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unconconscious humming, throat noises
Hi,
I have been checking old posts but have not found anything much about unconscious humming, voice noises, low groans. I searched a number of places regarding this issue but very little that relates to me comes up so I am reaching out to our little forum community . Do any of you ever find yourself humming and are surprised by it? Do your spouses or friends tell you that your humming is annoying? If so when did it start? I hum constantly and I believe I did it prior to taking any medications so I doubt it’s that. As always, thank you for your support.
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12 Replies
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I hum constantly! It drives my DH nuts. I thought it was unrelated to PD, but if someone knows that it is I’d be fascinated..
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I also hum constantly, (the phone ringtone is a favorite) but I did it before I had (or before I was diagnosed with) PD. My dad and sister do it too.
Here’s something interesting–a neurologist once told me that kind of nonstop humming (and throat clearing) was a mild form of Tourette’s. I don’t know if he was right, but my dad had one other mild sign of Tourette’s, which was echolalia– where you have a tendency to repeat the last few words of other people’s sentences?
But, if it is/was Tourette’s, it is/was VERY a very, very mild case of it. Though now I wonder, is that at all associated with a risk of PD?
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My husband tells me I make noises all the time and groan and hum. I don’t hear it at all. Glad to know someone else has this problem.
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Oh, the minute someone points it out I realize I’m doing it. It’s always a song, but sometimes it’s as dumb as the ring tone on my phone.
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<p style=”text-align: left;”>I do it too. It annoys my grandson but i didn’t know it until he pointed it out.</p>
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Hi Amy, Barbara and Sharon,
Thanks so much for replying. Being cooped up with COVID apparently makes my humming particularly annoying to people. No escape! Maybe I should check out the caregivers forum to see if anyone has written about it there.
I was talking to my PD counselor about it and she mentioned that my voice is strong for someone with PD. Everything else about me and PD is not good and progressing more quickly than what we thought…. but my voice is pretty strong, unless I am Off. I also still have my smell which is excellent and unusual I think. It left her wondering about it and she is interested in doing some research because she said that humming is one of the exercises she gives for soft spoken patients. Maybe unconscious to me I am treating my own voice. So, my question to you is…. do you have a rather strong voice?
Thanks!
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Hi Toni, I was dx with idiopathic PD in 2005 (17 years ago) but started humming a certain tune a lot of the day. Especially just before my meds are sue or when I go to have a shower, It is usually the same tune which doesnt mean anything to me. Maybe it was an old alarm tune but I don’t seem to be able to stop doing it.Barbara Davies
Yes Toni my voice has got lower but more raspy. I also have terrubke Burning Mouth/tongue syndrome that is so paintalkful and I can’t breathe, talk, swallow, speak or eat. most days it happens for 5 to 10 hours a day, So debilitating. Barbara Davies
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Yes. I do not believe PD has affected my voice at all–in fact, I get told to pipe down all the time.
On the other hand, my PD seems to be progressing slowly in general. Five years in, still mild and one-sided, no dopamine replacement (yet). So I can’t say it’s the humming…unless we think humming is neuroprotective? THAT would be a kick!
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Hello everyone!
I’m finding this idea to be rather interesting. My Dad hums quite often. But I come from a musical family and I always assumed it was intentional. Do you hum particular tunes? Or does it seem to happen at a specific time?
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Ha! I hum whatever I heard last–the phone ringtone, a stupid song from a stupid ad on TV, or the little tune the washing machine plays to let me know the clothes are ready. Whatever song floats into my head, I guess.
I tend to do it when I am happy/busy… bustling around the kitchen cooking dinner for example.
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I’m always humming unconsciously. Off key, quietly, almost no discernible song. My husband usually informs me.
I believe my humming is a sign of contentment, slowly doing an enjoyable task.
When I was first diagnosed with PD, I don’t remember myself humming. It’s been more often recently since I’ve accepted my condition and plan to live each day in a happy mood. -
It has been over a year since my July 2020 post and I am still humming. Like Amy I hum ring tones and just about anything I hear but whatever I am humming it is constant. Like others on this post it seems like I do it when I am content in the kitchen focusing on cooking or baking. However it seems to be comforting and makes my throat feel better I interrupt it when I make a mess or can’t make myself do what I want to do, with loud, frustration profanities.
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OMG! It was brought to my attention by my physical therapist that I often hum. I was completely unaware. When I read this in the forum I was amazed that this could be related to my Parkinson’s! I will pay attention to what I am feeling when I begin to hum. Thank you…
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Thank you all for these postings about humming. A number of people have commented that I softly hum quite frequently. Like many others I was unaware but since then I have paid attention when I do. I was diagnosed with PD two years ago.There is no known history of PD in my family yet I remember that my father began humming in an atonal way when he was in his 80’s. He had difficulty remembering some things and became very depressed and suicidal. Perhaps he had other symptoms that he was able to hide as he was the sole caretaker for my mother after she had a major stroke. Now I remembered that he had chronic constipation too. He died suddenly of a bowel related problem.
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