I have had tinnitus for 4 months in my left ear only. I have noticed that when I go swimming and I do at least 30 lengths of the pool in say 40 minutes, the tinnitus completely stops. The more vigorous the swimming the longer the period of no tinnitus. Typically between 12 and 20 hours. I do not get the same effect if I go jogging for 40 minutes. So there is something about swimming which causes the stopping effect.
My current thought is that swimming is a very good cardio vascular exercise and it expands and relaxes the blood vessels and decreases blood pressure. My doctor told me that it is thought that it is the noise of the blood passing the carotid artery that can be heard.
Do you mean what kind of Tinnitus I perceive ? Generally it’s a badly tuned radio. Sometimes a loud whistle, but this goes after about sixty seconds. I hear the T above the noise of my car when I’m driving at max speed.What your doc says about blood passing by is a new one on me, have you seen an audiologist and if so do they agree?
I have not seen an audiologist, but I might do. The blood noise issue was mentioned by my doctor who also specialises in ears, nose and throat. This does seem to make sense as on occasion I can hear my own pulse when lying in bed, which is normal after exercise but not when fully rested, additionally exercise, which expands the blood vessels, causes the volume of T to decrease, also the carotid artery goes right past your left ear. This may all be a coincidence but.......
I have a friend who specialises in MRi scanning etc. so I am considering getting my carotid artery scanned to check the blood flow to see if there are any restrictions to it.
He also said there was no cure and they do not know what exactly causes it as they cannot replicate it in animals on which to base scientific study. So essentially there seems to be no medical studies on this issue.
I will add more posts as I experiment on myself with what what works or not.
Please be aware that quite a lot of people have said that an MRI scan can be very loud, and in some cases has upset their existing tinnitus.
So best to take some good ear plugs with you for some protection.
Also, I have seen it mentioned that they may be able to offer you some noise reducing headphones. Personally, if available, I would wear those, but definitely use your own ear plugs as well.
I have heard my pulse (thump thump thump) in my left ear for almost 3 years. I've seen 3 ENTs, had the scans, mri's etc, the diagnosis's that I have been given "don't ring true to me", sometimes I think once you hear your pulse your brain wont let go of it?
What exactly was your diagnosis? What were your scan results? Is the T only in your left ear?
I can only speculate but it seems to me that if you have a healthy blood pressure taken in a sitting position via your arm, it is an indication of your general body BP.
However, this does not mean that you cannot have blood vessels in your body, that at particular points, are not under a greater localised pressure, as pressure increases as the diameter of a blood vessel decreases if the blood is being pumped at a constant pressure, i.e. systolic pressure. So it seems logical that a local pressure spike would be felt as a pulse and the blood squeezing through a restricted blood vessel as a noise, especially if located near or in the ear.
I can feel the pulse in my head when lying in bed completely at rest, but after exercise when pressure rises I cannot. This makes sense as the vessel restriction is removed once the blood vessels expand naturally during exercise. Reversing back once the benefits of the exercise have worn off.
It would be interesting to know how many people as a % proportion of the total have T in their left ear only which just suddenly appeared.
Need more data really and a summary of all the diagnosis' given to establish a pattern.
Hi, I have had 3 diagnosis's, 1. All normal but I am one of many people who have picked up on the sound of their blood pumping through their carotid artery, 2. My left jugular is (very very wide and) dominant (the right is considerably smaller) and I have picked up on the blood flowing through it and 3. I have Superior Semi Circular Canal Dehisence in my left ear and I am picking up on normal blood flow through the brain. I'm not totally convinced of any of these.., I can stop the thumping my moving my neck around, performing a valsalva, sleeping on my left side etc , any thoughts on this? Thanks
I think points 1 & 2 are totally plausible, but 3 sounds (no pun intended) a bit of a stretch. As you were not born with T something has changed over time to allow this ailment to develop.
My favoured theory is that there is localised restriction in the carotid artery which I believe is nearest the ear which is common in people over 50. See Carotid stenosis disease at: -
The narrowing of the artery will increase localised blood pressure producing a noise as the blood is forced through a narrower vessel. (Similar to the noise generated in a water central heating system when you restrict the flow by partially closing a radiator valve).
The only way to it seems to me to diagnose this possibility is to have a scan specifically looking for plaque build up in the artery or any blood flow restriction in or around the ear.
If it was the artery, then this can be resolved by the insertion of a stent under local anesthetic.
Did they specifically look for any reduction in flow capacity of your artery? It can be restricted but it seems still to be considered within an acceptable range by the medical profession.
Hi, I had two ultrasound scans of my carotids, they both showed good blood flow and no signs of plaque build up, given that I can totally eliminate "the thump thump thump" by laying on my left side or changing my posture, I tend to think that the pulsatile tinnitus may be somatic..?
• in reply to
Hi DuiaI read a recent study on T which concluded that T and arterial hypertension were linked. I also spoke to a friend who is a professional MRi etc scanner and she said that pulsating T was linked to blood flow but that a constant humming T was likely linked to nerve damage. This seems logical.
