Aa
Aa
A
A
A
Close
Avatar universal

hearing repeat sounds/songs in my head

I keep hearing repeat songs in my head...I do not hear voices only songs.  I suffer from extreme anxiety and depression am on Lorazepam and several homeopathic remedies.  I was put on several anti depressants for a period of one year with severe side effects.  I am now hyper sensitive to medications.
104 Responses
Sort by: Helpful Oldest Newest
Avatar universal
Hello,

My sister has a complaint of recurrent and persistent musical tunes in her head. The music is  coming from inside the head she does not actually hear them, they are replayed like a song stuck in her head. It is like her inner voice. The music includes popular songs, commercial jingles and well-known melodies. It is like a broken tape recorder repeatedly producing the same songs and music all day long. The sounds are product of her  mind she is in despair. she cant focus,sleep or study. None of SSRIs  and antipsychotics worked so far. she has no hearing loss. We could not find solution.

Is there anyone who knows about this illness? any natural solution?

Please let me know.

Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Hello,

Musical obsessions in now a well recognized entity as part of OCD (Obsessive compulsive disease).

It is very common to have "earworms" or getting songs stuck in your head, and nearly 95% of people experienced that at least once in their lifetime.

However when this is a recurrent phenomenon that interferes with someone's life (Affecting performance, relationships or causing significant distress), one might be suffering from musical obsessions.

Luckily, this is being more recognized, and there are many ways that this can be addressed (Some practical steps and / or medications).


If you think you are suffering from this condition, it might be a good idea to see a doctor (General practitioner or psychiatrist), or a cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) therapist

Hope that helps
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
İs there anyone with solution.Please help me
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Pelae contact me  ***@**** I am suffering this for 5 years.I am in despair
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
plse contact me at +91 8824436406. i also have this problem
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
One time I was going with my family for lunch because I missed having family things for years and on the day I arrived home, I listened to sad piano songs and cried about it. Then the next day I had it stuck in my head and I didn't mind until a couple days later, it wouldn't go out of my mind. I started having fear and anxiety about it. Currently, I am living with this for about 2 months and it drove me nuts. Now all I am doing is changing the songs to the one I like in my head and actually enjoying it, rather than seeing it as a threat and it works at times, and it gets annoying but I have coped with it. So yea the key is to just embrace it and learn to live with it, it's gotten better for me. All you have to learn is to accept it and eventually it will slowly fade. Also I have a better control over the music compared to before.
Tips:
- Sleeping more helped me
- Going out with friends helped
- Go into the sunlight, or go into nature
- Just don't stay home because it will aggravate it
- Volunteer, and see people
- Laugh or engage in long conversations
- Video games require focus
- Sports helped or running on the treadmills like your sprinting because you will need the focus to be able to run fast (has to be intensive)

I don't know how you guys got yours but I got mine from being sad and depressed.
Anyways best of luck. I feel so much better that I'm not the only one.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
One time I was going with my family for lunch because I missed having family things for years and on the day I arrived home, I listened to sad piano songs and cried about it. Then the next day I had it stuck in my head and I didn't mind until a couple days later, it wouldn't go out of my mind. I started having fear and anxiety about it. Currently, I am living with this for about 2 months and it drove me nuts. Now all I am doing is changing the songs to the one I like in my head and actually enjoying it, rather than seeing it as a threat and it works at times, and it gets annoying but I have coped with it. So yea the key is to just embrace it and learn to live with it, it's gotten better for me. All you have to learn is to accept it and eventually it will slowly fade. Also I have a better control over the music compared to before.
Tips:
- Sleeping more helped me
- Going out with friends helped
- Go into the sunlight, or go into nature
- Just don't stay home because it will aggravate it
- Volunteer, and see people
- Laugh or engage in long conversations
- Video games require focus
- Sports helped or running on the treadmills like your sprinting because you will need the focus to be able to run fast (has to be intensive)

I don't know how you guys got yours but I got mine from being sad and depressed.
Anyways best of luck. I feel so much better that I'm not the only one.
Helpful - 0
1 Comments
So yours has stopped? I’m nervous because everywhere I’ve read people say it never goes away and I’m panicking
Avatar universal
I'll just add one more thing, when i am going to sleep I hear songs in my head that I've never even heard before.  I think it's the subconscious that is behind this. Doing it's own thing. And we have no control over it.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I have not told my doctor about this, but I think it's either a related to some sort of anxiety or the mild depression I get sometimes. I don't know, I told my mother about it once, she thought it was very strange , so I don't talk about it as people might think it's a mental problem. Maybe it is, but I haven't found a cure for it. A song gets stuck in my head, only to go away when I find a new song I like, then that one plays over and over. Even music my neighbors play can keep playing in my head. It's not easy to cope with sometimes.

