That Buzzing Noise?

Post Reply New Topic

I don't know why but I always get this "buzzing" noise in my ear. That's really annoying. Usually happens when it's completely quiet. I hear noises very well. I find fluorescent lights annoying as well. Or is it the Taos Hum?

Also I have very high tolerance to pain does that have to do with Asperger's as well?

It's called tinnitus. It can be cured by using an SSRI.

Is there anyway to stop it without using drugs?

Or reduce it?

there are noise generators similar to hearing aids that fit in the ear and are tuned to block out the tinnitus of the frequency range[s] that is required without interfering with your normal hearing range. other than that, some folk have tried gingko biloba, but i don't know how well that works. there are experimental middle ear surgeries that have been discussed elsewhere on the web, on various theories of acoustic nerve tumors and patches of cochlear fluid leaks and such. some theorise that conscious perception of ringing may even come from neural irregularities in the brain's acoustic centers itself or even in the frontal lobes. it is a very complicated subject.]
actors william shatner and leonard nimoy both have acoustic trauma-induced [loud noise exposure] tinnitus which in their case corresponded to high-frequency hearing loss and narrowband response notches as well, the trebles and notches were replaced by the tinnitus. they both wear the ear tinnitus masking devices.

on an old NPR broadcast i remember hearing a unique recording made with a very sensitive apparatus, of tinnitus which was re-radiated outwards by the eardrum. a fascinating tinkly tintinabulation was audible that corresponded almost exactly to what i was hearing in my own ear-ringing.

I heard that stress can aggravate it. I have quite a bit of stress in my life I think it would be a good benefit to exercise in the morning and overall more.

i have persistent ringing in my ears. 9 out of 10 young adults do. It is largely due to overexposure to loud sounds (headphones/gigs etc.)

depending on how bad it is it can be called tinnitus.

I find brief stress induces a different type of louder ringing of a lower frequency (still high)
i also find stress in certain loudish environments makes the tinnitus louder. this could be due to an increased hearing sensitivety brought about by the stress and autism.

My brother has it and has had it for decades ever since he was hitchhiking as a young man. He was by an Army base and a group of soldiers drove by and threw a lit cherry bomb at him. He was on SSRI's for a while and didn't mention that it stopped. There was an article I read online that I sent to him that involved a new treatment though. Maybe if you Google "new treatment tinnitus" you'll find it. I think usually it's a high pitched whine.

I know what you mean when you talk about the buzzing noise, annoying lighting fixtures, and high tolerance to pain. But I don't particularly know what the buzzing sound is, either. It may be tinnitus. I think in this case, conan is right, but also I'd like to add that if you're around any electronic then that may be it as well. My TV, my radio, my computer, any electric kitchen appliances, and lots of other things buzz (at different pitches/frequencies, of course) even when they're just plugged in. If you're hearing a buzz out in the wilderness, though, then it could just be due to overexposure.

I'm not sure if this is common in people with Asperger's Syndrome, but I don't think so.

I get a buzzing sound, but it's usually when I'm overstimulated.

I've had it off and on since I can remember...especially when sensory overloaded.

~Kate

If it is causing you day to day stress, you need to be referred to an audiologist. They will ask you questions about your hearing, do a hearing test and even put you in a silent room which is completely soundproof... unless you go to the one I went to... daft things thought it was ok to keep a computer in the soundproof test room. All I could hear was HUMMMMMMMMMM. 'Can you hear a hum now?' she asked... 'Yes. Yes I can...'

It is true about the tinnitus blockers, if you are diagnosed with tinnitus, this might be what your doctor reccomends, but there are quite a lot of treatments available now that don't involve drugs so you shouldn't worry about that.

I experience this as well, and it's definitely not tinnitus. The DSM specifically mentions one of the symptoms of Autism as "may see lights or hear sounds that others do not". This is not a reference to hallucinatory experiences, but hypersensitivity to sensory stimuli.

When I was growing up, televisions were still powered by vacuum tubes, and the exciter that fired electrons into the back of the cathode-ray tube made a very high-pitched squeal - a noise so high, it was almost more of a physical sensation than a sound - and it could be heard throughout the house anytime the set was on, even if the volume was turned all the way down. This was such a common household experience for me, I never even mentioned it aloud until I was in my mid twenties, only to discover that only one person out of 6 in the room at the time had a clue what I was talking about. If he hadn't happened to be an electronics buff, the rest of the people present would have been convinced I was insane. Apparently only dogs (and mosquitoes) are supposed to be able to hear that noise, and my entire life I had just assumed everybody was hearing it.

This thing about being able to hear the refrigerator hum etc. interests me because I thought everyone could. Or is it that others are able to tune it out in varying degrees? Willard, I know what you mean about the high pitched whine that older TV's gave out. We're about the same age, but my father steadfastly refused to buy a TV when we were young. He believed it would rot our brains. He gave in finally when we moved to the suburbs and we were at the neighbors watching anyway. i didn't have a TV in the home until 4th grade.

I have tinnitus and I am also very sensitive to similar sounds. At the moment we are driving a rented Honda that has an awful high-pitched whine when the ignition is on - if we park somewhere really quiet, in the middle of the night, then my wife and daughter can hear it, but I hear it all the time.

Yeah, I think I know what you mean. My television still makes noise when it's on mute, and I guess it's because of the pictures/colors constantly changing onscreen. I looked it up and the info I found was what I think you're talking about. My television is not digital, nor high-definition.

I hear cars' high-pitch noises, too. At least, mine and my friend's cars definitely make a noticeable high-pitched whine while their ignition is on!

Is there a such thing as a completely sound-proof room? Could you still hear a nuke blow up in the distance?

I used to have quite bad tinnitus until I started my Prozac two years ago.

Another good medication for getting rid of it (in some people) is amitriptyline. I also take that at night to help me sleep.