Ask Amy: Humming habit is not beautiful music

It’s usually the same few notes over and over again. I try to silence myself, and I still hear the notes in my brain.

It seems to be most prevalent when I’m doing some mundane task like brushing my teeth or housework, but it’s getting so I can’t even walk the dog or work at my computer without incessant humming.

It stops if I’m listening to music, watching TV, driving, reading, or when I’m around other people.

I recently went through a divorce, where my husband of 25 years left me for a much younger woman, and I’m living alone for the first time in a long time.

The breakup was a traumatic process and the humming definitely started to be more persistent over the last couple of years. Other than that, I’m a healthy, well-adjusted 62-year-old woman.

I have a good job, close friends and family, a new man in my life, and lots of fulfilling work and hobbies. The humming is exhausting.

Do you have any help or advice for me? Thank you.

Dear Constant Hummer: Researching your question, I came across an extensive forum on a British health information site: Patient.info — where dozens of people reported experiencing this condition, which might be triggered by stress (the recent events of your life certainly qualify as very stressful).