Sudden Onset of Fluctuating Pulsatile Tinnitus — Yawning Can Stop It for a Few Seconds

[EddyLee]

Hi all. I had a sudden onset of pulsatile tinnitus just 2 days ago. It started at night when I was trying to sleep. It's like I suddenly can hear my own heartbeat with my left ear. Today it stopped for a few hours and then came back again. I notice whenever I yawn, it will go away for a few seconds. I wonder what that means...

I have had normal tinnitus for years and it has kind of subsided to the background and doesn't bother me anymore but this new pulsatile tinnitus is causing me distress again

 

[Supersix]

Hi all. I had a sudden onset of pulsatile tinnitus just 2 days ago. It started at night when I was trying to sleep. It's like I suddenly can hear my own heartbeat with my left ear. Today it stopped for a few hours and then came back again. I notice whenever I yawn, it will go away for a few seconds. I wonder what that means...

I have had normal tinnitus for years and it has kind of subsided to the background and doesn't bother me anymore but this new pulsatile tinnitus is causing me distress again

Sorry to hear that. Hopefully, it will subside. Lay off the salt and fried foods, and start eating greens.

 

[kadster65]

Hi all. I had a sudden onset of pulsatile tinnitus just 2 days ago. It started at night when I was trying to sleep. It's like I suddenly can hear my own heartbeat with my left ear. Today it stopped for a few hours and then came back again. I notice whenever I yawn, it will go away for a few seconds. I wonder what that means...

I have had normal tinnitus for years and it has kind of subsided to the background and doesn't bother me anymore but this new pulsatile tinnitus is causing me distress again

Your pattern sounds very similar to my own. I've had ringing/hissing, mostly in my left ear, for about 7 years now. but last Summer, I suddenly developed pulsatile tinnitus on top of that. I went to my ENT and he ran a test to rule out a type of benign tumor that can be a cause. Then I went for a CT scan to check for any vascular anomalies. No issues detected with either test. As you can imagine, all this gets expensive after a while.

Others here recommend visiting a neuro-interventional radiologist, as pulsatile tinnitus is not like "normal" tinnitus at all and more than likely is something vascular. I've requested a referral from my regular doctor for that.

Best of luck to you. If you haven't noticed, there is a forum category here especially for sufferers of pulsatile tinnitus. You may find some additional helpful advice there, or support, at the very least.

 

[EddyLee]

My pulsatile tinnitus completely stopped a couple days after I posted this thread.

But then today it came back intermittently for a brief few minutes and is now gone again.

Wondering if mine is caused by Eustachian tubes since yawning affects it.

 

[Mister Muso]

Yawning actually makes my multi-tonal tinnitus worse, but deep breathing seems to gradually calm it down. However, if my breathing is too noisy, it can cause a spike in the tinnitus again.

I'd be really interested to know if anyone has written a research paper on the relationship between tinnitus and breathing, and whether anyone has experienced permanent improvements in their tinnitus through breathing techniques like box breathing, Wim Hof, or similar methods.

 

[Stanley Pickle]

Back in February, I experienced pulsating tinnitus in my right ear. It mirrored my heartbeat, which I believe can be very dangerous. I was advised to see a doctor immediately. Interestingly, as soon as I made the appointment, the pulsating stopped, but I went ahead with the CAT scan anyway. If the pulsating occurs in only one ear, it could indicate something serious. Good luck!