Why you hear your heartbeat when you lay on your pillow — and the sign it could be a health issue

If you hear a strange thumping while laying in bed from time to time, don’t be alarmed!

A Detroit-based physician says it’s fairly common to occasionally hear your heartbeat when lying on your side, especially if you’re in a very quiet room.

“If, every once in a while, you’re lying on your side and you hear your heart beating, it’s most likely your carotid artery basically sitting against your pillow,” Dr. Anthony Youn, a board-certified plastic surgeon, recently explained on TikTok.

“But if you’re hearing your heart beating all the time when you’re lying on your side, or especially when you’re standing up, then it could be pulsatile tinnitus,” Youn continued.

Pulsatile tinnitus is a relatively rare condition believed to affect 3 million to 5 million Americans.

In one or both ears, patients hear a rhythmic noise — such as a swooshing or whooshing sound — that matches their pulse.

One 59-year-old male patient recently described it as “a washing machine in a spin cycle and a vacuum.”

Pulsatile tinnitus occurs when there’s a disturbance in the blood flow in the arteries and veins near or around the ears.

“Although it’s usually benign, there are some potentially concerning causes, so it’s best to see your doctor,” Youn said.

Pulsatile tinnitus can be caused by an ear blockage, high blood pressure, narrowed veins or arteries in the head and neck, an abnormal connection between arteries and veins, benign head or neck tumors, elevated pressure within the brain, and less commonly, anemia and pregnancy, which make the heart work harder.

The condition is typically diagnosed with an examination of the ears, neck and head, hearing tests and imaging scans to see what’s going on with the blood vessels.

Treatment depends on the underlying cause — the good news is that up to 70% of patients figure out the reason for the noise.

“Most of the time, pulsatile tinnitus is nothing to worry about,” Dr. David M. Vernick, an otolaryngologist and head and neck surgery specialist, told Harvard Health earlier this year.

“If it doesn’t go away on its own after a few weeks or becomes really bothersome, talk with your doctor about it,” Vernick added.