Embarrassing Illnesses

The symptoms of tinnitus can affect different people in different ways, and the severity of the noises that are heard can range from mild to severe.

Some people with tinnitus are more sensitive to normal, everyday sounds than others. For example, a person with tinnitus may find that a radio or television is painfully loud when it is at a normal volume for most people.

Types of tinnitus

For some people, tinnitus can be a low frequency noise, such as humming, murmuring, rumbling or deep droning.

Other people with tinnitus experience musical hallucinations, where they repeatedly hear musical tunes or songs in their head.

Pulsatile tinnitus is characterised by rhythmical noises that beat at the same rate as your heart. This type of tinnitus usually has a specific cause, such as high blood pressure (hypertension), or glue ear (serous otitis media).

The different types of tinnitus are described in more detail below.

Low frequency noise

People who constantly hear low frequency noise often think that it is coming from an external source rather than from inside their head or ears (tinnitus).

Sources of external low frequency noise include:

• road and air traffic noise,  
• underground gas pipes,
• those inside your home, such as fans and fridges, and
• air-conditioning units.

The wind, sea and thunder are natural sources of low frequency noise.

To determine where the noise that you can hear is coming from, ask other people whether they can hear it. If they can also hear the noise, it is unlikely that tinnitus is the cause.

If you can only hear the noise when you are in one place, it may be coming from an external source, whereas if you can hear it all the time, you may have tinnitus. Stress or a recent illness may be related to your symptoms.

If you have tinnitus, it may be more noticeable at certain times, or in certain situations. For example, if you have mild tinnitus, you are more likely to notice it when you are in quiet places because noisy environments can mask the sounds.

Some cases of tinnitus may also be related to your posture. For example, you may experience sounds when you are lying or sitting down or when you turn your head. Following these types of movements, pressure changes in your nerves, muscles, or blood vessels may affect the noises associated with tinnitus.

Musical hallucinations

Musical hallucinations are more common among people with long-term tinnitus and hearing loss. They are also sometimes experienced by people who have normal hearing, and those who have an increased sensitivity to sound (hyperacusis).

Certain prescription medication can sometimes trigger musical hallucinations. However, the hallucinations will usually stop when you stop taking the medication. See your GP if you think that the medication you are taking is causing your musical hallucinations. They should be able to prescribe an alternative for you. 

As with other forms of tinnitus, sometimes there is no apparent reason for musical hallucinations. However, stress can sometimes be a trigger.

Pulsatile tinnitus

Pulsatile tinnitus is a type of tinnitus where you hear rhythmical noises that beat in time with your pulse. Pulsatile tinnitus is usually caused by either:

• blood flow changes in the blood vessels near your ear, or
• becoming more aware of the blood flow near your ears.

The blood flow through an artery can sometimes become restricted. This can occur due to a build up of fatty deposits (plaques) on the inside wall of the artery that cause the artery to narrow (atherosclerosis). The narrowed artery prevents the blood from flowing smoothly and causes it to become noisy.

If you have impaired hearing or a hearing condition, such as a perforated eardrum, your awareness of sounds that come from inside your body, such as your blood flow, may be increased. This is because your hearing becomes more sensitive and internal noises are not drowned out by external sounds.