to the noise itself, at times, like now, it is quite loud. Certain sounds can sent it into overdrive. Power tools are a notable example. Usually, after the tool is switch off, the tinitus is physically uncomfortable/painful often coupled with a feeling similar to having water in your ear and at an unprecedented volume, blanking out sounds that would normally mask it.


I have not checked for some time, but understand it is still quite a mysterious condition with no cure, just suggestions on dealing with it and knowledge that most people get it at some point in their life for a short time. It's also fertile ground for the woo-woo scumbags to line their pockets (also the main reason I have stopped looking).

It's not going to kill me directly and is more of an annoyance than anything else. Other peoples reactions are understandable so tolerable (mostly).

I would be interested in other peoples experiences.

If you know of new, sensible, research I would like to know.

I would also like to know how tinitus affects you if you have it or have experienced it temporarily.

Failing that, here's a chance to grumble, just for the hell of it, like me. :D

Thanks.


Sqeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee-EEEEEE-eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!




.

[Professor Yaffle]

I'm not a sufferer myself, but here is a story I read recently:


Scientists believe they are a step closer to curing tinnitus after they have found what could be the root cause of ringing in the ears. Studies show hearing loss can go hand-in-hand with over-excitable nerves within brain areas that process sound.
This uncontrolled nerve activity causes the noises that plague people with tinnitus and appears to be down to gene changes, Neuroscience reports.
And it raises the hope of treatment by silencing nerve activity, experts say.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7959785.stm

[paximperium]

All I have is mild tinitus.

I've had it since I was 8 and it is only noticible when it is completely silent. All I need is a loud fan or soft music in the backgroud to go to sleep otherwise it is a tad annoying...like a high pitched mosquitoe buzzing around in my ears.

[Tapio]

Ah, tinitus, my ever faithful companion...

I started bashing the drumkit when I was ten. Back then earplugs were for wussies, so despite my parent's attempts to shelter my ears I acquired a fairly annoying tinitus by the age of 15.:dig:

For the last 15 years I've tried to prevent it from getting worse, but as the drummer of an active, touring (until last summer) extremish metal band it's been fairly difficult. Not as bad as one of my band mates. though. A year ago our bass player got a referral to an ear-specialist because of his tinitus. They found out he'd gone deaf to most frequencies from one ear. That really is a shame for a young person.

The amplitude of my tinitus varies from day to day. Most of my dreams are without recognizable tinitus, but sometimes it follows me there too. How about you? Do you experience it in your dreams?

[Rolfe]

I first noticed it in September 1999. To be honest it has never been that loud, but it sent me into a total freakout. I had anxiety attacks like you wouldn't believe. These were what really bothered me, that and the crawling pain sensations all over my head that were just due to my aversive reaction.

I went to see a specialist called Jonathan Hazell (http://www.tinnitus.org).

I'm fine now. I can still hear it if I listen for it, and some days it's loud enough to annoy me a little, but it doesn't bother me.

Go, Jonathan!

The information in that article is taking Hazell's ideas that bit further. He was working on the theory that it was all to do with the auditory pathways in the brain being hyper-sensitive to the pattern that had become labelled as "danger".

Rolfe.

[Bikewer]

I had it for many years, mostly due to shooting-related damage. Primarily in the right ear, with an associated hearing loss of about 20-30% in that ear.

Mostly, I'm able to ignore it. Does not seem to effect my hearing acuity, except for my wife who complains I don't listen.....

I would be interested in an effective treatment, it is annoying at times.

I recently read Oliver Sacks' "Musicophelia" and he discusses the condition. Points out that for many, tinnitus seems to vanish when listening to music.

[xerox]

I have a fairly mild case of it, got it when I was 18 (26 today) when all the loud concerts and rehearsals in a neighbours garage eventually took its toll. It was after a night out on a club and my right ear just wouldn't stop ringing. Still does. I was fairly anxious about it first but nowadays it doesn't bother me that much. I can live with it, just as long as it doesn't get any worse and I do my best to prevent that from happening. I guess in some way it was a much needed wake up call.

I do sense that I have become more sensitive to loud sound since but it could just be due to an increased awareness and I always wear earplugs at shows nowadays or any other time when I might need it. Last check I did a couple of years ago showed that I have no associated hearing loss which I am very very thankfull for.

[Damien Evans]

What did you say?

I can't hear you over the ringing in my ears!

:boxedin:

[shawmutt]

It only rings when I talk about it, thanks :p

My first memory of ringing in my ears was when I was 17. I enlisted for the Army Reserves, went to the MEPS for processing, failed the hearing test, and couldn't get in. It kind of sucked because that was my "out" from my poor white upbringing. The only thing I can think of that would have caused it is lots of plinking with a .22 revolver as a youngin'. These days I do everything I can to protect what hearing I have and try and prevent the ringing from getting worse. Ear plugs are the norm now for the rifle range, motorcycling, concerts, etc.