It's worse when there is no noise in the room, when it's quiet at night I can hear the songs playing loud in my head. I don't notice it if I am distracted talking to someone or sound from the tv. But it's probably always there, I am just used to it.

The problem with mental issues, is that a lot of the time the person who has them is not aware that they are acting odd, it can just creep up on you slowly and you don't notice it.  But other people can see it. Maybe there are other things linked to this, in the mind, but we don't see those problems, only the very obvious one , music playing over and over.

But I honestly think it's just anxiety, worry, stress, that is doing it, I have had it bad over the last few years , never had anxiety problems like this until  I was 30, just started for some reason and hasn't gone away since.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
lithium. have you been on it? my grandma was on it and swore by hearing music and songs
Helpful - 0
2 Comments
Do you mean that it made her have the songs stuck in her head or that lithium resolved it?
I'm thinking he is saying that this caused it.  ??  Do you have this katie?
Avatar universal
So I just read this article -- CHEW GUM.  I'm going to try it!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/04/25/song-stuck-in-head_n_7129586.html
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
This has been a chronic issue for awhile now.  I get some solace in knowing that there are others having the same experience.  
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Same problem,the last few years music won't stop playing in my head, a certain section or chorus repeats, it's more noticeable when I am alone and it's quiet.

I have had panic attacks in the past, not for a couple years now. But do have anxiety problems where I can get breathing problems and light headed for no reason.

I think this problem is related to stress, anxiety. Seemed to start up with me when I had more problems in my life with my girlfriend and other problems with money and work, depression.
Helpful - 0
1 Comments
At one point I thought I was the only person suffering with this!I do think about my breathing alot and I've had some panic attacks in past I'm just trying to tell my self I'm normal have you told your doctor
Avatar universal
Hi my name is alan I've been suffering from anxiety for around 5 years only recently maybe the last 6 months I've started to notice that when I listen to a song it gets stuck in my mind and it keeps repeating it self over and over and I think I'm losing the plot but a keep trying to reassure my self this is normal I'm sure I've got severe aniexty symptoms are feeling floaty specially my arms and legs can anyone help me
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Hmm I have heard background music almost continuously for one or two years now. I also have hearing loss and a degree of tinnitus, though this is more like a white noise, I seem to be able to ignore it pretty easily but the music in my head is annoying, seems to take an effort to be with and even more effort to stop, almost impossible to stop. It's most fundamental nature is low pitched choral, many voiced, singing. Often songs I know repeated. It's very much like I am hearing it internally, I don't choose to create it. Maybe it's a natural defence against tinnitus.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
. I try to sleep or when I'm not thinking about anything unparticular all that is in my mind is some choruses to some random song... some catchy theme song to show or commercial... I cant sleep unless have altered my state of mind though anxiety meds wine...I cant take it anymore I want to go to sleep naturally
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I have the same problem. It's a repeated six notes in my head. The first 3 are the same and the next three are the same but a lower key.
Over and over and over. Non stop for 3 years. I wake up with it and I go to sleep with it.  I have no idea how to stop it.  However it does shift when I am concentrating on something or if I have headphones on
Anybody have any kind of help ?  
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I believe this phenomenon of hearing repeating sounds in your head is something similar to tinnitus, but not the tinnitus that comes from audio damage to the ears but rather from stress or something else psychological. I have had it for the last two days. I am dealing with it like this:

1. realize that it you, your mind that is creating this noise. and you are ultimatly in control of your mind.

2. dont let yourself be a victim, you are in control.

3. train your mind not to create these sounds. practice listening to the actual sounds that are around you. even when you are in a relatively quiet environment there will be distant sounds or a continuous background sounds. focus in on these, still your mind, and whenever the repeating sound comes block it mentally, or try to, and focus back onto the actual sounds around you. you may find it very difficult but once it starts to work even just once or twice at first and only for a few seconds-this few seconds can be extended to minutes, and eventually in normal day to day you will hear the sounds less, and then later not hear the sounds (your mind will loose the habit of creating them) at all. if you are a person with an extreme case, like some of these commenters, it may be that with a lot of practise you get it down to only a couple of episodes a day. The important this is to make life bearable, weather you only hear it 20 times a day or 200, each person has their own unique case. Just as important is to know that it is curable. To have HOPE. Then cure yourself! I found out all this by curing myself from Tinnitus years ago, now that this repeating noise thing started a few days ago (probably from current stressful life situation) I have been curing it myself again, and its working, glad to say. Hope this helps.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Very interesting comment.  I was on Lexapro, then Celexa for anxiety and I began having songs both in my head and silently in my 'mouth'.  I think that it was because of the SSRIs that I developed this very annoying obsession.  I have no clue as to how to eliminate this very annoying habit.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
its called a earwom
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
its called an earworm
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Fascinating discussion! As long as I can remember I've heard bits & pieces of music in my head, some from songs I knew but more often just short guitar riffs (I'm a former rock&roll garage/party band guitar hack). I know I had a few tick bites in childhood, decades ago. But I've also had multiple concussions, a traumatic brain injury and brain surgery, and am taking what will probably be lifelong prescriptions for a sleep movement disorder and major depression. The music could be related to several of these factors, but I suspect it's more a default reaction to some mental chore I'd rather not do - like balancing the checkbook or reading a complex article.

