Asklemmy

I'm not sure I experience exactly what you describe - I'd describe what I hear as a radio just barely audible in the background. I only experience it when I'm about to fall asleep or supposed to be getting up.

Ten or so years ago after a really long day of school I flopped down in bed and noticed it and I made a conscious decision to listen rather than move. Ever since it happens a couple times a month now. I've never found it concerning and it's maybe almost comforting, like, "oh, that thing is back."

It's exactly like a soft radio where you're only catching bits and pieces of what's being said. Sometimes I recognize unusual words I heard from that day, the voices are distinct and can be female or male. I can't decide if I can influence what's being said or not. I do think the harder I pay attention the more coherent things start to sound.

My feeling is that bits of what I've heard throughout the day, or maybe longer, are getting played back to me. But I've never recognized any of the voices of heard anything said that I could identify as verbatim from the day.

Doctor. Could be tinnitus.

Wow, lots of comments.

Before having read any replies, I'd already scheduled a doctor visit. Tinnitus being my first guess. Still, it's limited to specific circumstances, and I have near-perfect pitch, so I thought maybe my mind was simply consuming/interpreting additional data. Still, it will be investigated.

I found the Schizophrenia comments... interesting, because it does run in the family. I will make sure the physician is thorough and considers all possibilities.

Repeating what everyone else has said, and strongly recommending that you see your doctor.

But if it eases your mind a little, I had a similar experience that was ultimately diagnosed as tinnitus, and treated effectively with behavioral therapy. It's scary thinking something is wrong with you, but getting diagnosed is great because you get to know more than you did before about what is wrong.

Ignore any advice here except "go to a doctor"

Because it can’t be said enough…

See a doctor. Make an appointment today, now. Not tomorrow.

Do not try to self diagnose. It will only go poorly.

Probably just a minor processing error in your sound driver and nothing to worry about. I think I have had a similar experience with a particular white noise machine with hearing some slightly patterned sound when there wasn't really a pattern. If it's bothering you or increasing can't hurt to go see a doctor (well can't hurt too bad as long as you're insured...) and get their input.

See a doctor.

Sometimes when i'm listening to music I'll hear "Audio Jungle"

See a doctor. Do it now. Not later. Nobody here will give you accurate medical advice. The underlying causes are diverse. You will not receive worthwhile medical advice without a proper diagnosis.

If it's changing, you might want to get a brain-scan, immediately.

No, it isn't normal ( not for me, anyhow ), to the guy who said it is normal.

It's not an ear thing, it is an auditory-processing thing, so it's your brain that's doing it.

The question is why it is doing it.

Perhaps it's just fuzzy wiring, as most such cases likely are.

( synaesthesia is a case of weird wiring, and I've got that, but not in the normal way, not senses blurring into each-other, but rather my non-visual cognition being a kind of "blur" to those senses, so they mesh oddly )

But if it begins changing in either intensity or character, get a scan.

( I'm a braindamage survivor, and it takes decades to adapt to braindamage: prevention/avoidance is better than hating one's life for decades, while being bullied by all who reject that it could still validly be a problem, and hold that one ought either force oneself into being an "acceptable" drugged psychiatric-zombie, and not "pretend" to be getting better, or one ought be able to be acceptable-pretence, just like Valid People(TM) are. )

_ /\ _

Normal I think. I hear what you're saying, but specifically more noticeable when it's dead silent. I hate it. So... I sleep with rain sounds or a YouTube video of someone talking.

This is normal, I hear it too sometimes. Particularly when I'm laying with one ear covered so I'm hearing white noise while trying to fall asleep. Something about the mix of frequencies, part of them traveling through/bouncing off the walls and the pillow, and just getting older sometimes creates an illusion that a TV is on in the other room or someone is talking outside. Sometimes I'll think my phone alarm is going off (I use internet radio for the alarm, so I never know specifically how it will sound), but then lift my head and my brain has enough info to determine it's just noise.

Mild hallucinations are normal. It's impossible for your brain to gather 100% accurate data, let alone process everything it is handed, so it hallucinates all the time in ways you don't notice to fill in the gaps (ex. the large blind spot in your vision that your brain has learned to ignore). It's only if it's starting to cause you distress or cognitive dissonance that you should seek help. Ex. it's one thing to hear a TV in the other room that's not there, it's another to conclude that your long-deceased grandfather must be watching TV and think that's normal.

It's pretty normal, brains try to meaning or something in its senses. Sometimes if you hear tapping you may start believing it's the beat to a certain song. There is also of course that viral video that makes you hear "brainstorm" or "green needle" depending on which option you are mentally choosing.

If you expect to hear something you will hear it. There have been funny moments where I removed my earbuds, put them down, and I kept listening to the faintly playing music. I put them back in 30 seconds later and I realized they were muted the whole time

I have this, the fan sounds I can hear music in there, and to me it sounds like it's coming in my ears, not from my brain. Running water can do the same.

Yes it's hallucinatory but no way is it pathological unless you start believing the voices are real and talking to you.

Stimulant use?

If you smoke or otherwise consume marijuana, it can cause auditory hallucinations.

What about when wearing (really good) noise cancelling head phones? Everything you've mentioned is when there is some sort of noise going on, but it's it also happening with everything cancelled out? A few people have pointed out Auditory Pareidoilia which is your brain trying to find words/pattern/meaning in the noise it is hearing, but is it also doing that when the only sound it can hear is it's own blood whooshing though your veins, which it should be used to? What about in a sensory deprivation tank?

There's Hearing - which is what the all the tiny bits of your ears connected to the nerves do, then there's Perception - which is how your brain interprets the information it receives from the nerves connected to your ears and puts it back together. Basically, your brain is working overtime to try to figure out why you are listening to the noise you are listening to. As long as it's only happening in those situations described and, as others have said, it's not voices telling to do anything.

Every medical question on social media ever:

American: I have this problem

Response: Have you seen a doctor?

American: No.

As many said before here, if you're concerned go see a professional. But overall this sounds like your brain is just very keen on doing its pattern matching thing.

I think the most important aspect is whether you're "suffering" from this or whether you just notice it from time to time and can shrug it off. If it's the later, I'd keep an eye (or ear?) on it, but not worry about it too much.