We all know what it’s like to get a song stuck in our heads without any explanation. However, some people with hearing loss experience something one step further. They hear music just as if they were seeing a show at The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park, even though none is being played.
This phenomenon is known as musical ear syndrome (MES). MES is a condition that causes people with hearing loss to experience musical hallucinations. The songs tend to be ones the person with MES has heard many times before, such as Christmas carols. However, they can range from pop music to symphonies, and even radio broadcasts.
Are Musical Hallucinations a Mental Health Condition?
No. Even though we typically associate hallucinations with drug use or certain psychiatric disorders, MES is not a psychiatric condition. These musical hallucinations are much more like tinnitus.
Tinnitus is a ringing in the ears, although some people describe the sound like buzzing, hissing, clicking or other similar noise. Statistics show that roughly 10% (25 million) of Americans have experienced tinnitus lasting at least five minutes in the past year.
Most cases of tinnitus are subjective, meaning that the ringing is only heard by the patient. Musical hallucinations are experienced in the same way.
Causes and Risk Factors for MES
The cause of MES is not entirely known. Some believe that the brain seeks to replace the input it used to get from your ears before hearing loss. In place of actual sound, your brain starts to fill in the blanks with sounds it already knows, like songs you’ve heard many times before.
Musical hallucinations occur most frequently in people who have bilateral sensorineural hearing loss. This means they have hearing loss in both ears caused by damage to the inner ear. Other risk factors that make it more likely a person experiences MES include:
- Isolation
- Anxiety and depression
- Older age
- Tinnitus
- Feeling stressed or overwhelmed
How Hearing Aids Can Help
Though there is no cure, addressing your hearing loss is one of the best treatments for MES. Hearing aids can improve your hearing and take away your brain’s need to fill in the gaps with remembered sounds.
In addition to hearing aids, cognitive behavioral therapy, relaxation techniques and using a white noise machine may help treat MES.
If you have additional questions or wish to schedule an appointment with a hearing expert, call San Diego ENT today.