I have a hard time hearing whispering. I sometimes have difficulty in my job. Part of my job deals with high pressure air, and I simply cannot hear the pssssssss of leaking gaskets. I have to cheat and lean real close so I can feel it on my face (I'm in "clean room" garments with thick latex gloves on). When I'm sick or tired it's nearly unbearable and will actually keep me up.

Somewhere I heard that removing wisdom teeth can help. I still have all four of mine and am seriously thinking of just getting them all yanked out.

Despite my best efforts the ringing has gotten worse. I recently went to a ear specialist only to find the frequencies I can't hear have expanded. Bummer. Then there's the clicking that started when my ears get real bad. Oh, I'm only 32 btw, lol--I'll probably be deaf before I'm 50.

[steenkh]

I have it too, but I cannot say that it bothers me. The amplitude goes up and down; higher when I am tired or stressed, and lower when relaxed. The frequency is fairly stable, although I have experienced a slight change of frequency that really startled me. However, it soon went back to normal.

I tend to ignore it, and it is only really a nuisance when I am listening for sounds in the same area, such as certain alarm chimes or very tiny birds.

As I grow older, my sensitivity to high frequencies go down, and soon the permanent tinnitus will be the only experience I have of sounds in that frequency range. That makes it kind of cozy, like a memory of sounds I could hear in my youth.

[Lisa Simpson]

The tinnitus doesn't bother me nearly as much as the tensor tympani spasms. I had to stop listening to The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe because Steven Novella's voice invariably triggers an incident.

[Rolfe]

The tinnitus doesn't bother me nearly as much as the tensor tympani spasms. I had to stop listening to The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe because Steven Novella's voice invariably triggers an incident.


Gaaaahhhhh!! I've had that since I was about 20, in my right ear only. It comes in episodes that last about 2 weeks, but it's not constant during that period and it's worst at night. Maybe 2 or 3 days it will be continuous. It can be triggered by turning my head sharply to the left, and (often) stopped by playing fairly loud music through earphones. (Is that how I got the damn tinnitus 25 years later? It wasn't that loud. I had a tape of Ton Koopman playing Bach organ music that was a sure-fire stopper.)

I also found that taking an over-the-counter cough remedy with a sedative in it (dextromethorphan?) would delay the onset of an episode for several weeks. Once an episode is finished, I get nothing for at least 3 weeks, maybe as long as 8 weeks. Being tired makes it come on more readily.

It used to annoy me a lot more than it does now. When I went to see Mr. Hazell about the tinnitus I told him all about that as well. I didn't even know it had a name before that, because no other doctor had believed me when I told them it felt as if my tensor tympani muscle had a chorea twitch going. He gave me a reprint of a paper about it, and emphasised that the relax-and-ignore-it exercises he had me doing for the tinnitus would also help with that. He also spoke about cutting the muscle and said it was no biggie, but still advised I just try the relaxation.

Funnily enough, it seems to have worked better for the tensor tympani syndrome than for the tinnitus. Episodes are now only half as frequent as they used to be, and significantly less severe.

Rolfe.

[paximperium]

The tinnitus doesn't bother me nearly as much as the tensor tympani spasms. I had to stop listening to The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe because Steven Novella's voice invariably triggers an incident.
That's odd...I have the same problem when listening to Larry King's voice.

[Corsair 115]

That's odd...I have the same problem when listening to Larry King's voice.


Are you sure it's due to his voice rather and not his astonishingly bad interviewing skills?

:D

[casebro]

I wonder if this self-hypnosis technique might work?

The way to relieve pain is NOT to ignore it, but to concentrate on it. You do some deep breaths to get in the mood (or suggestive state, whatever), until you feel your own pulse in your hands. At this point, concentrate on the pain, how bad it hurts, and it just may melt away. Anyway, just as you learned to ignore the feeling of your own pulse, you can teach yourself to ignore pain. It worked for my knees. It just might work for Tinitus, but I've never heard of it being used that way. Anybody?

[BlackCat]

I have tinnitus, too. I got it from going shooting with dad without ear protection. I can only hear it when it's absolutely quiet, though, as any sound will pretty much enable me to ignore it. And now I'm really protective of my hearing because I don't want it to get worse. But I'm not that old, will it get worse as I get older, even if I no longer listen to really loud noises? I haven't had a hearing test, maybe that would be in order.

