[defyinggravity65]

I am a total hypochondriac and suffer from severe OCD most of the time. When I am in an almost completely silent room, I can hear a faint, extremely high pitched ringing in both ears. My guess is that I've had this forever and that my OCD is just focusing on it now. I'm not sure if it's actually tinnitus or if it's just how the brain interprets the sound of silence. I usually have to be really focusing on it to hear the sound. Is this tinnitus? Does everyone experience this?

[avlady]

i have it and have even been diagnosed with it. i think the doctor said it was a side affect of my meds, but i also have it from a car accident and head injury.

[defyinggravity65]

Originally Posted by avlady

i have it and have even been diagnosed with it. i think the doctor said it was a side affect of my meds, but i also have it from a car accident and head injury.

I'm sorry to,hear that. How noticeable is it for you? Is it anything like what I described? I don't notice it unless the room is absolutely silent.

[(JD)]

Be glad it's just faint ? My right ear is all but deaf because the tinnitus is so loud. (From injury accident)... however it can also come from a food allergy. See if you can keep track of what you eat and notice if it arises and goes away...

[defyinggravity65]

Originally Posted by (JD)

Be glad it's just faint ? My right ear is all but deaf because the tinnitus is so loud. (From injury accident)... however it can also come from a food allergy. See if you can keep track of what you eat and notice if it arises and goes away...

I am so sorry!! Thanks for the advice and I hope you have found ways to mask the sound or be content with it. It's so annoying even when it's just a faint ring!

[coyotee]

I personally also experience what you're describing and I actually have really really good hearing.

In silent rooms, almost everyone will hear a faint one pitch sound. There is at the very least two possible reasons for this that I know of: 1. True silence is impossible, so you are hearing sound waves from a long distance away that manifests as one faint solid tone - electrical currents and mobile devices can contribute to this; 2: People are not used to silent rooms, as there are so many sounds in daily life, so the brain compensates by creating a noise that isn't actually present so the brain can stay minimally stimulated - sort of like a "normal" level tinnitus.

I have OCD and I too have had far too many hypochondriac episodes as a result of constant fixation on symptoms, ailments, and such. It's so hard sometimes to distinguish normal annoyances and common pains from abnormal ones. When you worry too much, all of the medical literature and web md and personal accounts just becomes one big blur of further confusion. It's frustrating and scary sometimes to not know and it's hard to determine when a call to a doctor is warranted or overblown.

Just my opinion, seems like the sound you're describing is within normal boundaries and you're probably just concentrating on it too much.

[defyinggravity65]

Originally Posted by coyotee

I personally also experience what you're describing and I actually have really really good hearing.

In silent rooms, almost everyone will hear a faint one pitch sound. There is at the very least two possible reasons for this that I know of: 1. True silence is impossible, so you are hearing sound waves from a long distance away that manifests as one faint solid tone - electrical currents and mobile devices can contribute to this; 2: People are not used to silent rooms, as there are so many sounds in daily life, so the brain compensates by creating a noise that isn't actually present so the brain can stay minimally stimulated - sort of like a "normal" level tinnitus.

I have OCD and I too have had far too many hypochondriac episodes as a result of constant fixation on symptoms, ailments, and such. It's so hard sometimes to distinguish normal annoyances and common pains from abnormal ones. When you worry too much, all of the medical literature and web md and personal accounts just becomes one big blur of further confusion. It's frustrating and scary sometimes to not know and it's hard to determine when a call to a doctor is warranted or overblown.

Just my opinion, seems like the sound you're describing is within normal boundaries and you're probably just concentrating on it too much.

Thank you that was extremely helpful!

[avlady]

my son and i were talking about this because we were in the car waiting for my husband to come out and i told him my tinnitus was bad. my son said its probably because the car was turned off and what i was hearing was the silence after the car noise stopped, meaning the noise wasn't there anymore.

[defyinggravity65]

Originally Posted by avlady

my son and i were talking about this because we were in the car waiting for my husband to come out and i told him my tinnitus was bad. my son said its probably because the car was turned off and what i was hearing was the silence after the car noise stopped, meaning the noise wasn't there anymore.

How bad is your tinnitus? How do,you deal with it?