Surgeon Reveals Why You Can ‘Hear’ Your Heartbeat When You Rest Your Ear on Your Pillow… And When It Could Be a Sign of Something Ominous
Have you ever noticed a rhythmic thumping sound the moment your head hits the pillow?
Although many people hear this sound when they lie on their side, it could be a warning sign of high blood pressure or even a tumor in your head or neck, experts warn.
US surgeon Dr Anthony Youn explained the phenomenon in a video on TikTok, saying: ‘If you occasionally lie on your side and hear your heart beating, it is most likely that your carotid artery is against your pillow.’
The carotid arteries are one of the major blood vessels of the heart. It sits on either side of the neck and passes the inside of the ears and is responsible for blood flow to our head, face and neck.
He told his 8.4 million followers: ‘If you hear your heart beating all the time when you lie on your side or especially when you stand up, it could be pulsatile tinnitus.’
This is when a ‘rhythmic sound’ is heard in the head, ears or both regions, which usually corresponds to your heartbeat, according to Tinnitus UK.
While he emphasizes that the condition is usually benign, there can be some worrisome causes of the condition and he suggests seeing your doctor just to be sure.
That’s because the condition – which affects about 10 percent of people with tinnitus – can be caused by high blood pressure, an abnormal tangle of blood vessels that causes problems with the connections between your arteries and veins, and even drinking too much caffeine. said to Doctor Youn.
It may be a sign that your blood is flowing quickly, as this makes more noise than slow blood flow.
Tinnitus UK explains that increased blood flow can occur with strenuous exercise or pregnancy. It can also happen if your thyroid gland is overactive, a condition known as hyperthyroidism or thyrotoxicosis.
Hearing your own heartbeat can also be a sign of atherosclerosis: hardening of the arteries.
This can cause blood flow to become turbulent instead of smooth, making it noisier, the charity explains.
Hearing loss due to a perforated eardrum can also make a person more aware of the sounds in their body.
But most troubling is that the type of tinnitus can be a warning sign of a tumor in your head or neck.
That’s because these tumors can cause the development of abnormal blood vessels.
Typically, however, the tumors associated with pulsatile tinnitus are not cancerous.
Tinnitus is the name for hearing noises, such as ringing, buzzing or hissing, that are not caused by an external source, according to the NHS. It affects 7.6 million people in Britain.
There are many different types of tinnitus and the volume can vary from episode to episode.