# Anyone else able to create a roaring in their ears/head? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 14, 2014, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-able-to-create-a-roaring-in-their-ears-head/683732 "2014-03-14T23:28:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Dale\_Sams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/779978/32.png) [@Dale\_Sams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dale_Sams)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2014, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-able-to-create-a-roaring-in-their-ears-head/683732/1 "2014-03-14T23:28:11Z")
Here’s what I know: 1. For whatever reason, it’s impossible to breathe while doing this. 2. it’s much easier to do it with your eyes closed. 3. I’m pretty sure the roar isn’t blood because I can’t hear a heartbeat or any real change in the sound. 4. Finally, whatever I’m doing makes my closed eyes vibrate. I suspect what is happening is somehow I’m making my sinuses expand while my throat is closed. Sorry if I sound insane. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2014, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-able-to-create-a-roaring-in-their-ears-head/683732/2 "2014-03-14T23:55:49Z")
Heh! Yes! I’ve done this all my life. I just “clench” some muscles in my head, close to the jaw-hinge, and there is a rushing/roaring sound. I’ve always figured it had something to do with the eustachian tubes. 1. I can breathe while doing it just fine. 2. My eyes seem uninvolved. 3. Agreed. 4. Not for me; as with 2), my eyes don’t seem to play any part at all. ---
**Author:** ![USCDiver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/uscdiver/32/354_2.png) [@USCDiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/USCDiver)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2014, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-able-to-create-a-roaring-in-their-ears-head/683732/3 "2014-03-15T00:54:07Z")
[Tensor Tympani muscle](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tensor_tympani_muscle) ---
**Author:** ![congodwarf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e36b37/32.png) [@congodwarf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/congodwarf)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2014, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-able-to-create-a-roaring-in-their-ears-head/683732/4 "2014-03-15T02:56:05Z")
Yes I can, I can still breathe while doing it, and my eyes are uninvolved. I can also wiggle my nostrils individually. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![randompattern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7993a0/32.png) [@randompattern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/randompattern)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2014, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-able-to-create-a-roaring-in-their-ears-head/683732/5 "2014-03-15T03:00:06Z")
I can do it. My eyes kinda vibrate too. It also makes me yawn sometimes. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2014, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-able-to-create-a-roaring-in-their-ears-head/683732/6 "2014-03-15T03:04:01Z")
I’ve always done it, and I’ve called it “thundering.” With me, the left side is a little louder than the right. And it’s independent of eyes, breathing, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Sattua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sattua/32/11906_2.png) [@Sattua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sattua)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2014, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-able-to-create-a-roaring-in-their-ears-head/683732/7 "2014-03-15T03:30:57Z")
I can blow air through my eustachean tubes, which makes a roaring sound. That’s all I’ve got. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2014, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-able-to-create-a-roaring-in-their-ears-head/683732/8 "2014-03-15T03:50:06Z")
Back when I used to play the trumpet, my eustachian tubes would sometimes inflate suddenly. I could also blow air out through the inner corners of my eyes! (Yes, my head is hollow…) **USCDiver** : thanks! That’s stuff I never knew! ---
**Author:** ![Dale\_Sams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/779978/32.png) [@Dale\_Sams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dale_Sams)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2014, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-able-to-create-a-roaring-in-their-ears-head/683732/9 "2014-03-15T03:50:40Z")
I can get it where the eyes aren’t involved but absolutely cannot breath out or in. Weird. I also have never had a brain freeze. I may not be put together right. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2014, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-able-to-create-a-roaring-in-their-ears-head/683732/10 "2014-03-17T19:59:56Z")
I don’t know why you can’t do it while breathing. I’ll admit it’s harder to switch directions while doing it (breathing out to in or vice versa), but it took just a couple tries to do it. This roaring is also how I “unpop” my ears. So I always thought I was vibrating the muscle that keeps the Eustachian tubes open. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2014, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-able-to-create-a-roaring-in-their-ears-head/683732/11 "2014-03-18T00:38:08Z")
> [@Dale\_Sams](#): > > . . . I also have never had a brain freeze. I may not be put together right. The “ice cream headache?” Lucky! I hope you never do! It’s extremely painful! I first discovered the effect while slurping my first Slurpee. It took me decades to try another one! ---
**Author:** ![Mander](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/46a35a/32.png) [@Mander](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mander)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2014, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-able-to-create-a-roaring-in-their-ears-head/683732/12 "2014-03-18T03:48:51Z")
I can make my ears roar too. I can also make them roar when I blink so it’s like I can hear myself blink. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2014, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-able-to-create-a-roaring-in-their-ears-head/683732/13 "2014-03-18T04:19:26Z")
Yeah. Sometimes I play “music” with the sound. I can’t change the pitch or anything but I can keep a beat going pretty well, so it’s easy to imagine actual notes. I can only do it for about 10 seconds continuously before having to relax to reset it. ---
**Author:** ![toofs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/4491bb/32.png) [@toofs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toofs)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2014, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-able-to-create-a-roaring-in-their-ears-head/683732/14 "2014-03-18T06:08:39Z")
I thought I was the only freak who does this. I never knew how to even describe it. I can roll my tongue into a tube, I can turn my tongue upside down, wiggle my ears, and cross my eyes. Why couldn’t I have useful unusual traits? ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2014, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-able-to-create-a-roaring-in-their-ears-head/683732/15 "2014-03-18T23:23:24Z")
Sure. It seems to involve putting pressure on the upper palate as well as clenching muscles, though.