Physiological explanation for voluntarily induced "wind blowing inside head" sound

AyeJaye

Yes, that is about as well as I can describe it. Anyway, it's something physiological that I can do voluntarily inside my own damn head (like http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eustachian_tubes#Pressure_equalization which I read about recently and which made me remember what I'm asking about now)! Naturally, when I was a child, the simplest explanation wasn't that I can't hear other people doing it because it's inside their own head, it was that I had awesome psychic powers. I spent many hours over the first thirteen years of my life staring at stuff around me and attempting to move it with my mind. Despite this, the psychic thing didn't really seem to pan out and now I want answers.

MKR

Tinnitus? It can manifest as a whooshing, though I've never heard of someone who could control it.

Reznik

I think I might know what you're talking about.

I kind of like... tense up the muscles around my jaw a bit and yeah, it's kind of a windy sound.

I'm curious now...

MKR

Is the muscle in question this one? I can do that too. I'm pretty sure it's just moving the ear canal around a bit.

Though I did find this: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2075422/

Maybe they're connected through nerves in some way. The body is weird.

Do you get the same sound when you yawn?

mts

probably something with the vestibular system activating one of the cranial nerves but thats all i got. i don't do nervous system

AyeJaye

MKR wrote: »

Is the muscle in question this one? I can do that too. I'm pretty sure it's just moving the ear canal around a bit.

Though I did find this: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2075422/

Maybe they're connected through nerves in some way. The body is weird.

Do you get the same sound when you yawn?

Thanks for the help. That is probably the correct muscle; it feels like it's very near the one used to open the eustachian tubes and I can't really get more exact than that. And yeah, this happens when I yawn sometimes.

I'm surprised there isn't more out there about it.

Caramel Genocide

I've been doing this my whole life, I was under the impression that it's a perfectly common bodily function.

(I wasn't psychic, either. No matter how hard I tried.)

Funguy McAids

I can do that too; thought it was commonplace.

But I can do what feels like pulling a muscle in the middle of my brain. I asked a doc once and he had no idea.

When I pull on it it makes my entire body tingle a bit, sort of like having an orgasm affects the muscles, but mostly it's centered on the top of my spinal column.

Avicus

hey me too. I've never known what it is just that it involves something below my ear on the inside (i think). Each time I "contract" it makes a whoosh sound or I can hold it continuously for more of a muuuuurrrrrrurrrurr sound.

Tlex

Yeah, I can do the same thing, guess it must be pretty normal then.

So no worries!

Sparvy

I can do it too, the annoying thing is that it also happens my bloodpressure drops (you know, like when you stand up too fast and go all whobbly) which is a bit scary. Last week for example, they were going to blow up a house near my dorm so they had inspect all the doorways and shit where I live. The ring the bell at like 8 in the morning, I rush out of bed to open the door and suddenly eveything goes "wooooosh" and I neither see or hear the guy talking to me. Glad I didn't fall over.

AyeJaye

Funguy McAids wrote: »

I can do that too; thought it was commonplace.

But I can do what feels like pulling a muscle in the middle of my brain. I asked a doc once and he had no idea.

When I pull on it it makes my entire body tingle a bit, sort of like having an orgasm affects the muscles, but mostly it's centered on the top of my spinal column.

Does the tingle feel sort of like a shudder (without the associated muscle contractions) or goosebumps? If so then I can do it as well but It's never felt like I'm tensing a muscle in the middle of my brain. I just sort of arch my back a little but I don't know if that's because I just associate it with the sensation.

I also feel an intensified version of this when I am in awe or someone does something really nice for me.

I love my weird body. I'm going to go read about the physiology of that tingling now.

Tlex wrote: »

Yeah, I can do the same thing, guess it must be pretty normal then.

So no worries!

I wasn't worried, I was just hoping to find an explanation like I had for the ear clicking. No worries though, I will devote my life to finding the answers.

Probably not.

Kyanilis

Oh thanks guys here I thought I was special. Guess not.

ITT: Crushing dreams.

Nah but seriously, I never thought everyone else could do it at will, but I guess we're all normal. Together.

Avicus

AyeJaye wrote: »

Funguy McAids wrote: »

I can do that too; thought it was commonplace.

But I can do what feels like pulling a muscle in the middle of my brain. I asked a doc once and he had no idea.

When I pull on it it makes my entire body tingle a bit, sort of like having an orgasm affects the muscles, but mostly it's centered on the top of my spinal column.

Does the tingle feel sort of like a shudder (without the associated muscle contractions) or goosebumps? If so then I can do it as well but It's never felt like I'm tensing a muscle in the middle of my brain. I just sort of arch my back a little but I don't know if that's because I just associate it with the sensation.

I also feel an intensified version of this when I am in awe or someone does something really nice for me.

I love my weird body. I'm going to go read about the physiology of that tingling now.

Tlex wrote: »

Yeah, I can do the same thing, guess it must be pretty normal then.

So no worries!

I wasn't worried, I was just hoping to find an explanation like I had for the ear clicking. No worries though, I will devote my life to finding the answers.

Probably not.

holy shit, I get that weird tingling when I'm doing something and everything is perfect, everyone is nice etc. I used to be able to make it happen on queue just by listening to certain classical music but it stopped after too much tingling

Bryse Eayo

K. Personal theory. I am not a doctor or have any amount of knowledge about anatomy. But since the ear in closely related to the sinus, it's simply a slight ability to exhale through your ears.

No think about it. Hold your nose while you try it.

Funguy McAids

Bryse Eayo wrote: »

K. Personal theory. I am not a doctor or have any amount of knowledge about anatomy. But since the ear in closely related to the sinus, it's simply a slight ability to exhale through your ears.

No think about it. Hold your nose while you try it.

I just tried holding my nose and doing it and it felt like my ear drums might pop out.

Tlex

I had the same result :!:

AyeJaye

Funguy McAids wrote: »

Bryse Eayo wrote: »

K. Personal theory. I am not a doctor or have any amount of knowledge about anatomy. But since the ear in closely related to the sinus, it's simply a slight ability to exhale through your ears.

No think about it. Hold your nose while you try it.

I just tried holding my nose and doing it and it felt like my ear drums might pop out.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valsalva