Hearing sirens in your head

Sounds Of Tinnitus | Sound Relief Tinnitus & Hearing Center

People experience tinnitus as hearing many different and sometimes variably changing and intertwining sounds. People hear ringing, hissing, roaring, crickets, screeching, sirens, whooshing, static, pulsing, ocean waves, buzzing, clicking, dial tones, and even music. With such a wide range in the sounds of tinnitus, each person experiences it a little bit differently. At Sound Relief, we understand that these differences in perception require support attuned to each individual’s case. We also strive to educate people about what the constant sound they hear is, what causes tinnitus, and what can be done to get tinnitus relief.

How severe is your tinnitus? Answer these 25 questions to find out.

Why so many sounds?

We have provided several samples of different sounds of tinnitus. Anyone can listen to a brief clip of what it sounds like to have ringing in the ears. By hearing what they hear, we hope more people will understand what tinnitus sufferers deal with regularly. Play these varying sounds of tinnitus and share them with your family, friends, primary physician, audiologist, or anyone interested in learning more about how tinnitus affects you. Keep in mind that these examples are just a few of the wide variety of manifestations of tinnitus.

Tinnitus can range from very mild cases to severe cases that interfere with a person’s ability to function on a day-to-day basis. If you are asking yourself, “Do I have tinnitus?” and want to learn more about how tinnitus is affecting your life, take our tinnitus impact survey.

Sample the Sounds of Tinnitus

Learn More About Tinnitus

Please be very careful and turn the volume down low on your speakers or headphones before playing any of the sounds as all are extremely loud and irritating!

Sound 1: 4000 Hz Tone

Sound 2: 7500 Hz Tone

Sound 3: Tea Kettle

Sound 4: Buzzing or Cicada

Sound 5: Static

Sound 6: Screeching

Sound 7: Electric

Sound 8: Roaring

Please be aware that tinnitus comes in a wide variety of sounds, and these are only a sample of the different noises that people with tinnitus experience. If you are concerned that you or someone you know may be hearing one of the sounds listed above, or a tone or pitch that is not included in the samples, please contact one of our audiologists to find out how we can help.

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Causes, Symptoms, Types & Treatment

Overview

What are auditory hallucinations?

Auditory hallucinations happen when you hear voices or noises that aren’t there. The sounds you hear may seem real, but they’re not.

A person may perceive auditory hallucinations as coming through their ears, on the surface of their body, in their mind or from anywhere in the space around them. They can occur as frequently as daily or as an isolated episode.

Auditory hallucinations are often associated with schizophrenia and other mental health conditions, but they can happen for several other reasons, such as hearing loss, and aren’t always a sign of a mental health condition.

Researchers estimate that 5% to 28% of people in the United States experience auditory hallucinations. They’re the most common type of hallucination.

Some people experience auditory hypnogogic hallucinations that specifically take place as they’re falling asleep. These types of hallucinations are common and usually not a cause for concern.

What are the types of auditory hallucinations?

The two main types of auditory hallucinations are verbal (hearing voices) and hearing sounds or noises.

Auditory verbal hallucinations (hearing voices)

An auditory verbal hallucination is the phenomenon of hearing voices in the absence of any speaker.

The experience of hearing voices can vary greatly from person to person and even for the same person. They can vary in how often you hear them, what they sound like, what they say and whether they’re familiar or unfamiliar.

The voices may come from a single source, such as a television, or multiple sources. It may be a singular voice or multiple voices. They may talk directly to the person, have discussions with them or describe events taking place.

The voices may be positive, negative or neutral. Sometimes, hearing voices can be upsetting or distressing. They may command you to do something that may cause harm to yourself or others.

Auditory verbal hallucinations most commonly affect people with schizophrenia and/or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but they can happen to people who don’t have any health conditions.

Hearing sounds or noises

Auditory hallucinations can take the form of hearing sounds or noises, such as music, animal calls, nature sounds or background noises. They may seem like they’re coming from anywhere in the space around you or in your mind. The noise volume can vary from very quiet to very loud.

