Autophony

How it works

Everyone hears their own voice partly through the skull. Autophony is that effect turned up too far. Your voice booms as if you were speaking into a barrel. Each breath sounds like wind. Some people hear their own eyeballs move¹.

The most common cause is a patulous Eustachian tube. The Eustachian tube links the middle ear to the back of the nose. It is normally closed and opens only for a moment when you swallow or yawn. In some people it stays open. Sound from the throat then travels straight up the tube into the ear². The tube is held shut partly by fatty tissue and blood flow around it. Weight loss, dehydration, pregnancy, and hormone changes can make the tube floppy². Many people notice that the symptom fades when they lie down or put their head between their knees, because blood pools around the tube and closes it².

The second cause is superior canal dehiscence. A thin patch of bone over one of the balance canals in the inner ear is missing or worn through. This creates an extra window into the inner ear. Sound and pressure leak through it. People with this hear their heartbeat and footsteps, and some feel dizzy when they hear loud noises³. It was first described by Lloyd Minor and colleagues in 1998³.

Estimates for a patulous tube range from about 0.3% to 6.6% of people².

Is it a problem?

Often it is only annoying. But the causes need to be told apart, and a doctor can do this with a hearing test and a scan. See an ear specialist if your own voice or breath has sounded too loud for more than a few weeks. Go sooner if you also have dizziness triggered by sound, hearing loss, or a feeling of pressure that does not clear.