Strangely enough, it doesn't seem like I've lost a lot of range. I can still hear very high frequencies, like the ones that are supposed to annoy teenagers. (At least, as well as my speakers can replicate the sound.) But I can also hear squeaky wheels on shopping carts that is so high-pitched, I have to plug my ears and wonder how it doesn't bother anyone else.

Is your hearing supposed to "drop out" occasionally? It's pretty rare, but sometimes, it's like someone put a conch over my ear for a minute or two, and then slowly takes it away.

The tinnitus doesn't bother me nearly as much as the tensor tympani spasms. I had to stop listening to The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe because Steven Novella's voice invariably triggers an incident.
Is that what that is? Reading the wikipedia article, I've experienced a similar "fluttering sensation," but it doesn't seem to be brought on by loud or intolerable sounds, in fact, it seems rather random in me. I admit that I have no idea what it is.
A small percentage of the population can actually voluntarily contract this muscle, inducing a noticeable and (until explained) odd 'rumbling' sound to occur [3]. Apparently I can do that, too. I thought everyone could.

[Lisa Simpson]

Is that what that is? Reading the wikipedia article, I've experienced a similar "fluttering sensation," but it doesn't seem to be brought on by loud or intolerable sounds, in fact, it seems rather random in me. I admit that I have no idea what it is.
Apparently I can do that, too. I thought everyone could.

I can too, but it will trigger involuntary spasms if I do it too much.

[Galaxie]

A small percentage of the population can actually voluntarily contract this muscle, inducing a noticeable and (until explained) odd 'rumbling' sound to occur [3].
Apparently I can do that, too. I thought everyone could.

Huh. I also thought everyone could do this.

I've noticed that if I try to do it more than a few times in a row it won't work for awhile.

[H3LL]

Wow! Lots of response. I was half expecting the thread to disappear into the forum dungeons.

Thanks everyone for your contributions (interesting links too) - It's nice to know one is not alone.

Sadly, for the younger sufferers, hearing loss is a fact of ageing IIRC. Look after those ears.

On hearing tests I find one aspect of them particularly problematic.

As they test your response to different frequencies and amplitudes of sounds, some of them are at almost the exact pitch of the tinitus or at least very close. Many of the peeps are very hard to hear or distinguish from the tinitus.

It does make me wonder if they can accurately assess hearing frequency loss in someone with tinitus and if there is an alternative to such tests (can't think how myself).

Anyone else have concerns about the tests they have had?

.

[cgordon]

I've had tinnitus for years, mostly one ear. Several years ago, I was diagnosed with Meniere's as well. That came as a result of the tinnitus getting so bad I was starting to experience sleep dep symptoms from the 'noise' keeping me awake.

How'd I get it? No clue. Been around for a long time, but probably exacerbated by being a Soldier and being around things going bang ...

Way back before I knew having T was abberant, I'd lie awake at night 'riding' it, concentrating on the sound in a sort of meditative state.

Mine's been aggravated by staccato noise, rhythmic (non-musical) sounds. Some of the worst effects from entapment were preachers (heh!) and, of all things, ceilng fans.

I've learned to use white noise as a sleep aid and music as a background noise to help control it.

I keep a check on salt and try to keep caffeine under control ... both aggravate the T and the Meniere's ...

[Gate2501]

Huh. I also thought everyone could do this.

I've noticed that if I try to do it more than a few times in a row it won't work for awhile.

Wow... That is awesome.

I actually told my doctor about my being able to make an "earthquake" noise in my ears that felt like the spasms that I had, and he acted like I was a nutter.

I also have told my friends/family about it, and they also seemed to think that I was full of it. It is very cool to get confirmation of what causes it, I never really looked very hard online because I assumed it was harmless.

I can do it as many times in a row as I want, but it is impossible for me to maintain for over 20 or 30 seconds for some reason? :boggled:

In regard to the spasms, they really scared me at first, but now it is much more of an annoyance. A bit like benign heart palpitations. Scary and strange, but harmless.

[Rolfe]

Wow! Lots of response. I was half expecting the thread to disappear into the forum dungeons.

Thanks everyone for your contributions (interesting links too) - It's nice to know one is not alone.

Sadly, for the younger sufferers, hearing loss is a fact of ageing IIRC. Look after those ears.

On hearing tests I find one aspect of them particularly problematic.

As they test your response to different frequencies and amplitudes of sounds, some of them are at almost the exact pitch of the tinitus or at least very close. Many of the peeps are very hard to hear or distinguish from the tinitus.

It does make me wonder if they can accurately assess hearing frequency loss in someone with tinitus and if there is an alternative to such tests (can't think how myself).

Anyone else have concerns about the tests they have had?


I asked Jacqueline Sheldrake exactly that. She said it didn't seem to be a problem, and that she could still do an accurate test on tinnitus sufferers.

