Humming in My House That Only I Can Hear

[dupontno9]

Hi all,

I am not sure if I have tinnitus or not. It really does not seem like the low, vibrating hum I hear (only within my house) is coming from inside of me, but no one else can hear it. I have shut off the electricity at the fuse box, and the hum is still there. It is not present all the time.

It is a low hum without an identifiable source, always in the background, yet it can completely dominate my awareness. I noticed today that while I am talking, the hum disappears. That is actually what makes me think it might be some form of tinnitus.

I do not have a clear sense of whether it is coming from one ear or the other.

I have never heard the hum outside of my house.

What steps can I take to find out for certain if I have tinnitus?

Honestly, I feel like I am going mad not knowing where this hum is coming from.

I do tend to get earwax buildup, and I spend a lot of time in the ocean, so maybe I have developed some kind of ear issue?

Thanks, everyone!

 

[BuzzyBee]

It is tinnitus from low frequency hearing loss, probably caused by the wax buildup. Take care of the wax and it will most likely improve.

 

[dupontno9]

Thank you!

I have had wax buildup over the years, or rather over the decades, and I probably have not had it removed in about ten years. Fingers crossed you are right. That would be so great.

 

[Jammer]

Thank you!

I have had wax buildup over the years, or rather over the decades, and I probably have not had it removed in about ten years. Fingers crossed you are right. That would be so great.

Avoid microsuction, as it can be quite loud.

 

[CurlyBee]

I have experienced the same, but only started looking into it about 12 years ago. I found this article several years ago: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hum

The interesting thing for me is that I've heard it in multiple places that aren't mentioned in the Wikipedia article. It's not related to any mechanical systems in my home, and I don't believe it's tinnitus, since my high-pitched tinnitus only began about four or five years ago after two rear-end car accidents.

 

[LukeYoung]

Oddly enough, I've experienced this before—actually in the ensuite bathroom at my old house. The strange part is that it only happens in your house. Sometimes I think logically that if it doesn't happen anywhere else, it can't really be you.

I'm much more sensitive to certain sounds than my partner, son, and mother. I've had those "do you hear that?" moments, and everyone else usually says no.

Beats me. I don't seem to notice it as much since I moved house, except when the spare bathroom exhaust fan is on. That one can sound like a hum, so at least that has an identifiable cause.

 

[Steve Crumb]

I've had high-frequency tinnitus in my right ear at around 4600 Hz for over 13 years now. It started in both ears at the same time in March 2012. Sometimes, though not very often, it shifts to a low, loud hum and then goes back to the high pitch.

It's there 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. I eventually just learned to live with it after trying multiple therapies, including masking hearing aids, which offered no help at all.

I honestly don't know what complete quiet is anymore. Anyway, that's my story.

 

[Tasbloke]

I'm the same as you, OP. I've developed tinnitus over the past week, a low humming. It doesn't seem to be an electrical issue, and I'm the only one who can hear it. The symptoms decrease a lot as soon as I leave the house, which is very odd. I've also noticed that the sound disappears if I cover my ears. I'm not ruling out tinnitus, but it does seem unusual.

I'll be spending the weekend in a different house, so that will be a good test to see if the sound follows me. At the very least, it will give me more information to share with the doctor when I see him on Monday.

 

[MindOverMatter]

I'm the same as you, OP. I've developed tinnitus over the past week, a low humming. It doesn't seem to be an electrical issue, and I'm the only one who can hear it. The symptoms decrease a lot as soon as I leave the house, which is very odd. I've also noticed that the sound disappears if I cover my ears. I'm not ruling out tinnitus, but it does seem unusual.

I'll be spending the weekend in a different house, so that will be a good test to see if the sound follows me. At the very least, it will give me more information to share with the doctor when I see him on Monday.

This is probably an in-ear muscular or tensor tympani issue.

I've had this myself several times. It usually shows up during periods of high stress and anxiety. I don't have it these days.

 

[Sydnears]

I'm the same as you, OP. I've developed tinnitus over the past week, a low humming. It doesn't seem to be an electrical issue, and I'm the only one who can hear it. The symptoms decrease a lot as soon as I leave the house, which is very odd. I've also noticed that the sound disappears if I cover my ears. I'm not ruling out tinnitus, but it does seem unusual.

I'll be spending the weekend in a different house, so that will be a good test to see if the sound follows me. At the very least, it will give me more information to share with the doctor when I see him on Monday.

Let us know how you get on. With humming, environmental noise works well for masking it. Many of us only notice it in very quiet environments, like at home.

 

[Clemmie479]

in my previous house I could hear a hum, mainly at night. I had a noise consultant visit the house, the theory posited was that it was underground water springs, though this was never proven. No-one else could hear it. I wouldn't hear it when I was away from the house. It sounded to me like an electrical hum. I also suffer from tinnitus (both ears) and the humming was absolutely distinct from the tinnitus. I don't think your hum is tinnitus at all. Hums are quite well documented.