Pulsatile Tinnitus: Why Hearing Your Heartbeat Is Different

Pulsatile tinnitus is a rhythmic sound that often appears to follow the pulse or heartbeat. People may describe whooshing, thumping or beating. This pattern is different from the more common continuous ringing or buzzing tinnitus and deserves medical attention.

Why pulsatile tinnitus is different

Because the sound may be related to blood flow, vascular structures or mechanical transmission of body sounds, clinicians approach pulsatile tinnitus differently from ordinary subjective tinnitus. It is not possible to determine the cause reliably from an online description alone.

What information matters

Useful details include whether the sound matches the heartbeat, whether it is on one or both sides, whether it is constant, and whether it comes with hearing changes, headache, visual symptoms, dizziness or neurological symptoms.

What to do

Persistent pulsatile tinnitus should be discussed with a doctor or ENT so that appropriate examination and, when indicated, imaging or other investigations can be considered. A hearing assessment may still be useful, but it should not replace medical evaluation of the pulsatile pattern.

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