Rolfe.

[CrikeyBobs]

I experience two types:

An occasional high pitch whine that lasts from a quick burst to maybe 15 seconds or so. This occurs in my left ear. I normally hear it when I am in bed.

I also have a low frequency hum in my right ear. Normally I can hear it only in a very quiet environment. When I hear another sound the hum drops off, only to ramp back up once the other sound stops. For the last 20+ years I have been running a cooling fan at night to mask external sounds and I'm pretty sure this is the cause. It is quite loud and can be rather annoying, especially as sometimes I don't initially realise it's "all in me 'ed" and spend time trying to track down the source. Before I realised what it was I thought it might be mains hum.

Like some others here, I can also tense my ears and make a rumbling sound (only for a few seconds at a time though).

[Galaxie]

Wow... That is awesome.

I actually told my doctor about my being able to make an "earthquake" noise in my ears that felt like the spasms that I had, and he acted like I was a nutter.

I also have told my friends/family about it, and they also seemed to think that I was full of it.

I guess I should be glad I never tried to tell anyone about it! :D

[Yuri Nalyssus]

I would be interested in other peoples experiences.
I was once consulted by a couple who were the owners of a white miniature poodle who reported that when all three of them were lying quietly on the bed together they could hear a buzzing noise. These owners were incredibly observant and they attempted to localise the sound and discovered it was coming from the poodle's ears and it only happened when the dog was relaxed. Any other time the noise was absent.

I did a full clinical, checked the ears and everything else and could find nothing abnormal, no noise either. These people seemed entirely sincere though so I said (without much hope of finding anything) that I'd do a bit of investigation (real investigation - this was pre-intyweb days mind you). Having leafed through a number of texts I discovered to my (continued) amazement that there is a phenomenon called objective tinitus where the neurological noises that sufferers hear are translated to movements in the tympanic membrane which then acts as a speaker and broadcasts the sound down the ear canal so it can be heard by others in the vicinity.

I was completely blown away, I had no idea that such a thing was possible. Definitely my strangest case ever. The owners were fascinated when I told them, there was no way of treating it but it didn't seem to bother the dog and it made the owners feel 'special'!

Yuri

[Professor Yaffle]

Huh. I also thought everyone could do this.

I've noticed that if I try to do it more than a few times in a row it won't work for awhile.

I assumed everyone could do it too.

[Rolfe]

I can wiggle my ears, and that seems to include that - as if the entire auricular apparatus is moving.

Rolfe.

[mummymonkey]

I've had it pretty bad in my right ear for a few years now. It has got worse as I've got older, bad enough for me to go see the quack. After several tests, consultations and an mri scan it was decided there was nothing that could be done.
I was in the air force for 9 years and then around aircraft for 5 years after that so I guess that's what caused it though I can't prove it.
Apart from being bloody annoying it makes keeping track of conversations when there is some background noise, like in a pub, almost impossible. I have to cock my head like a blackbird hunting for worms.

[Beanbag]

I have tinitus as well. Can't really say when I first noted it. My ears have always rung to some degree. Part of it may be due to the fact that as a child, I discovered you could take a whole roll of caps, mash it flat, and hit it with a hammer and they all went BANG at the same time. Must have done that dozens of times.

In college, the tinitus was so bad it would wake me up with a sudden onslaught of sound.

The latest problems are exacerbated by an incident where I was helping a friend load a milling machine in the back of his truck. We (my friend, myself, and the guy he was buying it from) were trying to retract the head, but it was a bit stuck. The original owner said, "Here, brace against it for a second," which I did with one shoulder (ear against the frame), whereupon the owner smacked the frame with a hammer.

It doesn't bother me at work, but then again, I'm in the middle of a room full of aircraft gyroscopes, all whining away, plus the normal 400 hz background whine of aircraft power systems. I just bury myself between the earpads of my Sony MDR-7506 headphones and enjoy some of the 300+ hours of music on my player.

Beanbag

[Beanbag]

Oh, yeah: the ear rumble thing. I've been able to do that since I was five. Learned to wiggle my ears as a teen, when one day I twitched a particular mental nerve and noticed my eyeglasses shifted on my face. Took a couple days, but I mastered being able to move each ear individually, alternately, and simultaneously. So far, this skill has served me no advantage.

I can do the rumble effect almost constantly with little effort, and maintain it for long periods of time with no fatigue. When I place my hands on either side of my head, just in front of my ears, I can feel movement underneath the skin as something tenses, but that's it. May have something to do with my using the "rumble" mode to block out unwanted sounds while meditating (and no, I don't wiggle my ears when meditating). BTW, the meditating thing is mainly for relaxation, not for any astral projection, remote viewing, or any MDC stuff.

