Does anyone else hear a high pitched static/electricity noise in their heads?!

[ILikeToBeBesideTheSea]

I've noticed this weird noise that seems to come from my head for the last couple of months. At first I just kind of thought 'that's weird' but now I'm panicking a bit! Anyone else get this? Is it normal?!

Electricity noise is a really good description. Mine is really loud tonight for some reason. Have suffered for years. Hoping it doesn't get louder as I feel that this high level is all can cope with.

Probably because you've read this so you're thinking about it! I was hoping it would fade and disappear, all these posts aren't filling me with hope 😂

Had mine for a good ten years. I think it's from night club speakers and wearing headphones turned up to full daily

Sometimes it's really loud but it doesn't bother me. 95% of the time I just ignore it and get on with life.

You can get it from ear wax build up too, I believe. Might be something to check

Ignoring it and getting on with life is the dream..... Struggling to do that at the moment, it seems so intrusive. Maybe because I'm focusing on it.

I thought I couldn’t imagine getting used to it when mine started (suddenly one evening before bed about two years ago) but on the whole I don’t notice it much nowadays. I think it is less that you don’t notice it and more that you notice it but it doesn’t trigger the anxiety of ‘omg, I can’t get rid of this, am I going to be able to cope’ because after some time you realise life has gone on and you’ve been distracted by that and you have been able to cope, so you just notice it and think ‘ah, there’s my noise again, it seems higher/louder/more on one side/whatever today’ and then you switch back to thinking about something else.

I do go through periods where it bothers me more but definitely better now than the first few months where it seemed to constantly be hanging over me.

It's likely to be tinnitus. I get this in waves, especially if I'm not wearing my hearing aids. The aids seem to reduce it, whether by physically being in my ears and pushing on the walls of the ear canal, or maybe because my hearing is altered by the aids, and I can hear the higher pitches better.

I had it badly when I was low in b12, went again once I had that sorted out.

Yes, I’ve had tinnitus recently, but it’s a lot better now. I’m 51, so perimenopausal, and was having a shit time with a violent teenager too.

Things have improved enormously, so it has faded a little. I only noticed at night anyway. I’ve become very fit now and exercise a lot each day so I tend to be tired and sleep well despite it still being there sometimes.
I do thoroughly recommend exercise!

Have you gained weight recently. That can trigger it.

I had it quite severely for a few years in my early 20s,then it went away. No idea why, but was very relieved. Haven't had it for over 20 years now. So it may not be for ever.

I used to get a high pitched whine in my head, yes - very distracting when trying to sleep but could drown it out during daylight hours.

Turned out it was related to chronic migraine, and was presumably linked to pressure in my head. It stopped when my GP upped my dose of beta blockers. Not an ideal solution as I've been on medication for 20 years now, but the head whine went away. Maybe an alternative possibility to tinnitus?

Yep, tinnitus here too. When I first noticed it I'd be in bed trying to sleep & convinced it was the TV or radio or fridge giving off some sound, I'd actually get up & go downstairs to check! Then realised it's in my head!

I’ve had tinnitus since I was a kid (lots of ear infections, dodgy Eustachian tubes, an eardrum that’s burst more times than I can remember).

I’ve used the radio for years at night to tune out the whistle/whine/screech. You can get pillows with speakers in to avoid disturbing your sleeping partners (2 dogs & a husband, not sure who is snoring loudest or has bagsied the most duvet).

Headphones & loud music also work, but I find there is a kind of rebound when I take them out.

It’s bloody annoying as I’ve never been able to enjoy silence (ironically, it’s worse in my moderately deaf ear). Even quiet meditation is impossible unless I listen to meditative music to drown it out.

It gets worse when I’m stressed or anxious, it could be a rise in BP or tension in my jaw that could be the cause, or a hyper vigilance when I’m anxious.

I don’t have any solutions really. It’s not that that has kept me awake though - my body is generally shonky & woke up at 3am in pain 😂

I started having this a few weeks ago in my right ear, but it stopped after a couple of days then switched to my left ear for a few hours then stopped. No more incidents to date. Wondered what it was. I'm 57 but thought I'd already been through meno. Glad it's got a name though. It was irritating but not a really big deal while it happened. Is there a cure?

Haven't gained weight, in fact I've been losing it - I'm actually underweight for my height. From I've read @OscarRip there is no cure..... So I'm glad yours has gone and hope it doesn't come back! Mine seems to be quieter at night, either that or I just don't acknowledge it as much as I do when I'm awake.

ILikeToBeBesideTheSea I have this - its much worse in my bedroom before I go to sleep so I'm wondering if there's something electrical nearby. Detached house so can't be neighbours. Its not there when I wake in the early hours which is strange - if it was my ears/head then surely it would be there all the time! The noise I hear is a constant 'thrum' - a more subdued version of the noise you hear when you stand/walk under electricity pylons in a field!

I remember noticing it as a child and it's been a constant of quiet moments as long as I can remember. Probably why I hated silence my youth.
I have the low rumble and a higher hiss. Sometimes my ears will add in extras or "turn off"

I suspect it originated in a history of frequent ear infections as a child.

The spring was hideous, I missed the background traffic noise so much and noticed it far more than normal.