Can Earplugs Cause Tinnitus? Synchronized with My Heart Beat

I've used ear plugs to sleep for years now. Last year, I started hearing this intermittent sound.

At first I believed it was a construction site somewhere. I only heard it with the ear plugs on, which was weird. A few days later I realized it was synchronized with my heart beat and inside my head.

I stopped using ear plugs for a couple days and it went away. Sometimes it comes back. Now I started hearing it even without the plugs. It's terrible and I can't sleep.

Could this be tinnitus?

 

It sounds like you have tinnitus, but earplugs won't cause tinnitus. You might want to see if you have night bruxism (grinding or biting down while sleeping), which can cause TMJ, which can lead to tinnitus.