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.

 

[Sydnears]

I wish mine were only part-time, @Pinhead. Mine is from an infection and is now there 24/7.

Interestingly, for me, the HVAC masks it and can provide some residual inhibition for 10 to 20 minutes after I turn it off.

 

[JaFo14]

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

Still there unfortunately. I occasionally get a night when it doesn't seem to happen, and sometimes a day when it occurs if it's quiet enough. For the most part, though, it has stayed in the same pattern. When it's extremely quiet, mostly at night, the humming appears, and even a small amount of noise makes it stop—until that noise ends, and the humming returns within less than a second.