Beanbag

[king catfish]

I have very a very faint ringing/white noise in both ears and slight hearing loss, mostly from gunfire, but perhaps a little from loud music as well. It must be very quiet for me to hear it, and I cannot say it's a problem for me. It does not seem to be worsening with time.

[Denver]

I think mine is associated with TMJ, but it is only noticeable when it is quiet (like when I'm trying to sleep). An MRI, MRA, and various hearing tests show nothing. I've been trying to wear a splint at night to see if that keeps my jaw in better position, and while it seems to have helped with the jaw popping, it hasn't done much with the tinnitus. This has gone on I think about 5 years or so now.

I've also tried all the various vitamins, and diets, for it, but nothing has had any effect.

I can also make that 'rumble' you all mentioned. This is the first time I've ever heard other people talking about it!

[Vortigern99]

Originally Posted by wikipedia
A small percentage of the population can actually voluntarily contract this muscle, inducing a noticeable and (until explained) odd 'rumbling' sound to occur [3].

Apparently I can do that, too. I thought everyone could.

Huh. I also thought everyone could do this.

I've noticed that if I try to do it more than a few times in a row it won't work for awhile. Wow... That is awesome.

I actually told my doctor about my being able to make an "earthquake" noise in my ears that felt like the spasms that I had, and he acted like I was a nutter.

I also have told my friends/family about it, and they also seemed to think that I was full of it. It is very cool to get confirmation of what causes it, I never really looked very hard online because I assumed it was harmless.

I can do it as many times in a row as I want, but it is impossible for me to maintain for over 20 or 30 seconds for some reason? :boggled:


Wow. This is the first time I have ever encountered anyone else who can do this! When I was a kid I used to ask friends and family members if they could do it, but after getting dozens of negative responses, I stopped asking. Now, at 39 years of age, I find three other people who say they can do it, too! I'm amazed.

I never knew what caused it until I read the wikipedia explanation posted above by Galaxie. I used to theorize I was somehow causing blood to flow inside my ears or some such. Now I understand it's a voluntary muscle contraction -- but which muscle are we talking about here?

I suspect that the 20 second tapering off of the "earthquake" sound is a result of that muscle getting fatigued.

Also, back on topic, I have tinitus and have had for some years. It used to be occasional, but now it's a constant companion. I'm also one of those folks who has to cover his ears when the fire truck or the ambulance goes by, blaring its siren. I don't know how other people can sit there and take it, like it's music or something. Anyway... I wonder if all these things (tinitus, the "earthquake" noise, loud sounds being painful) are related?

[casebro]

tensor tympani spasms ? Is that the name for what sounds like umm, having a bird's wing flap against my ear? Just a thump? I've thought it was something subsonic, like a sonic boom at loooong range, only a single low freq 'thump'. Sounds like it is all in my head, after all! :)

[Vortigern99]

Oh, yeah: the ear rumble thing. I've been able to do that since I was five. Learned to wiggle my ears as a teen, when one day I twitched a particular mental nerve and noticed my eyeglasses shifted on my face. Took a couple days, but I mastered being able to move each ear individually, alternately, and simultaneously. So far, this skill has served me no advantage.

I can do the rumble effect almost constantly with little effort, and maintain it for long periods of time with no fatigue. When I place my hands on either side of my head, just in front of my ears, I can feel movement underneath the skin as something tenses, but that's it. May have something to do with my using the "rumble" mode to block out unwanted sounds while meditating (and no, I don't wiggle my ears when meditating). BTW, the meditating thing is mainly for relaxation, not for any astral projection, remote viewing, or any MDC stuff.

Beanbag

Fascinating. Yes, I sometimes use the earthquake to block out unwanted noise; it can reduce the pain associated with the aforementioned fire siren. And yes, I can feel the skin just forward of my ears vibrate a little when I do it.

Beanbag, it sounds like you've developed the muscle over years of meditation. Well done!

[Audible Click]

I had tinnitus when I was very young and then it disappreaed. About 6 months ago I woke up with a bad ear infection, this happened, literally, overnight. I went to the doctor got a shot and meds that cleared that up. Then had balance problems took medication for that and all was well except the tinnitus was back with a twist. I have the odd "feedback" sound but also tones in the back of that. The disturbing thing is it sounds like music. I think my brain may be trying to make sense of those tones. I told my doctor and he just shrugged it off. Has anyone heard of a situation like this?

[arthwollipot]

I was once consulted by a couple who were the owners of a white miniature poodle who reported that when all three of them were lying quietly on the bed together they could hear a buzzing noise...That's really odd. I've heard this story before, and not on the JREF. I was under the impression that it was actually an urban legend.

