Put this under neurological as don't know where else to post it. I find myself constantly coming out with a repetitive (same few notes) hum. I think it first started when I would be finishing an arduous task but now it is frequent through the day - almost like a sort of crutch/mantra. Last week I nipped into the dentist's loo just before an appointment and realised I had been at it again. Which was embarrassing as there was someone waiting outside.
Any techniques for dealing with this? I want to stop!
I have the same problem. I started this repetitive humming, usually the same 3-5 notes, over and over again about 6-months ago. When I realuze I'm doing this it annoys me and I try to hum a real tune. I wonder how loud I am doing this, and can coworkers hear me. I mainly do this at work.
Is this anxiety or a symptom of something else, such as, PSP or dementia?
I wish I could stop.
I sure hope it is not a symptom of dementia! I am going to try self hypnosis.
Chris, would you mind telling me how old you are? Maybe it is normal for our age group. I talked to my sister about it and she said I was making a bigger deal out of it than it really is. Have you talked to anyone about it?
I am trying to think who could help you with this kind of thing, perhaps a hypnotherapist might be your best bet, I know they can be very helpful with quitting smoking, phobias and many other things so perhaps this subconscious and compulsive type behaviour could fall within their remit. Best wishes
This is what worked for me. No did not cure it completely but it stops it and I enjoy the break until its set off again and I repeat.
it was an accident? But a new friend I had just made listens to jazz and opera. He had it at a decent volume. So it caught my attention with out knowing. And all sudden i realized i wasnt humming ..could not hum. It like cut it off or mixed me up and I was so thrilled.
Not sure if you are still following this discussion but I did research in this area and believe it is a result of Tourette Syndrome. I do not know of any treatment but I have read that it can increase and decrease with stress. Yes, co-workers can usually hear you humming and though you many know the tune you are humming, they usually just hear mumbling or incoherent humming. Only recommendation I can make is to try and make light of it and emphasize that humming is a happy trait. Good luck.
Isn't humming akin to talking to yourself? Doesn't seem pathological, just mindless ( which is perfectly ok...). I talk, hum, sing, etc., all the time and crack myself up. Everybody has had that song or tune they just cannot get out of their head, perhaps that is you. I do think mindless noises are a way for us to think differently or perhaps figuring out a problem after a snooze. Laugh and just tell everyone you are the entertainment. If it the only symptom you have, I doubt it's life threatening.
I have PD and since on my meds i have had a singing compulsion. i start singing even without realizing i am doing it and stop but do the same thing again repeatedly. I get on my own nerves at times....I am reducing the strength of my meds because i am noticing other probs too. Maybe this is not helpful but i thought i would just log it in case
There are certainly drugs that can cause compulsions. Remember, they are affecting your brain and side effects can vary widely. If it bothers you too much, I would talk to your PD doc or look up all your meds and see if the humming/singing is a side effect of any of them separately or together. I have hummed and sung most of my life (to myself) and everybody laughs but I think somehow it keeps me laughing, too, so I just go with it! Sometimes I think we do things unconsciously to give our brain a chance to work out solutions we have not come up with, yet. That may not be the case for you, however, and if is really that bothersome, see your doc.
My dad lived with us for seven years before he passed. I was not aware of humming until the three weeks he was in Hospice before he died. I hummed over and over, but did not know the words. While he was in a coma like stage, he began to sing the words to my tune. I still contine to hum two years later, but I do not recognize I am doing it. My family considers it "sweet," but I am concerned.
I have been humming incessantly for several years now & it has just about ruined my singing voice . A speech therapist confirmed my suspicion that I have lost a lot of volume & control of my voice because of the humming . I have been trying to stop myself for over a year and I can only do so much. I was hoping someone had made progress with this issue??
For about a year or more ive been humming quietly and at a low level. I feel i may be stressed and find it helpful though others dont they find it annoying and tell me to stop. One of my friends said she found it quite creepy. So i have been making an attempt to stop it but its difficult. People are rude and it upsets me and obviously others apart from my grand daughter who thinks its funny and copies me. I feel a freak by other peoples comments. How should i react to their criticisms
I have had persistent depression for over 25 years, and I’ve been on numerous antidepressants, most of which didn’t work or stopped working. Two years ago my doctor put me on 50 mg of Pristiq. It didn’t really help, so he increased the dosage to 100 mg per day. I’ve always been susceptible to getting songs stuck in my head, but shortly after I increased Pristiq to 100 mg, I started humming to myself, the same few bars of a song my daughter was practicing on her horn. It’s been over a year and I’m still humming the same song. I have not mentioned it to my psychiatrist because for the first time in my whole adult life I feel happy and almost normal on this med at this dosage, and I fear he may want to change it if I tell him. I’m also a little concerned because probably 10 years before my father was diagnosed with dementia, he began humming. At the time I didn’t think it was related to his dementia; now I’m not certain. He was never depressed and never took any psychotropic drugs. It’s bothering me more and more, so I feel compelled to ask my doctor. I’ll post an update on this after my next appointment with him.