Is it normal to hear auditory hallucinations?

If you experience auditory hallucinations just as you’re falling asleep (hypnogogic hallucinations) or waking up (hypnopompic hallucinations), it’s considered normal and usually not a cause for concern. Up to 70% of people experience these types of hallucinations at least once.

If you experience auditory hallucinations while you’re wide awake, it may be — but isn’t always— a symptom of a mental health or neurological condition. Talk to your healthcare provider about the hallucinations and any other symptoms you have.

Possible Causes

What are the possible causes of auditory hallucinations?

Several situations and conditions — both temporary and chronic — can cause auditory hallucinations.

Scientists don’t yet know the exact mechanisms in your brain that cause auditory hallucinations, but they have a few theories, including:

Spontaneous activation of the auditory network in your brain, which consists of the left superior temporal gyrus, transverse temporal gyri (Heschl's gyri) and the left temporal lobe.
An imbalance of dopamine and serotonin, which are neurotransmitters.

Schizophrenia and auditory hallucinations

Approximately 75% of people with schizophrenia experience auditory hallucinations — usually hearing voices.

Schizophrenia refers to both a single condition and a spectrum of conditions that fall under the category of psychotic disorders. These are conditions where a person experiences some form of disconnection from reality. Those disconnections can take several different forms, including experiencing hallucinations.

Schizophrenia is characterized by:

Psychosis (disconnection from reality).
Hallucinations.
Delusions (false beliefs).
Disorganized speech and behavior.
Restricted range of emotions.
Impaired reasoning and problem-solving.
Occupational and social dysfunction.

Schizophrenia is a chronic condition that may progress through several phases, although the length and patterns of the phases can vary. People with schizophrenia are more likely to experience hallucinations during the active phase.

Other mental health conditions that can cause auditory hallucinations

People with other mental health conditions can experience auditory hallucinations. They affect:

20% to 50% of people with bipolar disorder.
40% of people with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
14% of people with an anxiety disorder.
10% of people with major depression.

Hearing impairment and hallucinations

Auditory hallucinations occur in 16% of adults with hearing impairment, which can take two forms: simple hallucinations (tinnitus) and complex hallucinations (speech and music).

According to studies, the more severe the hearing impairment, the more likely it is that you’ll experience auditory hallucinations.

Neurological causes of auditory hallucinations

Several neurological conditions can cause auditory hallucinations, including:

Sleep disorders, such as narcolepsy and insomnia.
Parkinson’s disease.
Stroke.
Migraine.
Brain tumors or lesions in your temporal lobe, brainstem or thalamus.

Other causes of auditory hallucinations

Several other — usually temporary — conditions and situations can cause auditory hallucinations, including:

Alcohol and recreational drug use.
Lack of sleep.
Extreme hunger.
Certain prescribed medications (as a side effect).
Extreme stress or grief.
Infections, such as UTIs, especially in people who are older.
Recovering from anesthesia after a surgery or procedure.

Care and Treatment

How are auditory hallucinations treated?

The treatment for auditory hallucinations depends on the cause. Hallucinations caused by temporary conditions, such as extreme hunger or lack of sleep, will stop once the underlying condition has been treated or resolved.

Medications to manage auditory hallucinations

Healthcare providers only prescribe medication to manage auditory hallucinations if they’re part of an underlying chronic condition. Medications include:

Neuroleptics (antipsychotics): These medications may help decrease the frequency and severity of auditory hallucinations in people with schizophrenia spectrum disorders. The antipsychotic medication clozapine (Clozaril®) is the most effective option for treating symptoms of schizophrenia, including hallucinations, but it can cause dangerous side effects that affect your blood.
Psychotropic medications: Psychotropic medications, such as antidepressants and mood stabilizers, can help treat auditory hallucinations in people with severe depression or mania.

Psychotherapy (talk therapy) for auditory hallucinations

For people with mental health conditions who experience auditory hallucinations, psychotherapy (talk therapy) can help in conjunction with medication.