Very strange.

[jj]

Has anyone evaluated you for Minere's (sp?) disease?

Just a thought.

Tinnitus is extremely common, and appears to go along with hearing damage, either due to illness or exposure, but sometimes it "jsut is". There are several theories.

Yeah, I have it too. After working in the audio industry and hearing research for 30 years, it's pretty much inevetable. Bah.

Sympathy I can extend. Help? I wish.

[Audible Click]

I did some research and apparently I have "Musical Ear Syndrome" which mostly, but not always, affects people with hearing loss due to age or ear infection. At least I know I'm not crazy..lol.

[arthwollipot]

Sounds like an episode of Scrubs (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Musical)...

[CaveDave]

My dad had Meniere's that started in his 20s. Along with the ringing ears he suffered dizziness and balance problems, and around 40 had lost all hearing in one ear and most in the other. When the balance shift occurred, you could watch his eyes and they would rotate slightly CW and CCW as his perceived "down" moved around: very strange!

= = = = =

I started getting tinitus a couple of years ago, about the time I started having blood pressure problems and I thought they were related, but the cardiologist says my meds are controlling quite well and it must be something else. To me, the sound is most like the 15,750 Hz horizontal oscillator noise of a TV set - very high pitch and almost a "hiss", rising and falling in loudness but almost always present. Even though I was exposed to extremly high sound pressures most of my life from industrial machinery, nightclub music, and firearms, all mostly without hearing protection, my hearing is still remarkably acute compared to others of my age (54) and exposure level (an industrial hygenist doing hearing tests accused me of lieing about my history). I can localize small dropped parts hitting the floor and abnormal machine sounds quite well, much better than any of my co-workers.

As to the voluntary eardrum moving, I may be doing that, too. For the last 10 or so years, when I do the manouver I use to equalize my ears after a pressure change (aircraft, elevator, weather, etc.) which is sort of an incipient yawn semi-unhinging the back of my jaw, or even a normal yawn or when swallowing, I hear a noise like crinkling paper or foil, but I had thought it was just stretching the eustacian tubes or something. Who knows?

Cheers,

Dave

[Tapio]

Wow. This is the first time I have ever encountered anyone else who can do this! When I was a kid I used to ask friends and family members if they could do it, but after getting dozens of negative responses, I stopped asking. Now, at 39 years of age, I find three other people who say they can do it, too! I'm amazed.

Now you know four!

My family lived in Taiwan for years when I was a kid. We used to do a lot of deep diving there. That's when I learned first to "pop" my ears and then just lengthened the maneuver....voilá, earthquake sound! I've never found any actual use for it, except just playing around with the sounds on a gig or listening to music. I can keep it up fairly steady for a little less than a minute, then it starts getting difficult and I feel dizzy.

This is so fascinating!

[steenkh]

Having leafed through a number of texts I discovered to my (continued) amazement that there is a phenomenon called objective tinitus where the neurological noises that sufferers hear are translated to movements in the tympanic membrane which then acts as a speaker and broadcasts the sound down the ear canal so it can be heard by others in the vicinity.
Fascinating! Can this happen for humans too?

[paraskeptical]

On hearing tests I find one aspect of them particularly problematic.

As they test your response to different frequencies and amplitudes of sounds, some of them are at almost the exact pitch of the tinnitus or at least very close. Many of the peeps are very hard to hear or distinguish from the tinnitus.

It does make me wonder if they can accurately assess hearing frequency loss in someone with tinnitus and if there is an alternative to such tests (can't think how myself).
Anyone else have concerns about the tests they have had?

.

I have horrible tinnitus, and during the frequency tests they do "masking" basically where they put a white noise into the ear that they are testing that counters the ringing of tinnitus, so that they can get an accurate frequency loss.

I was diagnosed with bilateral Otto sclerosis in my early 20's - I had surgery in the mid 90s on my right ear, which for a short time improved the hearing in it but I still required a hearing aid- I've worn bilateral hearing aids since I was diagnosed-
The tinnitus is maddening at times - a constant high pitched almost wind like swirl sound, at times its been accompanied by vertigo and nausea, for those times I have a standing order for antivert and an anti nausea medication order I just need to call my Dr and he writes it, as far as the ringing goes itself the only relief I have found is some sort of background noise constantly- Like a TV on or a radio -24-7 Ive also tried things like Ginkgo Biloba with no improvement at all
The disease has progressed in my case to the point where they won't operate again- Ive already lost 95% of my hearing in the left ear with the right one catching up, all too quickly as the loss gets worse so does the tinnitus I've joked for years that I couldn't wait until I was totally deaf just so that ringing would go away-

[tkingdoll]

I have it on and off since I had Ramsay Hunt Syndrome. I lost about 30% hearing in one ear, the tinnitus isn't too bad at the moment but I assume it'll get worse.

