Heartbeat/whooshing sound in ears: Has anyone had... - Thyroid UK

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Heartbeat/whooshing sound in ears

celticlady profile image
59 Replies

Has anyone had the heartbeat sounds in their ears -and a sort of whooshing sound ? I get this occasionally and mainly at night but wondered if any hypothyroiders were experiencing this?

Maybe it's blood pressure but if anyone has any knowledge of possible causes I'd love to hear from you.

Or is it just age/hot weather/post -menopausal stuff?

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celticlady profile image
celticlady
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59 Replies
ThyroidHell profile image
ThyroidHell

My work mate has this and it is a condition meaning it has a name but can't remember what it is google ' whoosing & heartbeat ' in the ear and there is tons of info maybe you'll come across the name for this condition too . She also suffers from Ophthalmic Migranes with this. Very unpleasant apparently and all she wants to do when the attac comes to crawl in her darkened bedroom and try to get some sleep. She doesn't have any known thyroid problems.

coetzeegisela profile image
coetzeegisela in reply to ThyroidHell

Maybe Tinntenitus or labyrinthitus. Inner ear or cochlear disturbance. Check with GP or ENT Vestibular doc. More likely just simple knock to head or water/wax in ear. But if there has been some trauma to head/skull do have checked with requisite scans.

Anjie_12 profile image
Anjie_12 in reply to coetzeegisela

I went flying into the front of the bus when it halted suddenly and have been having these whooshing sounds ever since. I did bang my head into the glass. Went to hospital but they said a scan wasnt needed. Im thinking if I should go back. Unpleasant and I just want to sleep to avoid hearing it.

woodbon profile image
woodbon in reply to Anjie_12

Thank you for your reply. Mine seems to have come on slowly but it is getting more annoying lately. I think I would go back to the doctor's if I were you, just to check it out.

ribbon profile image
ribbon in reply to ThyroidHell

Pulsatile tinnitus. I have it for years, getting worse. Getting me down

carolynyouragent profile image
carolynyouragent in reply to ribbon

You should get your thyroid checked. I have the same thing and I have Hashimotos Thyroiditis. When I got on medication for my condition, the tinnitus went away.

woodbon profile image
woodbon in reply to carolynyouragent

I have just had a blood test and I'm waiting for the result. They are going to check my thyroid and a few other routine things. I have this done a from time to time, as I have a heart problem diagnosed 2 years ago and the medication can effect various other things! I worry that it is connected to my heart problem. I have't told the doctor about my tinnitus!

Toonstone profile image
Toonstone in reply to ThyroidHell

I might be a rare case but I thoroughly recommend you go see the quack. I was getting a whooshing sound in my ears when I would put my head on the pillow.

I hoped it would clear up so I didn't do anything about it. About a fortnight later I was on my way home when I lost the full function of my left side of my body. I'd had a stroke. I had ct and MRI scans during my stay in hospital and they found damage to my carotid artery which most likely explains the sound of pressurised blood whooshing past the ear.

Go see your doctor

Scorpiosun profile image
Scorpiosun in reply to Toonstone

Thank you for that Toonstone. I saw my doctor today, told him about the whooshing, he listened and said he heard it in the area of the carotid artery so has referred me to a specialist. I'd assumed it was high blood pressure which I've had for years. I also have a hard lump in that area, the left lymph node, which he'd immediately sent me to have a chest X-ray to make sure it wasn't Lymphoma a few weeks ago, I didn't, and he said we'd watch it to see if there was any change. It's now possible that all of this is linked and I have you to thank for prodding me to see the doctor

Toonstone profile image
Toonstone in reply to Scorpiosun

Thank you for your kind words. I was just being an A typical man and refusing to go see the doctor, and it could of cost me my life. I'm glad my experience has benefitted someone and we can pull a positive from a negative.

I made a full recovery and have resumed normal life already. I wish you well, and hope you get patched up soon.