Psychotherapy is a term for a variety of treatment techniques that aim to help you identify and change troubling emotions, thoughts and behaviors. Working with a mental health professional, such as a psychologist or psychiatrist, can provide support, education and guidance to you and your family.

Types of psychotherapy that can help with auditory hallucinations include:

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT): This type of therapy helps you learn how to modify how you experience auditory hallucinations, ultimately offering an improved sense of control over them. CBT implements reality testing and can be provided in an individual or group setting.
Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT): This type of therapy involves active acceptance and achievement of worthwhile goals despite experiencing auditory hallucinations. ACT may help reduce auditory hallucinations and may increase your feeling of control over them.
Hallucination-focused integrative treatment (HIT): This is a specific treatment for auditory verbal hallucinations (hearing voices) that involves techniques from cognitive behavioral therapy, psychoeducation, coping training, rehabilitation and medication. It emphasizes active family involvement, crisis intervention (when required) and specialized motivational strategies.

How can I stop auditory hallucinations?

If you’re experiencing auditory hallucinations only as you’re falling asleep (hypnogogic hallucinations), they may decrease in frequency if you do the following:

Get enough quality sleep.
Follow a regular sleep schedule.
Avoid alcohol and certain drugs and medications.

If you experience auditory verbal hallucinations (hearing voices) due to a mental health or neurological condition, it’s important to talk to your healthcare provider about them. Aside from medication and talk therapy, other techniques may help you manage and cope with them, including:

Distraction techniques, such as listening to music on headphones, exercising, cooking or doing a hobby may help quiet the voices.
Joining a support group with other people who experience auditory verbal hallucinations.
Taking control, such as ignoring the voices or standing up to them.

When to Call the Doctor

When should auditory hallucinations be treated by a doctor or healthcare provider?

Auditory hallucinations have several causes — some of which are normal and harmless. But if you’re experiencing auditory hallucinations that are causing you distress, talk to your healthcare provider.

If you or someone you know is experiencing auditory hallucinations and is detached from reality, you or they should get checked by a healthcare provider as soon as possible.

A note from Cleveland Clinic

It’s important for people experiencing auditory hallucinations to talk about them with their family and healthcare team, especially if they’re causing distress. Auditory hallucinations caused by a mental health condition are usually manageable with treatment and can become disturbing or dangerous if they’re not treated. Discuss all possible symptoms with your healthcare provider, no matter how minor or bizarre you may think they are. Hallucinations can make you feel nervous, paranoid and frightened, so it's important to be with and talk with someone you can trust.

Noise, ringing all in the head...

Science

O.V. Veselago
candidate of medical sciences, otoneurologist
Research Institute of Neurology, Russian Academy of Medical Sciences

In the human body, there are always conditions for the sensation of noise, because during its work so-called somatic, or vibratory, sounds are created. They arise as a result of breathing and heartbeat, muscle contraction, joint movement, blood flow in the vessels, etc. In a figurative expression, "a healthy body always sounds." Usually a person does not hear these noises - they are masked by external sounds. Somatic sounds become available to perception and turn into audible noises under certain circumstances.

They can be:
1) heightened perception of normal noises;
2) a sharp increase in these normal noises;
3) the occurrence of abnormal noises.

If in the first case the noise is felt only by the patient (subjective noise), then in the other two cases, others can also hear it (objective noise). Objective noise is less common than subjective noise. It occurs due to special disorders accompanied by mechanical contraction or vibration. The origin of such a noise is usually understood, and the appointment of a specific treatment can lead to its complete disappearance. The most common causes of objective noise are vascular and muscular pathology. Muscular and vascular noises have quite characteristic features. Vascular noises are constant, synchronous with the pulse, change their intensity (up to disappearance) when the vessels are squeezed. Changing the position of the head (body) can lead to a change in intensity, the appearance or disappearance of noise. An increase in vascular murmur is often observed with an increase in blood pressure.

