# Weird thing I can do... **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 13, 2000, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-thing-i-can-do/25433 "2000-07-13T14:13:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![AWB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bb73d2/32.png) [@AWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AWB)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2000, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-thing-i-can-do/25433/1 "2000-07-13T14:13:39Z")
I can concentrate on an area near my ears, then I hear a dull, quiet roaring sound in my ears. I’ve asked friends to look as I do it, and they don’t see my ears moving or any scalp muscles twitching. Am I tensing some internal muscles that are creating a sensation in my ears? ---
**Author:** ![Coldfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a587f6/32.png) [@Coldfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coldfire)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2000, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-thing-i-can-do/25433/2 "2000-07-13T14:56:16Z")
I know what you mean! I can do that too. And I also haven’t got a clue as to what the sound is. You just sort of focus, and BAM! A thunder in your ears. It feels like you’re flexing something, because it is NOT involuntary. But then what the hell are we flexing? I don’t feel anything, just hear the roar. Help! ---
**Author:** ![SqrlCub](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea5d25/32.png) [@SqrlCub](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SqrlCub)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2000, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-thing-i-can-do/25433/3 "2000-07-13T15:08:01Z")
I can do that too. For me, it turns the volume up in my ears. 🙂 HUGS! Sqrl ---
**Author:** ![TNTruth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@TNTruth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TNTruth)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2000, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-thing-i-can-do/25433/4 "2000-07-13T15:08:23Z")
I always assumed it was the sound of blood running thru veins close to your eardrum. ---
**Author:** ![SqrlCub](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea5d25/32.png) [@SqrlCub](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SqrlCub)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2000, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-thing-i-can-do/25433/5 "2000-07-13T15:09:13Z")
PS. I always thought it was tensing internal muscles. HUGS! Sqrl ---
**Author:** ![Aglarond](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c77e96/32.png) [@Aglarond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aglarond)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2000, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-thing-i-can-do/25433/6 "2000-07-13T15:17:28Z")
I’m not sure if it’s the same thing, but I think it is. It kind of feels like more air rushing into your ears. That’s how mine feel anyway. Assuming it’s the same thing, I have no idea what it is. ---
**Author:** ![zebbmx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/958977/32.png) [@zebbmx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zebbmx)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2000, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-thing-i-can-do/25433/7 "2000-07-13T15:20:05Z")
i have the same thing happen to me its like a loud roar only mine only stays for seconds then kinda fades out no matter how hard i try to make it stay ---
**Author:** ![Coldfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a587f6/32.png) [@Coldfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coldfire)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2000, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-thing-i-can-do/25433/8 "2000-07-13T15:22:14Z")
That’s true! I just tried it, and I can’t do it longer than a few seconds either. ---
**Author:** ![AWB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bb73d2/32.png) [@AWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AWB)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2000, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-thing-i-can-do/25433/9 "2000-07-13T15:29:12Z")
Thank God someone knows what I’m talking about! Sadly, we don’t know what it is (yet). **Unca Cecil: HELP!** ---
**Author:** ![barton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@barton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/barton)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2000, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-thing-i-can-do/25433/10 "2000-07-13T15:32:10Z")
Confirmed, I can do this as well. After awhile, it hurts - like right now. 😕 My best theory is manual vibration of the eardrum. Time to Cecil to appear and explain why we have control over this apparently useless function. ---
**Author:** ![Tymp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Tymp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tymp)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2000, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-thing-i-can-do/25433/11 "2000-07-13T15:42:25Z")
I can do this, too. I’m pretty sure that it’s just muscles contracting and affecting the shape and free vibration of the eardrum. > [@](#): > > For me, it turns the volume up in my ears. To achieve this, I have had a gain control knob installed in the center of my forehead. ---
**Author:** ![Dave\_Marini](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/278dde/32.png) [@Dave\_Marini](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dave_Marini)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2000, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-thing-i-can-do/25433/12 "2000-07-13T15:56:26Z")
Well I’ll be damned… I can do this too! I never knew what a talented guy I was. Mind you I feel dizzy as hell now and my heads spinning. It feels to me definitely like a vibrating sensation in my inner ear… sounds more like a superquick wobbling sound to me than a dull roar. I guess if your eardrum (or whatever it is) vibrated rapidly enough it’d sound much like white noise. Man I need an aspirin and a good lie down… ---
