Hearing Humming That Stops with External Noise

[JaFo14]

Hi guys,

I've had tinnitus in some form since I was about 12, when someone pulled my ear at school. However, it never really bothered me, even though it's the loudest of all the sounds I have—a constant high-pitched tone in my head.

I also developed an electrical noise in my right ear after injuring my jaw, but that improved a lot over several months.

Now, I've noticed a strange new sound that only happens at night. It's a relatively quiet hum, but it stops with external noise—rustling the covers, my partner taking a loud breath, or pretty much any sound temporarily silences it. Whacking on white noise stops it completely, and I don't hear it at all during the day, probably because of background noise.

Has anyone else experienced this? What on earth could it be?

 

[BohemianBecky]

I have this. Do you still have it, too, @JaFo14?

 

[Sydnears]

I have this too. I can sometimes hear mine during the day as well. It's really, really, really annoying.

 

[Pinhead]

I have a theory that this might actually be caused by HVAC systems. Threads like this usually start appearing between October and December. I experience the same thing, and I've noticed it only happens when the weather turns cold and the heating systems start running.

It's not nearly as bad as my high-pitched ringing, though.