Muscle noise is not related to the pulse, it is less constant. Neuromuscular disorders most often produce noise like the crackling of a grasshopper, the fluttering of a butterfly's wings. Patients may also describe this noise as "clicking" or "machine-gun fire".

Primary diagnosis of objective noise is based on auscultation (listening) of the skull bones using a phonendoscope.

Subjective noise is an abnormal auditory sensation that occurs in the ear or head without obvious external stimuli, i.e. without the participation of the external environment. Subjective noise can be perceived as ringing, squeaking, rustling, buzzing, hum, ocean noise, siren howling, crackling, etc. One patient may have noises of different quality, both simultaneously or independently of each other. They are heard in one ear, in both ears, or in the whole head.

The sensation of subjective noise can occur when the auditory analyzer is damaged at any level, but most often it is observed in the pathology of the cochlea.

It is hypothesized that subjective noise occurs when sensory cells in the auditory analyzer become spontaneously activated due to some kind of damage. Such spontaneous excitation, imitating a sound signal, is transmitted along the auditory nerve to the brain. The brain is trying to decipher this signal and give an acceptable meaning to this auditory impression. But since these signals do not carry any information about the world around them, they are automatically perceived as signs of danger and seem frightening, ominous. Many feel completely helpless in front of these agonizing sounds. People can literally panic, especially at the beginning of their appearance.

But how dangerous is tinnitus really? No matter how unpleasant and interfering with normal life the impact of subjective noise on a person is, it nevertheless does not pose a threat to life. There are very few truly dangerous diseases that a doctor can and should detect or rule out. For example, a tumor of the auditory nerve. Justified are fears about a possible deterioration in the general condition. Depression, which often accompanies subjective noise, leads to social isolation, lack of life stimuli, decreased motor activity and immunity.

A common cause of tinnitus is damage to the auditory analyzer due to exposure to external noise - about 30% of cases.

Other possible causes are:
• acute and chronic sensorineural hearing loss
• age-related hearing loss
• Meniere's disease
• acoustic neuroma (tumor of the auditory nerve)
• traumatic brain injury with or without fracture of the temporal bone
• intoxication with ototoxic (toxic to the auditory nerve) antibiotics, diuretics, salicylates, quinine, anticancer drugs
• chronic inflammatory diseases of the middle ear
• diseases of the heart and blood circulation, kidneys
• metabolic diseases (eg diabetes)
• degenerative changes in the cervical spine, etc.

The search for the cause of the noise should be undertaken as early as possible. Moreover, not only an otorhinolaryngologist should deal with the patient, but also doctors of other specialties, since only the tip of the iceberg is in the inner ear.

Subjective noise can manifest itself in different ways. Many people talk about intermittent or constant noises that they hear in silence or at night, but which do not interfere at all or disturb them very little, while other patients are seriously disturbed by these vague noises.

Doctors use the term "tinnitus" to refer to subjective noise. It includes not just noise in the ears or head, but the whole set of problems associated with it - mental, emotional, social. Up to 5% of the world's population suffers from chronic tinnitus. Chronic tinnitus occurs when the usual, very quiet ringing in the ears intensifies and becomes dominant. A person pays more and more attention to it and, as the noise intensifies, fixes on this ailment. Nervous strain caused by constant noise and the inability to enjoy silence lead to insomnia, irritability, impaired concentration and inexplicable fears.

It has been found that in most cases, the initially severe manifestations of tinnitus gradually, over the next 6-20 months, soften. Over time, the disease is perceived less acutely and less often becomes a cause of tension and stress, sleep and general well-being improve.