Scorpiosun profile image
Scorpiosun in reply to Toonstone

Thank you

Brunette79 profile image
Brunette79 in reply to Toonstone

Hi Toonstone did you have any other symptoms other than when you lay down and had whooshing in ears?as iv been feeling unwell past few weeks with headaches and flushed face and when i turn over in bed I feel pressure in ears and they whoosh and whistle and head feels pressured so I'm feeling worried

hooper profile image
hooper

I had that for awhile at the tail end of a nasty cold a few months ago. Put it down to a bit of an infection in the ear. I was partially deaf with it too. It went after a couple of days.

Jen x

juggle39 profile image
juggle39

this is something I get from time to time. don't know what causes it. don't like it much. but try not to worry as it disappears for long periods. it has been happening to me for years on and off.

ThyroidHell profile image
ThyroidHell

Yeah it is on / off condition as far as I know

elements profile image
elements

yes i seen a specialist for this they told me it as external white noise i was picking up from the environment it has nothing to do with you hearing your bodies noises because thats what i thought it was too. its called tinnitus and i suffer from it constantly was told if its really bad it can make you go mad or deaf and i was told to concentrate on the noise from outside like traffic or put a radio or tv on to try blocking it out.

Gillybean129 profile image
Gillybean129

I have tinnitus, not sure about it making you mad or deaf, but it's not pleasant. Mine comes and goes, gets louder when I'm stressed. I put it down to years of loud music abuse but that's my fault. Apparently it one of the many symptoms of being hypo it's uncurable there are strategies to help you deal with it i.e. radio etc but it's a case of learning to live with it. I get high piercing noise but also whooshing from time to time....great huh?

lillinares profile image
lillinares in reply to Gillybean129

Hi, wondering if you'll ever see this but... I've been dealing with the same kind of tinnitus for the past 6 months. Well, i get the regular staticky noise in both years but I only started noticing it because of the whooshing I would get on my right ear every now and then. I also get the high pitched sound on my left year on and off... The thing is that the whooshing and the high pitched were very sporadic and now, well, this past weekend the whooshing seemed to have become a constant. I'm healing from a cold so I wonder if it's in any way related. But it's driving me nuts. I read some pretty scary stuff about the possible reasons this is happening.

So I was wondering if you got better, if it's still the same for you (how are you handeling it?) or did you find any underlying cause?

celticlady profile image
celticlady in reply to lillinares

Hi There

Mine has gone now and I think it's due to being more 'balanced' with my thyroxine. Best to check with your GP-even get a referal to appropriate expert-all my symptoms have evened out except that I pick up every virus out there. Good luck with advice on this and take care.x

scm20 profile image
scm20 in reply to celticlady

hi are you overactive plz

celticlady profile image
celticlady in reply to scm20

No-under as I am hypothyroid.

scm20 profile image
scm20 in reply to celticlady

i am underactive raised my thyroxine yesterday see if it helps

nuggetnet profile image
nuggetnet

Hi Celticlady,

I can sympathise as I have had exactly those symptoms for 2 years now. Sometimes it's so loud I can't get to sleep or it wakes me up. I've been to the docs several times about it. At first they thought it was chronic rhinitis but the treatment for that isn't help. If you look on the Thyroid Uk site you'll see that tinnitus and other hearing problems are a common symptom of thyroid problems. So, I'm hoping that once I get my medication level right, it will help. I've read about others on here who have had tinnitus and their symptoms finally went when they were on the right dosage.

elements profile image
elements in reply to nuggetnet

@ nuggetnet, I am on the right dosage and it doesn't go away. But it can lead to deafness and madness i was told that by a consultant at the hospital.

marram profile image
marram in reply to elements

That sounds like a strange consultant talking about deafness and madness. O would agree that it can lead to depression.

I have had tinnitus which includes whooshes, plus a multiplicity of other sounds for the last 20 years or so. So far, no signs of 'madness'. But then again, maybe I wouldn't know if I were mad.

