Symptom 14. Tinnitus: The Phantom Sounds of Migraines
Let’s tune into an interesting symptom, tinnitus, often associated with migraines. Picture this: in the silence of your room, you suddenly hear a ringing sound, a buzzing noise, or perhaps a humming. You look around, but there’s no apparent source. Welcome to the unsettling world of tinnitus.
These phantom sounds are a product of your nervous system. Often, they emerge as a persistent ringing in your ears, sometimes accompanied by a migraine, and other times heralding an impending one. However, the soundtrack isn’t limited to ringing; it can range from whistling and hissing to buzzing and clicking, creating a cacophony that only you can hear.
While tinnitus can be a bewildering experience, it is rooted in the complex interaction between the nervous and auditory systems. The same neural pathways that light up during a migraine can also influence auditory perception, leading to these phantom sounds. It’s a concert played by your nervous system, with migraines acting as the conductor.
Tinnitus underscores the far-reaching effects of migraines, showing that they are not confined to causing pain in the head. The phantom sounds remind us that migraines can influence various sensory perceptions, adding another layer of complexity to this condition.(14)