If you are concerned about possibly having Lyme disease you might want to check out www.lymedisease.org. One of the things it said is Lyme disease is known as "the great imitator" because it mimics symptoms from so many other conditions. Also said "Experts agree that the earlier you are treated, the better; and early treatment is often successful. Unfortunately, more than half of the patients treated with short-term antibiotics continue to have significant symptoms. The quality of life of patients with chronic Lyme disease is similar to that of patients with congestive heart failure." My heart is healthy so the music in my head isn't from Lyme. Echoing other readers, meditation and focusing on breathing helps me mute the music.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
"Good Times!  Ain't we lucky we got 'em?  Good times!  Temporary lay-offs, good times!" etc., etc.  - Unfortunately, I grew up on TV.  Our house was most relaxed when we watched TV together (e.g. no yelling, no drama, etc.).

This theme song, and other random songs (always with lyrics) have been 'ear worms' for me.

One interesting thing I have noticed, is that I almost always seem to have any given song in my head while I'm in the shower!  Admittedly, I sometimes sing...makeup songs...usually about my cat, since she waits outside the shower for me (I guess she's bewildered why I would want to be in water..LOL).  But I never sing the songs that play as I shower.  I wonder if the hot water stimulates something in my brain?

I went through a period of (thinking) I needed to have a TV on low when I slept.  This went on for years, but then I learned it prevented me from true REM sleep, and messed up my circadian rhythm, etc.  I can happily say, that I don't need the TV on to sleep.  I do think it made me feel safe (perhaps from memories of things I did not want to remember?), but a real good night's sleep is the best.

I do have depression; have not (yet) been on medication for it.  I also was bitten by a tick when I was a child.  I think I was 7 or 9?  My older sister and I were caring for the neighbors' dogs while they were away.  I remember  my back itched, and I was agitated, and I think I was behaving a little deliriously.  This caused my mom to inspect, and discover a tick in my back.  She lit a match, blew it out and touched it to the tick and it came out.  Although, I read recently, that is not a good way to remove a tick, but she did not know that way back then.

A few years ago, I noticed a brown rectangle patch of skin on my back.  It tends to be quite itchy.  A doctor I had back then, said it was a late-forming birthmark (WHAT?!?!?)  Not sure I even believe that's a 'thing'.  I wonder if that could be in any way, related to the tick bite?  Also, I don't know if after almost 40 years of being bitten, if they can even tell if I got Lyme Disease from it?

I will be looking into the Lyme connection for sure.

Good luck to everyone on here with being able to only hear music when you want to.  :)
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Your tips on meditation will be very helpful to me I think. I seem to always have this crazy rhythm going on in my brain and I think understand what it is. For a long time now I have been in maximum overdrive working and running around with no time for myself. I have noticed that the rhythm in my head is extremely fast and even if it is a song it seems to be in fast speed. Now that things are slowing down for me as far as work and lack of time, I notice the rhythm in my head even more and it isn't going away. It's like I've been in a stressful mode for so long that my brain is still stressing even though it doesn't need to be any more. I think meditation will probably help a lot. It may be all about learning to relax and slow down.
Helpful - 0
Have an Answer?

You are reading content posted in the Neurology Community

Top Neurology Answerers
620923 tn?1452915648
Allentown, PA
5265383 tn?1669040108
ON
1756321 tn?1547095325
Queensland, Australia
1780921 tn?1499301793
Queen Creek, AZ
Learn About Top Answerers
Didn't find the answer you were looking for?
Ask a question
Popular Resources
Find out how beta-blocker eye drops show promising results for acute migraine relief.
In this special Missouri Medicine report, doctors examine advances in diagnosis and treatment of this devastating and costly neurodegenerative disease.
Here are 12 simple – and fun! – ways to boost your brainpower.
Discover some of the causes of dizziness and how to treat it.
Discover the common causes of headaches and how to treat headache pain.
Two of the largest studies on Alzheimer’s have yielded new clues about the disease