The treatment of tinnitus requires a joint effort between doctor and patient. Finding a drug with "noise-suppressing" activity is not easy, since it is impossible to objectively measure noise parameters. Nevertheless, among drugs that have a "noise-canceling" effect, drugs that improve blood circulation in the inner ear and brain have proven themselves well. These are tanakan, betaserk, trental, vazobral. The active ingredient in Betaserc is betahistine hydrochloride, a substance that specifically acts on histamine receptors in the brain and inner ear. In recent years, it has been convincingly shown that Betaserc improves microcirculation and increases blood flow in the main artery and vessels of the inner ear, and also reduces the excitability of neurons of the vestibular nuclei. These properties make the drug one of the drugs of choice for the treatment of tinnitus and dizziness of various origins. Very effective in this category of patients is Tanakan, a natural drug well known to many. According to the results of more than 200 clinical studies conducted in the leading clinics of the world, Tanakan significantly reduces the severity of such symptoms of cerebrovascular insufficiency as dizziness, tinnitus and head noise, improves memory and attention, restores working capacity, and improves the quality of life.

In addition, an important place is given to the diagnosis and treatment of psycho-emotional disorders that accompany tinnitus. Psychotherapy plays a significant role both in addressing the causes of tinnitus and in relieving the stress it causes.

Masking of tinnitus with hearing aids or tinnitus maskers, or a combination of both (special tinnitus devices) is the basis of tinnitus treatment in Anglo-Saxon countries. Such devices are very effective for both partial and complete suppression of subjective noise. The coefficient of effectiveness of treatment with the help of devices reaches 50%.

In the treatment of this pathology, it is customary to follow an integrated approach - to combine various methods of treatment (drug therapy, physiotherapy, psychotherapy, the use of devices).

A tinnitus sufferer should consciously avoid anything that increases tinnitus or worsens health. The patient's goal should eventually transform from "What can I do about the noise that's following me?" in "What can I do for myself?". A new positive way of thinking needs to be developed.

Successfully managing tinnitus requires acknowledging the fact that the problem will probably never go away completely, but with a holistic approach to treating it, the symptoms can be so reduced that the ailment no longer dominates the patient's mind. Tinnitus will simply turn into one of the everyday sounds around you.

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14.07.2015

Signal Attention everyone! - Recommendations to the public

Every month and quarterly, a scheduled check of the readiness of local warning systems to fulfill their tasks is carried out to timely bring information and warning signals to the authorities, forces and means of civil defense and the population about the dangers arising from the conduct of hostilities or as a result of these actions, as well as the threat of natural and man-made emergencies.

Every citizen of the Russian Federation is obliged to know the procedure for receiving the signal "ATTENTION TO ALL", therefore the Main Directorate of the Russian Emergencies Ministry for the Pskov Region reminds:

disasters, air hazards, threats of chemical, radioactive contamination and other dangerous phenomena in all emergency-prone cities, towns, national economy facilities, sirens, horns, other sound signaling devices, sirens of special vehicles are turned on. This is a single signal, meaning "ATTENTION TO ALL", calling, first of all, the attention of the population to the fact that important information will now be heard.

What should be done on this signal? If you are at home, at work, in a public place and you hear a siren sound or a “WARNING ALL” sound, immediately turn on the radio broadcast receiver on any program or turn on the television receiver on any local news channel.

At the end of the sound signal “ATTENTION TO ALL”, voice information about the current situation and the order of action of the population will be transmitted through television and radio channels.

All adults need to learn and explain to children that the sound of sirens is a signal "ATTENTION ALL". When you hear it, don't be afraid. Wait for an explanation of his reason.

Having fully listened to and understood the speech information, it is necessary to follow all the recommendations. If you have not fully listened to the speech information, then do not rush to turn off the radio or TV, the information will be repeated again. Remember that first of all you need to take documents, money and, if possible, a supply of food and drinking water for a day.

If you are at work, on site or in the shop and hear the “ATTENTION ALL” signal, interrupt the work process, end the phone conversation or meeting, while being in a noisy shop, stop the machine, turn off the machine, and if it is impossible to do this, then go to the nearest loudspeaker in the enterprise. If you are on the street of a city or settlement and heard the signal “ATTENTION TO ALL”, then go to the nearest street loudspeaker and, after the sirens sound, listen to the information, follow all the recommendations.

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