My T is generally a low level constant hum. What I cannot understand is that if this is the case, why does the volume alter depending on body posture, the angle of my neck and why is it stopped by swimming?
In the meantime, as I know that it is a fact that exercise can stop T, I will continue to investigate further exercises that can be used.
It is generally a low level hum, similar to a fridge noise at a distance.
I believe that blood pressure plays only a part in the root cause of the T I have and I am doing regular exercise to decrease my BP to eliminate it as a primary cause; but my next step is to find an exercise to replicate, on dry land, the benefits gained from swimming.
I have some thoughts on this issue as jogging, cross training and an exercise bike have not worked as a means of stopping the T like swimming; so whilst straight forward exercise does decrease the T volume it is not a solution. I have further options on this however which I am going to try out.
In the meantime, being able to stop the T for an extended period is a blessing, but going swimming every day can be a bit of a pain.
I also know that my T is reliant on my ear drum oscillating, which I can prevent with an ear plug plus either water or olive oil. Olive oil is better when the noise is louder as it is more viscous. This remedy is useful at night time if I am unable to go swimming during the day.
I only retired 5 months ago and have had T for the last 4, it is not how I saw my retirement going! Still it gives me something to do.
Very well done indeed for finding such a good exercise and amazing to find that swimming eliminates the tinnitus . You have hit the nail on the head . 😃 🏊♀️ 🏊♂️ 🏊
Wow. That is great that you've found something that helps. I really like swimming at my local pool. It doesn't change my tinnitus but it is relaxing and it is well heated which is a plus. 😊 🏞
I did notice when I first got Tinnitus that if I worked like a dog up at the allotment then my tinnitus was thankfully quieter at the end of working for the rest of the day. Assumed is was something to do increased blood flow but it’s great you have had a similar experience - definitely something in it!
Very interesting! I've just signed up to a fitness centre which includes swimming. I intend going in the next couple of days and will be putting this to the test. I've had tnnitus in my right ear probably for around 3 months. Fingers crossed!
Wow, fantastic news for you - and maybe others. My blood pressure is typically 110/60, so I don't think this is the cause of my T. But maybe just relaxing is beneficial.
That's great news. I swim laps wearing an induction headset and enjoy the tranquility but never noticed the post-swim benefits so I'll pay more attention tomorrow when I swim.
Hi 180cToday for the first time in 4 days I had the chance to go for a swim. My T was moderate in volume beforehand. I swam for 40 mins and did 40 lengths of a 25m pool with a moderate swim. I did not dive under the water but I was doing the crawl and the breast stroke, so my head was slightly submerged as I swam. It is now 8 hours later and still no T and I do not expect it to return until between 3 and 5am tomorrow morning. So to my mind the factors at play are: -
Exercise levels raising blood pressure and blood vessel expansion as a natural bodily reaction to exercise easing the blood flow through the cardio vascular system. This may be particularly relevant to the carotid artery near the ear.
Water pressure on the ear drum. (I do not perceive any noise in my ears as I swim). This could be relevant but the pressure increase would be minimal as my ears would not be more than 200mm max under the water as I swim. I need to test the pressure issue by simply diving under water for an extended period without swimming and seeing if this makes any difference.
Blood pressure. This could be relevant as a general measure of fitness and maintaining the flexibility of blood vessels. I am monitoring this as we speak on a daily basis and I am reducing both the systolic and diastolic pressures. Currently 108/75 pre-swimming and 102/70 after. I need to get my pre-swimming pressure down to the post pressure levels before I can eliminate this as the primary cause.
It is a perverse dilemma in that I know the answer i.e.. the treatment works by swimming, but why does it work?
Mmm, Given the exercise (swimming) reduces or eliminates the tinnitus for a period of time, could the cause of the tinnitus be coming from your upper spine / neck area..? I know that my tinnitus can be altered by neck movement.
As it does mine. I have tried to replicate the neck movements of swimming whilst at the same time using the exercise bike, but this did not stop or reduce the T as it would have had I swam. Again this points to the blood supply in the neck as the cause of the T as different neck positions alter the alignment of the blood vessels and the flow.
I have also tried jogging and cross training but still no benefit in reduced T.
Could it be that swimming works because you are floating horizontally so your heart is not fighting against gravity so much, so greater blood pressure is being exerted and maximized throughout the body. Thus pushing open to a greater extent any vessels that are restricted and maximising the natural enlargement of the blood vessels resulting from exercise?
Need to devise an exercise that can be done lying down that will raise your BP and allow you to rotate your neck whilst doing so. Any ideas.
Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.
Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.
Tinnitus getting worse
Tinnitus symptoms dismissed by ENT consultant as anxiety
Tinnitus fades after noise exposure 
Sertraline - is Tinnitus a side effect?
Vitamin D causing tinnitus 