The main issue is that my pitch is affected, so I can't sing as well as I used to. That's a shame as I can't gig any more, but thems the breaks. It's not like I don't have other things to do anyway :D

[Beerina]

All I have is mild tinitus.

I've had it since I was 8 and it is only noticible when it is completely silent. All I need is a loud fan or soft music in the backgroud to go to sleep otherwise it is a tad annoying...like a high pitched mosquitoe buzzing around in my ears.

That's what I have, too. I don't even consider it abnormal. I always felt it was due to near-omnipresent background noise, from TV to music to driving in the car to the hustle and bustle of work.

When it finally goes silent, your ears, used to filtering out the background noise from your attention, now give some kind of negative echo, "canceling" out sound that isn't there, leaving you with a sound.

I assumed it would go away in a few days or weeks of Luddite silence. But that much time of course would never go by.

[Rolfe]

There's a study (old now) where they got two groups of people to go into an anechoic chamber and write down absolutely everything they heard or thought they heard. One group of people had tinnitus, the other didn't.

The descriptions from the groups were indistinguishable.

The theory is that the brain is used to hearing something, and absolute silence is abnormal. So if it gets really quiet, the brain tries harder and harder to hear something, until the background patterns of the auditory cortex start to be perceived as sound.

This perception usually goes away when a normal auditory ambience returns. However, if for some reason the subject has been frightened by the sound, and has labelled it as a threat, the perception doesn't go away. Because the auditory system doesn't habituate to sounds perceived as danger signals.

And that's why tinnitus happens. That it's more likely in people with a hearing impairment is partly due to the increased tendency for the brain to strain to pick up sounds, and partly because damaged ears may make abnormal patterns in the auditory cortex more likely. But "any audiogram may be associated with tinnitus or no tinnitus" as one paper put it.

The report linked to in the OP seems to be taking this basic theory somewhat further, which is most interesting.

Rolfe.

[BlackCat]

I never knew what caused it until I read the wikipedia explanation posted above by Galaxie. I used to theorize I was somehow causing blood to flow inside my ears or some such. Now I understand it's a voluntary muscle contraction -- but which muscle are we talking about here?
The tensor tympani (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tensor_tympani).

[Yuri Nalyssus]

Fascinating! Can this happen for humans too?
Apparently it can - if you google objective tinnitus most of the references are to human cases, though it's very rare.

Yuri

[Rolfe]

I read about it in Barry Bush's cat book. But when I asked him about it he got quite evasive - I think he'd just copied it from somewhere else.

Rolfe.

[Vortigern99]

Now you know four!

My family lived in Taiwan for years when I was a kid. We used to do a lot of deep diving there. That's when I learned first to "pop" my ears and then just lengthened the maneuver....voilá, earthquake sound! I've never found any actual use for it, except just playing around with the sounds on a gig or listening to music. I can keep it up fairly steady for a little less than a minute, then it starts getting difficult and I feel dizzy.

This is so fascinating!

With Beanbag, that makes five, and with me makes six total*, on these boards so far! I knew teh Interwebz were good for somethin'!

Here are the benefits of making the earthquake sound I've noted so far:

1. Reduce pain of loud noises, such as fire truck sirens.

2. Pop ear pressure during diving or altitude ascent.

3. Use in meditation as a focal tool.

4. Entertainment!

* Galaxie, BlackCat, Gate2501, Vortigern99, BeanBag, and Tapio

[Denver]

With Beanbag, that makes five, and with me makes six total*...

* Galaxie, BlackCat, Gate2501, Vortigern99, BeanBag, and Tapio

And one more:

...I can also make that 'rumble' you all mentioned. This is the first time I've ever heard other people talking about it!

:)

[Lisa Simpson]

And one more:

I can too, but it will trigger involuntary spasms if I do it too much.

[Vortigern99]

Where have all you earthquakers been all my life? I could've used some solidarity when I was a kid and thought I might be slightly crazy, or possibly psychic, or just plain delusional. Maybe we should start a union? :D

[Lisa Simpson]

Do any of the rest of you earthquakers have any children and if so, can they do it? Two of my three sons report they can make the rumble noise.

[tkingdoll]

I can do it too.

[Roma]

I had tinitus a few years ago.
I was just going back to university on a full scholarship, well it paid for everything except the glasses that I needed so until I got those I bought a tape recorder to use for note taking. That would have worked well except just before my first class I lost my hearing, so to speak, with the loudest tinitus that sounded like a tornado ripping through the room, constantly, for three months, then it went away.
I managed the first three months of university nearly blind and deaf, you need a really good sense of humour for that :alc:

[CaveDave]

With Beanbag, that makes five, and with me makes six total*, on these boards so far!

