Educational information, not medical advice. This article is written to help you understand common ear and hearing issues. It is not a substitute for professional diagnosis or treatment. If your symptoms are severe, sudden, or persistent, please consult a qualified doctor or audiologist. For urgent symptoms (sudden hearing loss, bleeding from the ear, severe pain with dizziness, or a head injury), seek medical care the same day.

Hearing a whooshing or thumping in time with your pulse is called pulsatile tinnitus. Unlike ordinary ringing, it often has a physical cause in blood flow or a nearby structure, so it should be checked by a doctor. Many causes are treatable, including high blood pressure and anaemia.

The direct answer

Pulsatile tinnitus is hearing a rhythmic whooshing, thumping or pulsing sound in your ear that keeps time with your heartbeat. Unlike common ringing tinnitus, it often has a physical source, usually related to blood flow near the ear. Because some causes need treatment, it deserves a medical check rather than waiting.

How it differs from ordinary tinnitus

Ordinary tinnitus: a steady ring, hiss or buzz, usually linked to hearing loss and generated within the hearing system.
Pulsatile tinnitus: a beat you can often match by feeling your pulse, and sometimes an examiner can even hear it with a stethoscope.

Possible causes

Blood flow changes: high blood pressure, anaemia, an overactive thyroid, pregnancy, fever and exercise can all make blood flow louder.
Blood vessel conditions: narrowing or turbulence in a neck or head artery or vein, or an abnormal connection between vessels.
Middle-ear causes: fluid, a highly positioned blood vessel near the ear, or a vascular growth in the middle ear.
Raised pressure around the brain, which can also cause headaches and visual changes.
Muscle spasm in the ear, which can produce clicking or tapping rather than a true pulse.

Many of these are treatable, and some are simple. Others need a scan, which is why a proper assessment matters.

What to do

See an ENT or physician. Mention that the sound matches your pulse.
Expect your blood pressure and blood tests (for anaemia and thyroid) to be checked, an ear examination and a hearing test, and sometimes imaging of the blood vessels.
Go promptly if it comes with sudden hearing loss, dizziness, severe headache, vision changes or weakness.

Managing it while you wait

Background sound can make it less noticeable, especially at night.
Avoid over-the-counter remedies aimed at 'ringing' until a cause is found.
Manage stress and caffeine, which can increase awareness of the sound.

Get your hearing checked as part of the assessment. A free hearing test at Prudent will record your hearing and, if the findings suggest a medical cause, we will refer you to an ENT. For general tinnitus care, see tinnitus treatment options and tinnitus causes, myths and help. This article is general information, not medical advice.

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