White noise

[Kuroshashu]

Hello again all.
Honestly, I'm not sure why I'm writing to you all about this. Curiosity really. I'd love to hear some views on this, whether or not it's a common phenomenon or I'm just going further mad.
While trying to sleep just now, I experienced something I'm sure I haven't in quite some time. I'd be hard pressed to describe it, but I'll try. When I put my head down on the pillow, ear to the fabric, I heard an extremely high pitched white noise. So high pitched, in fact, that it doesn't sound like noise, if that makes sense. Also, as it has no direction, it appears to emanate from inside my head. It's a very nasty noise, strong enough to set one's teeth on edge. It varies in intensity every few seconds and every time it does, just beyond the limits of cognitivity, there's.... like a sound except completely unheard, like a thought completely uninterpretable, a modulation of some kind. Every time it happens, I have the strong feeling that there's meaning encoding in the modulation, but it's indecipherable. The episode I had tonight was probably only ten minutes long, but I'm sure that as a child I used to have hours of this. It's not painful per se, but it's very uncomfortable. Not at all physically, you understand, but mentally, as it drowns out one's own thoughts. I wonder if this is the final proof I'm a looney. Bibble. Time for the pencils up the nose and the socks on the ears. I really don't know what this is, but it doesn't seem to be a real problem.
Anyway, if any of you fine folk have an opinion, please share it. I'd be fascinated to hear from you.
Cheers all.
Kuroshashu.

 

[forgetremember]

Hi Kuroshashu! I don't know if my experience with high pitch sounds at the onset of sleep is of the same nature as yours but mine was caused by Sleep Paralysis. I suffered with this condition regularly throughout my teens which extended sporadically during my twenties and never to recur since. Try googling "sleep paralysis" for a possible lead but do talk with your doctor about your concerns. Keep us posted!

Blessings,

Jos?e

 

[David Baxter PhD]

Have you talked to your doctor about or been evaluated for tinnitus, Kuroshashu?

See A Brief Overview of Tinnitus and Tinnitus for more information.

 

[sister-ray]

Kuroshashu,

I would go and see your Doctor as it does sound like tinnitus, I suffer with tinnitus and have done for years, its worse when I am anxious and when my blood pressure as goes up, nights are the worse and the noises can drive me to distraction. I find having music on low in the background or on headphones helps, anything to take your mind off it, because the more you concentrated on the noises the worse they get. I also have to have my ears syringed regulary as I get lots of wax in them and that makes the noises worse, hope this helps. Regards TTE

 

[Kuroshashu]

I'd never heard of tinnitus, but the description is certainly pretty accurate. I'm not terribly concerned about it though, as I've only had this one episode in years and it didn't last long. Thank you all though. It'll be something to talk about when next I see a doctor.

 

[ThatLady]

It seems to me I read an article not to awfully long ago that linked tinnitus to high cholesterol. I'll have to do some research and see if I can come up with the article or, at least the journal in which the article was found.