Surgeon says if you hear your heartbeat frequently when you lie on your pillow, visit a doctor immediately

A person should always pay attention to the unusual signs or symptoms in their body. Although these might not be a cause for concern, seeing a healthcare provider and getting the problem addressed is a good practice. It might be common to hear your heartbeats aloud after exercise and sometimes while lying down on your pillow as well. However, constantly hearing your heartbeat aloud in your ear while lying down might signal an underlying health issue, according to a doctor. Plastic surgeon Doctor Anthony Youn, who goes by @doctoryoun on TikTok, shared the reason behind the condition.

"When the little person in your pillow has the bass turned up too loud," the doctor began. He pointed out, "If you are lying on your side and you hear your heartbeat, it is most likely your carotid artery sitting against your pillow." The man added, "But if you are hearing your heartbeat all the time while lying on your side, especially when you are standing up, then it could be pulsatile tinnitus. Although it is usually benign, there are some potentially concerning causes. So it is best to see your doctor." The caption to the video read, "Pulsatile tinnitus can be caused by high blood pressure, AV malformations, excess caffeine, and more. Get it checked out because it could be a sign of some bad s**t."

Pulsatile tinnitus can be described as hearing a whooshing sound in one or both ears, as per the New York Post.  The main reason behind the condition is usually one or the other disturbance in the blood flow in arteries and veins in and around a person's ears. The reasons can range from blockages in veins and arteries, narrowed blood vessels in the head and neck, benign head and neck tumors and so on. In some cases, the reason might be things like pregnancy or anemia. The doctors usually check a person's head, neck and ears or do imaging tests to find out the underlying reason as per the outlet.

Around 3 to 5 million people in the US suffer from the condition, as per Science Direct. "Most of the time, pulsatile tinnitus is nothing to worry about,” Dr. David M. Vernick, otolaryngologist and head and neck surgery specialist, told Harvard Health. "If it doesn’t go away on its own after a few weeks or becomes really bothersome, talk with your doctor about it," he continued. The doctor shared that he usually asks a patient for their medical history and checks them with a stethoscope to check for any signs or symptoms. He suggests further tests based on the check-up. People took to the comments section of the video posted by Dr. Youn to share their own experiences with such a condition.

@macaronibeefaroni wrote, "Now imagine this 24 hours a day, and it gets extremely loud for no reason...I can’t take it anymore." @sarahm0419 commented, "When I was a little kid, I heard it all the time. I told everyone I could hear my guardian angel every night on my pillow. And the family just looked at me like I was weird and moved on." @chelsienotchelsea remarked, "I have Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension and get pulsatile tinnitus fairly often. It can be quite irritating."

You can follow Dr. Anthony Youn (@dryoun) on TikTok for more health-related content.