Is that sound normal or what?

Is it actually normal to hear this low humming sound, almost like an engine is idling somewhere, when I plug my ears or try to fall asleep? It isn't loud, per se, but I’ve been noticing it more over the last few days. Maybe it’s just one of those things? When I block my ears, the sound gets way more intense—just constant, like a motor running in the background.
I know it sounds like a silly thing to ask, but I'm genuinely curious.😉😁

So, I’ve got my ears plugged up and everything, right? Total silence. But for some reason, I can still hear an engine running. Definitely doesn't feel normal to hear a motor when your ears are blocked like that.

That’s exactly what I was thinking. So, what are we looking at here? What could it actually be?

Jessica Brown7 said:That’s exactly what I was thinking. What could it even be?

Most likely nothing at all. I know this one girl who constantly heard this high-pitched ringing in her ears, but she was perfectly healthy. She went through every single test you can imagine and they found absolutely nothing. The only issue was that the sound totally drove her crazy. It just got under her skin so much.

Jessica Brown7 said:Is it normal to hear this humming sound when I plug my ears or try to go to sleep? It sounds almost like an engine running. It’s not loud, but I’ve been noticing it over the last few days. Is this just a thing? When I plug my ears, it gets way more intense, like a motor is right there.
I know it sounds like a silly question, but I'm genuinely curious.😉😁

What kind of engine? There are a million different types of engines out there. You need to be more specific about what you're actually hearing. 🍿

It’s normal. Totally normal. It couldn't be any more standard. That said, there is a chance—especially if you grew up listening to loud music or hanging out at concerts—that you're dealing with some Noise Induced Hearing Loss. If that's the case, getting an audiogram wouldn't hurt, but the sound itself is normal. There's really no reason to stress about it.

Look, as long as it's just the engine acting up, you're fine. Once it starts talking back to you, then we've got a real problem.

Does that engine idle alright? Also, is it gas or diesel? And does it run with the choke on or off?

Tinnitus...

I see everyone’s having a blast with this topic. I figured as much.😉
Honestly, if anyone else were talking about this, I’d probably find it hilarious too. 🤣
Look, I’ve got my own issues going on with my ears. Inflammation, stuff like that. My tympanometry results always come back negative—basically just retracted eardrums. Sometimes I hear this sound at night, though maybe that's just in my head. It gets way louder when I plug my ears. Then it sounds less like a hum and more like a drill, or like someone idling a car right next to you.😁
So, is that actually normal? Some people tell me they hear things too when they plug their ears, but who knows.
Anyway, here’s some more material for your entertainment.😉

Jessica Brown7 said:So, is this actually normal? Some people tell me they hear things too when they plug their ears. Is that a thing?

Like I mentioned before, it’s perfectly normal. Back in 1953, Heller and Bergman ran an experiment where they put healthy college students in an isolated room. They had them record every single sound they heard during five minutes of isolation.
94% of them reported sounds just like what you're describing, even though the room was completely silent. 😁
Roughly one in seven people is actually aware of these specific sounds. They vary wildly from person to person, and it's totally standard for them to be more noticeable at night—it's pretty easy to see why. 🙂

To be clear: everyone hears these sounds, but only about every seventh person actually notices them.

Or maybe you’ve got some neighbor revving their engine right outside your window every single night just as you're trying to sleep. Or some kid tries to impress you by redlining his bike to show off—just to get your attention 🤣 We need a more detailed breakdown of how these engines actually function. In your opinion, are we talking two-stroke or four-stroke? 😂

HAHAHAHA, Jessica Brown7, that’s basically the sound of your first chakra opening up! I guess there’s actually this meditation technique where you plug your ears just to listen to that internal frequency. For me, it sounds more like the roar of Niagara Falls 🙂—which, honestly, would be the sound of the throat chakra. Just wanted to let you know you're totally normal 😉

If you've got any questions or whatever, just hit me up in my DMs 😉

That’s what you call schizophrenia... even Vincent van Gogh heard things and ended up slicing off his own ear. 😁

correction-he heard

I hear it too. I’m certainly not the only one. 😁

I can hear it.😢

Maybe I’m just wired a little differently, but honestly, who cares?
I was the straight-A student in high school, knocked out my college degree right on schedule, had a healthy baby boy—the whole nine yards.🤷

But I still hear it. It's constantly ringing in my ears.☕

You know, if you plug your ears or just lay your head on a pillow a certain way, you can hear this weird rushing sound—it’s basically just your blood flowing through your vessels. And if you really focus, you can even pick up your heartbeat right alongside it. I've heard that for people dealing with really high blood pressure, that rushing noise stays there even when your ears aren't plugged. It’s kind of wild, honestly. I guess nature designed our hearing to be as sensitive as possible based on how our anatomy is built, so maybe having more acute hearing actually makes it easier to pick up those internal sounds, like that blood flow thing.

If you start wheezing, you've got some seriously nasty high blood pressure issues on your hands.