what causes my ears to make a whoosing sound every time i sit up or stand up?

Question

it's kind of like the sound of an ultrasound.

Answer 1

you may have "swimmers ear" or just water in your ear. try falling on your bed on the side that you hear the "swooshing".

Answer 2

Are you sure someone didn't put a "whooshy" cushion under your ears? ;)

Seriously, though, there's nothing unusual about hearing noises, as you described it. If you were in a sound-proof room, without even any electrical devices making a typical 60-cycle hum (ever "listen" to a flourescent lightbulb?), you would hear noise! When you put a shell (or any other enclosing object) next to your ear, the "ocean" sound you hear is actually from your ears! (try it with a pair of fully-enclosed headphones; leave the music off, though!). ;)

What you're hearing is the blood rushing through your inner ear (there are those who say this isn't the case, and presume it's the eardrum and cilia (hairs) reverberating, but if you put fully-enclosed headphones over your ears in a soundproof room, where there shouldn't be any sounds or vibrations to trigger your eardrum or cilia, then you'd expect there to be no sound at all, but, I assure you there will be! (granted, some people may not even notice it, but that's more psychological and physiological). Therefore, it *must* be the blood making that pulsing sound).

Regardless, when you do any kind of exercise involving head movement (push-ups, pull-ups, rolling, etc), the fluids in and near your ears are being affected, similar to water being drawn through a hand pump. Presumably, during the exercise, you are listening to music or the TV or an instructor, and you are breathing harder and louder than normal, so you wouldn't notice it.

Most people aren't even aware of the sound, as they have "learned" to block it out (people suffering from "tinnitus" aren't as fortunate; refer to the second link, below). Some people even consider the sound soothing, and helps them fall asleep (I have often wondered if that sound is responsible for dreams involving trains, oceans, and anything else that makes a rhythmic noise!).

However, if you can hear (or even feel) the whooshing EVERY time you stand or sit up, and, especially, if it's accompanied by dizziness or spots in front of your eyes, then I would see a doctor immediately.

P.S. For those who have never heard an ultrasound (the sonic device typically used to show babies in the womb), it makes a soft, pulsing, repetitive, "shew" sound.