Have you ever just sat at home, minding your own business when suddenly you hear a really weird high pitched noise in your head? It lasts for like… 10 seconds and then just goes away, no further noise and no apparent harm done?
Right, well, it turns out that this doesn’t just happen to me as I thought it did AND it is perfectly natural. I’m glad to hear it but also… what on Earth?!
Thankfully, our favourite TikTok doctor, Dr Karan Raj, has the explanation for our weird little experience.
What’s actually happening inside your ears when you hear this sound
During what Dr Raj describes as “going offline for a few seconds”, you are experiencing something called Transient Ear Noise and while the experience may be a little alarming, it’s actually usually nothing to worry about and 20% of people will experience it in their lifetimes.
Dr Raj explains that the experience is essentially a ‘glitch’ in your auditory system, usually caused by a random firing of hair cells in your inner ear or spasms in the muscles of your middle ear which tighten and contract the eardrum.
He added that this sensation is similar to the random eye twitches some of us experience. He said that these could be random but also could be brought on by stress, the position of the head, tiredness, and caffeine.
Finally, these episodes should be very infrequent and not last longer than 30 seconds but Dr Raj urges that if you experience this more frequently or it lasts longer, you may need to see your GP as you could have tinnitus.
Symptoms of tinnitus
According to the NHS, tinnitus can sound like:
- ringing
- buzzing
- whooshing
- humming
- hissing
- throbbing
- music or singing
You may hear these sounds in 1 or both ears, or in your head. They may come and go, or you might hear them all the time.
If you are experiencing any of these sounds, speak to your GP.