Yes, it is one of the many symptoms of hypothyroidism, because hypothyroidism can lead to ENT problems.

ribbon profile image
ribbon in reply to elements

That consultant may be projecting his own madness on to you! Ha! They really say some daft things. It's autoimmune, I've been told by ENT specialist. I'd say it's thyroid and I'm battling to get on correct dosage to see if it makes pulsatile tinnitus improve. Fingers crossed. Maybe it's same for you? Good luck

elements profile image
elements

@ marram it has affected my hearing in my right ear, that's why i went to the hospital to get my hearing checked, i have lost my hearing because of it since 2009.

panic profile image
panic in reply to elements

Hi elements I put a post up under hyperthyroid as I have recently lost all hearing in my right ear and 2 GP's that I have seen have said there is no connection with thyroid and hearing!!!

coetzeegisela profile image
coetzeegisela

ENT Neurology at your hospital/clinic. With neuro-physiotherapy (sugery - in more acute cases) it is easily overcome with the obvious requisite work. See a Vestibular-related med. practician.

Ecs10124983 profile image
Ecs10124983

Hold you nose, close you eyes, put your other finger in the ear that isn't effected, then push out air as hard as you can and your ear will unpop, it's because you have water in there and it connecting your eardrum to an inside part of your body, which makes you here this sound

Javics profile image
Javics in reply to Ecs10124983

Ok... I just tried that. My ear made a squeaky sound and I thought that meant it was clearing. Nope. The pulsing noise is now MUCH louder than it was. And I now have a bad headache to go with it. It might work for some people but based on my experience just now I wouldn't recommend trying this! 😕

aah11b profile image
aah11b in reply to Ecs10124983

Idiotic advice - NO You DONT blow as hard as you can, you will rupture your damn eardrum! You start with mild pressure and increase it slowly and carefully. It may release pressure at a point, but don't keep blowing so hard as to blow out your eardrum. use good judgment. This trick works great when descending in an airliner. As you descend, try this trick every three or four minutes the lower you get, and after you land you wont have that deafness or ear pressure. However if you have a head cold, you may worsen matters.

Anjie_12 profile image
Anjie_12 in reply to Ecs10124983

I just tried that. No noise for like a second but whooshing sound still there, even louder now if anything :/

Petrocrisp profile image
Petrocrisp in reply to Ecs10124983

It did something. My ear poped scared the hell out me

Wooshing profile image
Wooshing

I started having it years ago when I was 27 and its just getting worse now. It drives me absolutely nuts! Any idea to what it is ?

When I press my finger on my jugular vein it stops. I've been to the Dr, had scans done and still nothing! Help!!!

noahsmommy425 profile image
noahsmommy425 in reply to Wooshing

mine is same way!

Shilpi01 profile image
Shilpi01 in reply to Wooshing

Mine too:(

Lavanyas profile image
Lavanyas

i am suffering with same problem.. this pulsating sound started in my right ear when i was pregnant. i thought it ill go off after my delivery, but it didn't. I had MRI scan and it came back normal... but stil i could hear pulsing noise in my right ear for about two years now.

Ingrid11 profile image
Ingrid11

My husband got tinnitus four months ago - whooshing and screeching type (not pulsating), which became pretty loud with time. He was really suffering, and started to talk about suicide. Had problems at work, too. He did MRI - it showed nothing, and his hearing was OK. The cure came like this:

We live in Calgary, Canada. Calgary's elevation is approximately 1,048 m (3,438 ft) above sea level, and it's pretty dry here in August, when his tinnitus started (47%-50% relative humidity).

In the beginning of October he went to Jordan (Elevation above sea level: 757 m = 2483 ft), humidity 40%. Tinnitus had disappeared completely, but resumed on the plane back.

In October, he went to Vancouver (sea level, very humid), and his tinnitus had STOPPED COMPLETELY. It resumed when he returned to Calgary.

It was my teenage daughter, (a gifted student!) who suggested that there is relationship between sea level and / or humidity and his tinnitus. I guess he had some damage to the tiny hears in his inner ear (sorry I don't know the proper terminology), and it somehow performed better at lower elevation and higher humidity.

Right now my husband is working in South Korea (Geoji) - sea level elevation, high humidity. His tinnitus had disappeared immediately after he landed in Korea. I am moving over there, too. I guess we will never come back to Calgary (although we have a beautiful house and wonderful life here) - we are going to stick to places with low elevation and high humidity... It's so great to see my husband happy and cheerful again!!!

