A member asked:

How come i can hear my heartbeat in my ear when i put my head on my pillow? anxiety?

A doctor has provided 1 answer

No, physiology: Our hearing works by 2 mechanisms: air conduction (transmitted from external sounds) and bone conduction (transmitted from internal sounds). Normal anatomy: your carotid artery traverses the bone that makes up your inner ear. When you occlude your external auditory canal by lying down, you "turn off" air conduction allowing you to hear the always present but much softer bone conduction.

Answered 3/19/2014

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