My Tinnitus Sounds Like It's Coming from the Location of Other External Noises...?!

[mrpetrov]

I have a few constant tinnitus sounds, but one of them is a sort of mid-tone (c. 800 Hz) morse-code style tinnitus. It is reactive to volume (e.g., it gets louder in response to other sounds, such as inside a car or a white noise machine).

However, and this is really odd - when there are external noises above a certain dB threshold (around 26 dB), then this (and only this) tinnitus tone sounds like it's coming from the same location as the external noise. For example, if there is an A/C duct in a hotel room, this particular tinnitus noise will sound like it's coming from the AC duct. By contrast, when it's really quiet (< c.26 dB), this morse code style tinnitus sounds like it's in my left ear, same as all my other tinnitus tones.

Has anyone ever heard of a type of tinnitus that is interpreted by the brain as actually coming from (i.e., it sort of "latches" onto) an external source? (And yes, I've checked it's really the tinnitus making these noises, ha! - when I fully muffle/cover my left ear, my right ear does not hear this morse code tinnitus tone from any external noise source).

Any insight is greatly appreciated!

 

[Marcuso22]

It sounds like distorted hyperacusis. I get this when my refrigerator compressor is running loud, which is at the very beginning & end phases. The sound amplifies a humming sound in my right ear, which makes it seem as if the refrigerator sound is making a horn-type sound. It's the way reactive tinnitus converts the lower-sounding noise that people without tinnitus hear.

 

[BuzzyBee]

Has anyone ever heard of a type of tinnitus that is interpreted by the brain as actually coming from (i.e., it sort of "latches" onto) an external source? (And yes, I've checked it's really the tinnitus making these noises, ha! - when I fully muffle/cover my left ear, my right ear does not hear this morse code tinnitus tone from any external noise source).

Any insight is greatly appreciated!

Yes, I've had this for years. It happens a lot in the kitchen when multiple appliances are cooling down. The tinnitus will sound like it's coming from a different part of the room or sometimes outside, but really it's just coming from my head.

Piano music helps me. If you don't have one already, I recommend buying a small Bluetooth speaker, connecting with Spotify, and finding some playlists that you like. Play the music very low, do not blast. It won't necessarily mask the other sounds, but the new tones might distract your brain and calm down the weird tinnitus.