So many people who suffer from tinnitus commit (or trying to commit) suisides... My advice (I wish I can yell it from the top of my lungs, just to be heard by this sufferers) - go for vacations by the sea!!! If your tinnitus stops - just move away from your high & dry place! This may not help everyone, but it will help somebody for sure.

Ricku profile image
Ricku

Do any of you suffer from allergies? I started getting tinnitus about 8 years ago when I took up sports again. Prior to that, I had bad sinuses and often got colds or the flu. Upon taking up sports, the sinus became much less pronounced but I started getting ringing in the ears. Initially it was a wooshing sound that paralleled my blood flow and a slight ringing. It came and went...lasting sometimes a week. A couple years later the wooshing sound seemed to subside and the ringing became more prominent but again it came and went (last for several days and then subside to the point where I didn't really notice it). I still haven't figured out if it is stress related or allergies. There seems to be some correlation with my lower back sciatic nerve, so it could be that allergies are making my nerves swell causing the ringing in the ears and lower back pain. If I go for a hike, the ringing almost disappears and my back feels fine. When I sit for long periods of time and I am stressed, my back gets sore and the ringing returns. Still looking for the root cause. Hopefully my information is helpful. Rick.

juls profile image
juls

well this is what i seem to have just now. whoosing pulsating driving me nuts. im sure is coming form my neck as its been giving me gip since i fell on my head ... yes i fell upside down off the bed while changing light bulb. funny at the time but i was stuck upside down till hubby pulled me out the corner . so looks like this is when it all started to happen maybe whiplash from then.. seems so . also having bad arthritis in the neck dont help ............oh and i do have a partial blocked carotid artery ..blahhh could be owt docs again ..?

Taylor00 profile image
Taylor00

juls, you need to see a specialist. From what you have described, you may have honestly split a artery this is from the blunt force of your fall. Your hearing your artery and don't realize it. Sadly many doctors don't do what is needed. They need to put a scope on the back of the ear your hearing this from, and if they use the correct scope, they should be able to hear it too! You will then need another specialist that knows how to safely and easily place stents into the artery (which is blocked) so that you do not have a stroke. A trip to a specialist to listen will confirm for you if this is indeed what happened but if you fell and you already had artery issues, Im betting you need to get to help asap. I hope that you will see this msg. and do a immediate follow up! Its a hard diagnosis, but it would not be if they would all "listen" for themselves first...and rule out the noise as being what I have described! Very hard to find on some scans, the separation, but they can find it and fix it! Good luck and speedy access care I hope for you!

Madvicky profile image
Madvicky

I have had this whooshing sound in my ears during the night for a good while now, just read that quinine can cause this. I gave a gin & tonic most evenings so now going to have to give thus up. Quinine is also harmful for people who suffer from atrial fibulation.

ampi20 profile image
ampi20

I had this, along with some mild visual issues (seeing stars and floaters) and it turned out to be intracranial pressure! Go and get your eyes checked and mention the whooshing noises to the ophthalmologist to make sure your brain isn't trying to explode inside your head!

Amandaj66 profile image
Amandaj66

I get this too. And I hear my heart beat, but also something else a bit weird that I've not come across..

You know when you're driving on a motorway in the driving rain and its noisy, and then you go under a bridge, and everything stops, goes silent for a second? Well I get that, in my ears and it feels like my chest. It's like someone turns off the electricity for a second and then back on again. Only notice it at night, and not every night but when it happens it happens every few minutes. It's so strange.

I'm fit and active and have no history of high blood pressure or heart problems. Very weird

16Wind profile image
16Wind in reply to Amandaj66

I have had this! At least from the way you describe it. Found it scary because you're not sure if everything will start again. Did you find out any more about it?

