Why Is Tinnitus Louder When I Put Pressure on My Head?

[Leah]

Such as head on pillow, bending neck? 2am hard time resting.
Thanks everyone.

 

[divij]

are you sure its cause of what you said or is it louder because you are in a quite environment?
btw i feel the same thing....but it bothers me less now than when i initially got it!
also i think i have tmj...i can hear constant clicks when i move my jaw.
sadly neither of these 2 conditions (tinnitus, tmj) can be diagnosed to the best of my understanding.

 

[Leah]

I can make the sound even louder by changing head position. Especially putting it on a pillow or tilting head backwards.

 

[JTP]

You might benefit from neck massage. Until then do not tilt your head backwards

 

[Liesel]

are you sure its cause of what you said or is it louder because you are in a quite environment?
btw i feel the same thing....but it bothers me less now than when i initially got it!
also i think i have tmj...i can hear constant clicks when i move my jaw.
sadly neither of these 2 conditions (tinnitus, tmj) can be diagnosed to the best of my understanding.

TMJ can absolutely be diagnosed and treated. I had issues with TMJ four years ago, and underwent treatment successfully. Most people can be treated with just a simple mouth guard.

 

[divij]

TMJ can absolutely be diagnosed and treated. I had issues with TMJ four years ago, and underwent treatment successfully. Most people can be treated with just a simple mouth guard.

there are studies done to show that a mouth guard has no efficacy in treating tmj. Indeed MANY studies show that it may WORSEN tmj. neways...i cant say nething conclusive on this but DONT use it if ur tmj isnt bothering u!

 

[Dana]

I can make the sound even louder by changing head position. Especially putting it on a pillow or tilting head backwards.

I had the same impression, that it was the tilting of the head backwards and changing of the head position that are increasing my T. Later I realised it was the contraction of some muscles, definitely the SCM muscle and maybe scalene muscles, that are near the ear, that are increasing the T.

Do this experiment: tilt your head backward, but not forcefully, just slowly rotate your head backward trying to contract as few muscles as possible (of course you will contract some muscles, that's how we change the position of or body parts, including head, by contracting some muscles. But try to not contract other additional muscles, that are not essential in rotating the head backward.
You may discover (just "may", not "will") that rotating your head slowly backward or in other directions while keeping your neck relaxed as much as possible, that the T doesn't increase. If this is the result that you will obtain, not the moving of the head increases the T, but contracting the SCM muscle, known to increase the T in some sufferers.

With putting the head of the pillow, things may be different. My T increases in perception with my head on the pillow because the sound of the environment "disappears" (it isn't heard anymore because of the pillow, if I put my head on it with one ear facing the pillow).

Also, with the head on the pillow, some blood vessels may get bent, so the blood flow to the inner ear changes.

Or, when I put my head on the pillow, those muscles than can increase the T are contracted again.