I also have the same, i have the tendency of humming songs and tunes in my head and sometimes people realize without me noticing am doing it. Like today during lunch with colleagues at work, one of the asked me "do you always humm while eating?" before i could respond another responded that i am always humming. The thing is i dint dint realize it untill i was asked. this is not the first time someone has commented about it, i am now wondering if it is a neuralogical disorder. please someone with insite and some sort of explanation advice
I was both surprised and concerned to find that I'm not alone in the humming problem. I too started humming about 6 months ago. At first, the tune was not familiar to me. I found myself repeating it over and over again all day and sometimes adding new notes. I have tried not to do it and sometimes can stop. I'm very embarrassed by it. If I'm listening to the t.v. or radio I will sometimes pick up a jingle or song without realizing it and then it gets stuck for hours. My husband asked me if I was aware of doing it one night while cleaning the kitchen. I find myself humming more if I am focusing on a task. Doing the laundry, vacumning, etc. When I was young, my friends and I used to make fun of this elderly lady who hummed the same tune over and over. It's not so funny now. My husband has gone from amused to just short of rude. He now shouts at me to "stop humming" whenever he catches me. I'm hoping it helps. Just curious, do any of you have any other neurological issues?
I have always, for probably all of my life, hummed quietly to myself. It's usually 3 or 4 notes just repeated constantly. It could be a song I just heard, or it could just be any random notes. I never thought much about it until I started sitting at work in rather close quarters and started wondering if I was bothering my co-workers with it. I wonder if it's more of a self-soothing technique - - - - it seems to increase with anxiety, but it is always there at some level.
Hello, I wonder if you figured out why you have started humming yet? Your account is exactly what I am going through. About 10 months ago my humming started. I noticed it only because I could not recognize the repetitive tune. It is the same tune over and over all day long. It is driving me crazy! Literally, I feel.
I recently had to take a couple of plane trips and boy oh boy was that hard on me. I had to keep reminding myself each time I heard the first note that I must remain quiet and not overwhelm the folks sitting so close to me. Everyone who knows me has made reference to it. No one cares for it because it is just a tune that does not develop.
What I can tell you is that I got off of depression medication about the same time this started. I wanted to get off the medication to see if I could make it, live a happy life without them, and move on with my life. The issue is that I never found happy, and I am not happy and I do feel very alone. Not lonely; however, just alone.
I don't know if the humming is trying to provide some type of comfort. And if it is - it is failing miserably. I am sharing this because I don't see that anyone in this forum has shared that they are also currently experiencing aloneness or depression, which may be the problem. More importantly, I have also noticed I am finding it extremely difficult to hold conversations. What about you? Its like my brain has stopped processing thoughts. Seriously! I am always praying I am not invited into a conversation because I feel I have noting to add or say that would be of any value only because I cannot think and pull my past experiences up. I need help, but this would require a medical person to actually care enough to help locate the issues that may be going on within me, and of course this may be very time consuming. Decided to write my experience here just in case someone is doing a project or case study. I'd love to be included.
I worry that something bigger is happening within the brain that actually could be helped now. Hope someone reading this can send me/us in the right direction for help, assistance or support. All I do know is humming is not all about being happy and joyous! There is another type of humming that can be the total opposite and I believe that is what we are describing. Thank you and take care of you
I asked my psychiatrist if he'd ever heard of this and he said no. He did drop me down from 100 mg of Pristiq to 50 mg, but it didn't help the humming and it made my depression worse. He suggested maybe seeing a neuropsychiatrist, which I may do after I've met my deductible this year.
Thanks for sharing your experiences and fears. Something we may have in common is the alone time, but no it doesn't mean loneliness. I do not believe that we are meant to be islands unto ourselves, but sometimes it's how we end up due to our circumstances. Almost all of my work & personal time is spent alone and that may be why the humming started. I think it may help me focus on the task at hand, by muffling out the sounds around me, and it just took over. Oddly enough after I wrote about it on here, it stopped for a long time. Now I am singing words more than just humming, but thats not much better. I would say it has a lot in common with talking to yourself because I do that all the time. I think that stems from talking to my dogs, but no matter the reasons behind it all, I am who I am and I am just glad that I am aware of it at least. Depression runs in my family, and I have had bouts of it throughout my life, I don't want to take meds for it. Prayer is what gets me through. I am 56 and life has taught me that when I struggle within I should focus on others and it goes away.
Humming may be more about self preservation than just an annoyance , so try embracing it and see if it helps.