Jessica102 profile image
Jessica102 in reply to Amandaj66

I have the exact thing!! Did you ever find out what causes it???

scott-condor profile image
scott-condor

I've had tinnitus since I was 9 do to a cause not important here. I'm 75 now and have had it all my life, I just listen around it and hardly notice it unless I pay attention to it. But this May I was visiting Philippines and had a second episode of Bell's Palsy, which gave me severe pain in my ear with loud noises. As the BP subsided, I began hearing the woosh-woosh in my ear at my pulse rate when I am around even a medium loud fan type of sound... or hard rain... or air conditioner. It is so bad I wear my wonderful noise cancelling headphones without any music, just so it can kill the outside sound and stop the whooshing. If there is no outside noise, I'm never bothered... and yes if I can pop my ear it does stop for a short time, but comes back in a minute or two. I'm getting very good at popping my ears just by clinching down on my back teeth.

wildpoppy profile image
wildpoppy

Hi everyone

I had pulsatile tinnitus for a couple of years, until it drove me crazy... I read some scary online and decided to go for a head CT. I have been diagnosed with a brain fistula (DVAF)...

Its worth checking it out!

wildpoppy profile image
wildpoppy

If it is a bruit, (from artery or vein), the consultant will be able to hear it with a scope!

Shakeela profile image
Shakeela

This is pulsatile tinnitus sister, I got pulsatile tinnitus when i was 12 and now i am 23. it's a worst experience that i got in young age, it lowered my hearing sense by 20%. It is mainly caused by young age infection, possibly sister in young age you may had ear ache for many days right?

In the beginning i was unaware that what kind of sound is ringing in my left ear,it was so loud that it looked like donkey sound...but after some months,after sound lowered(to some extent) i realised that it goes exactly how my heartbeat does.then it ringed in both of my ears. now(after a long time) it has become less loud with time. i mainly hear it when i become stressed, in tension, depression and anxiety,or more often at night time(because at night,all other environment sounds stop).

Pulsatile tinnitus also causes headache.

digbyj001 profile image
digbyj001

I had this for years I said to my doctor I got this noise in my ear pulsing he said it's nothing to worry about well 6 months later I had a heart attack now after the operation the noise went that was 4 years ago and I have just noticed the noise coming back I have been to the docs again to tell them and they said pulsing in the ear is nothing to do with heart well I have told them to log it because when it happens again I will take them to court it might just be coincidences but it scares me

Sherriah profile image
Sherriah

I also have hypothyroidism. Same thing, like an ultrasound in your ears.

carolynyouragent profile image
carolynyouragent

I have Hashimotos Thyroiditis and I used to get pulsitile tinnitus pretty bad. When I got on the right dose of medication, the tinnitus stopped altogether.

Pulisitile titinnus. I have it too but 24/7 :(

xnlife profile image
xnlife

I have the same sounds as most of you , along with hearing loss tried hearing aids and the feed back was too loud when I talked ? Has anyone had surgery or some treatments? Plus do you all use hearing aids and does it work

Prutheal profile image
Prutheal

The problem with most of us suffering from this situation is based on not taking regular notice to ur bodies, I had it for one month too.... Until I had a brain waves ...I began asking myself when last I yawn....and I came to a conclusion that it was almost a month....and then I immediately started to initiate myself to yawning,I did his for 2minutes and the whooshing sound stopped....I have now programme myself to always yawn at every instance I get....you could check on google for benefit of yawning...you can also send me a report and I will give u some tips .. Pearlangel_9@yahoo.com

in reply to Prutheal

This is an old thread but thank you for your post on it - I wouldn't have seen it otherwise. I'd never heard of it. I get this when I'm very stressed - an increase in blood pressure maybe? I'd just assumed I was hearing my own pulse, but couldn't work out why.

Prutheal profile image
Prutheal in reply to

Sometimes we get so occupied with our everyday activities that we forget the little simple things we needed to do, the way we eat to the way we look at objects always have an impact on our health ....its in human nature to always look for solution to every problem, our mistake however is that we don't access the problem before trying various solutions to it....and apprently we are all addicted to medicine as a form of solution...people always want drastic changes even if they had the problem for a long time...m glad I was able to see this post....I know it would not be taken seriously especially when people have been suffering from it for decades... But a little patient , eating healthy,having massages on the neck area...not with machines,and a lot of stretching would go a long way....am not a doctor but I listen to my body, and it has worked perfectly for me...

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