Why do i have drumming in my ears

Sometimes, noises can be too loud and have the potential to damage your hearing. The ear reduces this risk by contracting muscles inside the inner ear that reduce or muffle the sounds. These muscles work to pull the malleus a bone partially responsible for hearing in the ear away from the eardrum.

This creates a dampening effect in the ear, which can create a rumbling sound. Sometimes, there are underlying medical causes that can create a rumbling sensation in the ear. These include:. Sometimes, the rumbling sound is one you can control. A small subset of people are able to contract the tensor tympani muscles in their ear at will. Some people may do this without even realizing.

The ability to voluntarily contract the tensor tympani muscles may have additional benefits in addition to protecting the ear from loud inner noises. The ability to tense the muscles may also mask low-frequency sounds so a person can hear higher and often harder to hear high-frequency sounds that are higher in pitch.

Sometimes, this sound is ringing in the ears. Other times, this sound may be:. Doctors know that some people experience tinnitus due to abnormalities in the blood vessels while others experience problems with muscles in the ears. If you experience pulsatile tinnitus, it is advisable to see an ENT doctor or another medical specialist to have your ears, blood pressure and blood vessels near the ear and general health checked.

If there is a specific cause for the problem, this may be solved. In other cases, no specific cause can be identified. Many have tried to find a way to cure tinnitus of any type, but so far there has not been found a scientifically proven solution. Pulsatile tinnitus can be alleviated as the patient learns to cope with the condition, e.

Home Tinnitus Types of tinnitus Pulsatile tinnitus. Some people may experience a thumping or whooshing sound in their ears with the same rhythm as their heartbeat.

This is called pulsatile tinnitus. What is pulsatile tinnitus? Read more about tinnitus here: What is tinnitus? What are the causes of pulsatile tinnitus?

Medically reviewed by Karen Gill, M. Eardrum spasm. The takeaway. Read this next. Retracted Eardrum. Medically reviewed by Elaine K. Luo, M. Tips for Cleaning Your Ears Safely.

Medically reviewed by Deborah Weatherspoon, Ph. Medically reviewed by Angelica Balingit, MD. Understanding Conductive Hearing Loss. Medically reviewed by Alana Biggers, M. What to Know About TruHearing. It affects almost one in five people. It becomes more prevalent the older you are. It is associated with both hearing loss and acoustic trauma. It may sound like buzzing, humming, whistling, birds, insects, etc.

Although it is often perceived in the ear, current science suggests it is generated in the central nervous system. In healthy ears, hearing cells within the inner are connected to nerves that transmit sound from the ear to the brain. Although hearing cells are destroyed with hearing loss, the nerves deeper in the brain are not always lost. These nerves no longer receive stimulation, and begin to create signals on their own. Because these signals are not generated from the outside world, we perceive sound that no one else does.

Tinnitus, therefore, is a sign that hearing loss has occurred. It often occurs after a loud concert, sports event, or work experience. Tinnitus that occurs in only one ear or occurs with episodes of dizziness is more concerning than tinnitus that occurs in both ears over many years. Some tinnitus sounds like whooshing and occurs with your heart beat. This is called pulsatile tinnitus.

Normally our ear is protected from hearing internal blood flow.