The Hum — Does Everyone Hear This or Is It a Form of Tinnitus?

[NeoAnderson]

I've always lived / slept in a room with a computer that has loud fans, and always kept the TV on, but since I've been having abnormal fullness in my left ear I tried to see what my ears do In a quiet room.
I noticed that when I'm in a room with no noise, my ears sound like a diesel engine, a little lower than this video. Just a steady "wind" like sound, like what happens when you clench your jaw too hard or plug your ears. I don't really have "ringing" though..

It's easily masked when I'm not in a room with no noise, not really bothersome when I'm next to a fan or TV or computer, but is this something most people hear when they are in a silent room? Is it just the blood flowing and your nervous system? I got kind of freaked out when I fixated on it and then read that 3 people in the UK committed suicide from it, just from the hum, not from a high pitched tinnitus. Or did they have an extreme much worse case?

The only thing the ENT can attribute my fullness / hyperacusis / ear humming to is TMJ, does a night guard even help ?

 

[MrBonk]

There'd be sounds there even if there was no T. But like this diesel engine? I'm not so certain.
When my brother got T, I felt bad. But thought that if you listen hard enough with your ears plugged. Everyone has something they can hear. Some kind of sound, even ringing like if you try hard enough.

I brushed it off at first, but then I felt more and more worse because he would break down completely and cry (He's on the autism spectrum. So you can only imagine how that didn't help at all).

I would plug my ears and try hear what I would tell him and even myself. That everyone can hear *Something* when you plug your ears. And that IS true. In the absence of external sound, everyone would hear something strange, even tinnitus like. But it's not the same as T.

Now when I plug my ears, or wear ear muffs. At very baseline, there is this low but not so clear sound of a hum in the center of my head that sounds almost radiating (like a "Woooommmmmmmmmmm", at first it felt like a pressure wave exploding from the center trying to bust my head open). Further base T in center of my head/left ear seem to be higher octaves of this sound.

Definitely different than what I could ever hear before when I would try to listen.


The fullness, I think could be from TMJ. Do your Eustachian tubes feel like they come open easily, or are somewhat open? When you eat and chew food, does your jaw feel like it pops at all or makes popping/crackling sounds?
Any sinus/ear issues?

I've got some major sinus issues and tmjoint issues that all started the same day my T did. I think they'd have to be related. I started to realize I think I might clench my teeth sometimes at night. So I bought a moldable mouth guard. But it's still pretty thick and i'm still trying to get used to it. They usually say if you have TMJ not to use those OTC ones on the package. But I don't see why not..

 

[NeoAnderson]

Yeah my Eustachian tube does seem like it comes open easily, more so on the "full" ear, when I pop my ears holding my nose sometimes I barely even blow and it happens. However the ENT said I did not have a eustachian tube or fluid problem, I'm not sure if he even really knows for sure though. They just go by the same fluid/hearing test that they've been using for forever.

Lately my ears feel a bit like I'm on an airplane, and sounds are somewhat muffled, I suppose it could be related to chronic thick mucus I have. I'm going to see another ENT and a TMJ specialist. Has the mouth guard helped you at all? I just hope this hum doesn't get worse because sometimes it seems like the feeling of being on an airplane might be the hum getting louder. It really is scary to know that people kill themselves all the time from this stuff...

 

[Owen]

Before mine started, I must admit, I could cover my ears with ear defenders, hold my breath and stand in a near silent room and the only thing I could hear was my own heartbeat. However, I am aware that a lot of people do have various noises they hear all the time.

ETD can last days, weeks, or even years (sadly, in addition to my other hearing issues, for me it is the latter). It was only once I developed ETD that the tinnitus that had otherwise appeared became sufficiently intrusive that I struggled with it. Up to that point, I had actually coped perfectly well with pretty loud tinnitus, but the ETD made the tinnitus even worse, with both a constant full feeling, popping and crackling noises and also resulted in the sounds becoming unbalanced between my ears, which resulted in my brain paying more attention to it.

I think the trick for you is not to fixate on it. If it isn't really bothering you, then don't let it. Get back on with living your life and hopefully time will deal with the ETD.