**Author:** ![SqrlCub](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea5d25/32.png) [@SqrlCub](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SqrlCub)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2000, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-thing-i-can-do/25433/13 "2000-07-13T16:35:33Z")
I can do it for quite a while in one sitting. It does get a little harder to maintain after about 5-10 seconds though. It doesn’t feel anything like air rushing through my ears. It sounds kind of like a drum roll and thunder mixed together. I tried to explain it to my sisters once and they just thought I was a freak. Oh well. HUGS! Sqrl ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2000, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-thing-i-can-do/25433/14 "2000-07-13T16:52:34Z")
Is this what you all are talking about? I can do something in my ears, I don’t know what, and I get a noise like wind blowing over a microphone. ---
**Author:** ![Cabbage](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f07891/32.png) [@Cabbage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cabbage)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2000, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-thing-i-can-do/25433/15 "2000-07-13T16:56:39Z")
I can do it too, but I’m not sure what it is. Two theories: 1. Tensing internal muscles, as SqrlCub mentioned. 2. Since, I believe, the throat is connected in some round about way with the ear canals, it could be that we’re kind of forcing air into the ear canal, and we’re hearing the air pressure fluctuating the ear drum. It doesn’t feel like air rushing through you ears, as SqrlCub mentioned, but it might not be enough air to feel, just enough to affect the ear drum. ---
**Author:** ![SqrlCub](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea5d25/32.png) [@SqrlCub](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SqrlCub)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2000, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-thing-i-can-do/25433/16 "2000-07-13T17:19:45Z")
When I do it there is definately no air moving through my ears. I can do it while inhaling, exhaling, holding a full lungs worth of breath, or none at all. I can also do the air over the microphone thing. If you hold your nose and do it you can blow air out of your ears and eyes. 🙂 It will dry your eyes and before you do it don’t eat anything spicy. HUGS! Sqrl ---
**Author:** ![Aglarond](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c77e96/32.png) [@Aglarond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aglarond)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2000, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-thing-i-can-do/25433/17 "2000-07-13T18:24:07Z")
“I can do it while inhaling, exhaling, holding a full lungs worth of breath, or none at all.” I can too, but I just noticed something. When I put my fingers on my adam’s apple (had for the women here) 🙂 I can feel it move when I do it. I have to say do IT, because I don’t know what IT is. Anybody else experience this? ---
**Author:** ![jb\_farley](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9d8465/32.png) [@jb\_farley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jb_farley)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2000, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-thing-i-can-do/25433/18 "2000-07-18T00:27:20Z")
i’ve been doing this since i was a wee tyke. i usually need to be in a quiet room though. it starts off quiet, like a hiss of white noise, and slowly builds, until i realize that it’s really fing loud. sometimes it stops then. other times it keeps going. it tends to last a long time (not the measly few seconds some have mentioned). i always assumed that it was just me focusing on the sound of my ears. like it’s background noise that’s always there, but never really noticed. when i do notice it, i hear different qualities to the noise. the louder it gets, the deeper the noise tends to be. anothe rtheory i’ve tossed around is that it’s feedback. yup, that maybe the sound i’m hearing is a combination of ear noise (blood, wind, tinnitus from listening to music too loud) and brain noise (aka cortical static) so the more i pay attention to it, the louder it gets. but honestly, i have no clue. just something i’ve done that made me feel like a weirdo ---
**Author:** ![Homer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/df788c/32.png) [@Homer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Homer)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2000, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-thing-i-can-do/25433/19 "2000-07-18T00:47:10Z")
What you are doing is flexing the back of your tongue to close your throat below your nasal passages. That’s why your adam’s apple moves. Try to breathe while you do the ‘roar’ thing, you can’t. You’ve closed off your nose. The pressure from your tongue opens up your eustachain tubes. The ‘roar’ is the air pressure equalizing inside and out of the tubes. If you have a strong tongue, or good muscle control, you can flex your tongue even harder to increase the pressure more, and you’ll feel a smaller roar, again. Next time you’re on an airplane or swimming, and you have air pressure pains, ‘roar’. It will equalize the pressure and get rid of the pain, no chewing or yawning needed. –Tim ---
**Author:** ![Coldfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a587f6/32.png) [@Coldfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coldfire)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2000, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-thing-i-can-do/25433/20 "2000-07-18T01:46:20Z")
Nope. I can do the roar thing, and still fully breathe, plus move my tongue in all sorts of directions, mouth open OR closed. It seems to be something totally ear-related. At least, for me. Hey, there’s lots of medical people on these boards, or at least medical students. Isn’t it time to see our (well, probalby YOUR) tax money at work? Help us out here! We can’t sleep at night, not knowing what roars in our pretty little ears. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-thing-i-can-do/25433.md?page=2)