<snip>

* Galaxie, BlackCat, Gate2501, Vortigern99, BeanBag, and Tapio

So, was my case deemed to not qualify? If so, what is the difference that rules my case out?

As to the voluntary eardrum moving, I may be doing that, too. For the last 10 or so years, when I do the manouver I use to equalize my ears after a pressure change (aircraft, elevator, weather, etc.) which is sort of an incipient yawn semi-unhinging the back of my jaw, or even a normal yawn or when swallowing, I hear a noise like crinkling paper or foil, but I had thought it was just stretching the eustacian tubes or something. Who knows?


I really would like to know what the "crumpling paper" noise is, if not the same as what you others describe.:confused:

Cheers,

Dave

[arthwollipot]

I'm not sure exactly what you're talking about when you talk about earthquaking. I can make a rumble in my ears for very short periods (<1sec) but I don't know if it's the same thing you're talking about. It certainly doesn't have any of the benefits that Vortigern99 mentioned.

[Tapio]

I'm not sure exactly what you're talking about when you talk about earthquaking. I can make a rumble in my ears for very short periods (<1sec) but I don't know if it's the same thing you're talking about. It certainly doesn't have any of the benefits that Vortigern99 mentioned.

I think "earthquake" is the best possible word to describe the sound I can produce. To be precise, it sounds like an earthquake heard from the peripherial regions of it.

Paraskeptical, that's a real bummer what's happening to you. I wish you strength.

[Galaxie]

I really would like to know what the "crumpling paper" noise is, if not the same as what you others describe.:confused:

Well, when I swallow or yawn, there is a brief sound that is kind of like little bubbles popping. However, if my sinuses are congested, the sound changes, so I figured it was the tubes as well.

[Denver]

Well, when I swallow or yawn, there is a brief sound that is kind of like little bubbles popping. However, if my sinuses are congested, the sound changes, so I figured it was the tubes as well.

Yes I can make that soun, and it seems more to involve the eustachian tube. The earthquake seems to involve a "nearby", but not identical, muscle group: maybe an inch farther/higher, toward the temples, than the tubes one. Also, it doesn't really have a tone: more like the ocean sound you'd hear listening to a conch shell, but more abrupt, loud. I think if you press your palms over your ears, you'll hear something a bit similar.

[Galaxie]

think if you press your palms over your ears, you'll hear something a bit similar.

That's exactly how the "earthquake" sounds to me as well.

[Jeff Corey]

... I think if you press your palms over your ears, you'll hear something a bit similar.

I can do that too. I have no idea what an earthquake sounds like (slept most of the way through our 1985 quake), but I get the same effect by tightening up my jaw muscles.
And I have a low "white noise" titinus, with an occasional sharp click.

[aerosolben]

I'm not sure exactly what you're talking about when you talk about earthquaking. I can make a rumble in my ears for very short periods (<1sec) but I don't know if it's the same thing you're talking about. It certainly doesn't have any of the benefits that Vortigern99 mentioned.
I'm curious as well. I notice that if I squint hard my ears will rumble. No time limits, but it's a bit of a strain to maintain. Not sure if it's the same thing. I've probably done it before, but didn't consider it notable - assuming it's altered blood flow or something.

I have rare episodes of what may be tinnitus - sometimes when it's quiet, I'll start having hearing a faint ringing or white noise that amplifies background noises (the best way to describe it is that everything sounds *angry*). Happened much more frequently when I was a child - very rare these days (maybe once in the past year).

[Blue Bubble]

Good grief - I have just realised that I can do the "earthquaking" thing too. To do it, I simply flex my ears back and hold them there (I can wiggle my ears).

So how many can NOT do this ?

[sophia8]

Yep, I have tinnitus too. I've always had burst of various noises in my ears - growling, rustling. screeching, hissing etc - lasting from a few seconds to a minute or two. I thought that this was perfectly normal and that everybody had them. Then a few years ago, they started getting longer and closer together/. Now I get a continuous high-pitched hiss, mainly in one ear. And I'm losing the hearing in that ear also and I'm now waiting for an NHS ear test to find out how bad it is (though it's bad enough hat I can't use the telephone with that ear).
And I've just tried the "earthquake noises" trick and discovered I can do it! Wow.

[arthwollipot]

I think "earthquake" is the best possible word to describe the sound I can produce. To be precise, it sounds like an earthquake heard from the peripherial regions of it.Having never heard that, I'm having trouble using it as a reference. :p