If you have a partner with untreated hearing loss, you appreciate that getting their attention can be… a problem. Their name is the first thing you try saying. You say “Greg”, but you get no response because you used an indoor volume level. You try increasing your volume and saying Greg’s name again but he still doesn’t respond. So you resort to shouting.
And that’s when Greg whirls around with absolutely no awareness of his comedic timing and says grouchily, “what are you shouting for?”
It’s not just stubbornness and impatience that create this interaction. Hypersensitivity to loud sound is frequently documented in those who have hearing loss. And this sensitivity to loud noises can help illustrate why Greg doesn’t hear his name at a normal volume but gets cranky when you shout at him.
Can loud sounds seem louder with hearing loss?
Hearing loss can be a peculiar thing. Normally, hearing loss will cause your hearing to decline, especially if it goes untreated. But every now and then, you’ll watch a Michael Bay movie, or be having a conversation, or be eating in a restaurant, and things will get really noisy. Uncomfortably loud. Maybe it’s somebody shouting to get your attention or one of the explosions in the latest Transformers movie, it just becomes really loud really fast.
And you’ll wonder why you have this sensitivity to loud noise.
Which can, truthfully, put you in an irritable mood. Many people will feel like they’re going mad when they experience this. They have a hard time determining how loud things are. Imagine, all of your family, friends, and acquaintances seem to confirm you’re losing your ability to hear, but you have this sudden sensitivity to loud sound. How can that be?
Auditory recruitment
The cause of this noise sensitivity is a condition known as auditory recruitment. It works like this:
- The inside of your ears are covered with tiny hairs known as stereocilia. When soundwaves enter your ears, these hairs resonate and your brain converts that signal into sounds.
- Age-related “sensorineural” hearing loss happens as these hairs are damaged. Loud sounds can degrade the hairs over time, and once they are damaged, they are unable to heal. Your hearing becomes duller as a result. The more compromised hairs you have, the less you’re able to hear.
- But this isn’t an evenly occurring process. There will be a combination of healthy and damaged hairs.
- So when you hear a loud noise, the damaged hairs “recruit” the healthy hairs (thus the name of the condition) to send an alarmed message to your brain. All of a sudden, all of the stereocilia fire, and everything gets really loud.
Think about it this way: That Michael Bay explosion is loud while everything else is quiet. So the Michael Bay explosion is going to seem louder (and more obnoxious) than it otherwise would!
Isn’t that the same as hyperacusis?
You may think that these symptoms sound a bit familiar. That’s most likely because they’re typically confused with a condition known as hyperacusis. When you first compare them, this confusion is understandable. Both conditions can cause sounds to get very loud suddenly.
But there are a few key differences:
- Hyperacusis isn’t directly caused by hearing loss. Auditory recruitment certainly is.
- Noises that are normal objectively will seem very loud for somebody who has hyperacusis. Think about it this way: A shout will still sound like a shout with auditory recruitment; but when you have hyperacusis, a whisper might sound like a shout.
- Hyperacusis is painful. Literally. Most people who cope with hyperacusis report feelings of pain. With auditory recruitment, that’s typically not the situation.
Overall, auditory recruitment and hyperacusis have a few superficially similar symptoms. But they are quite different conditions.
Is there any treatment for audio recruitment?
Here’s the bad news, there’s no cure for hearing loss. Once your hearing is gone, it’s gone. Treating hearing loss early will go a long way to prevent this.
The same is true of auditory recruitment. But here’s the good news, auditory recruitment can be treated successfully. Usually, hearing aids are part of that treatment. And those hearing aids have to be specially calibrated. That’s why addressing auditory recruitment will nearly always require scheduling an appointment with us.
We’ll be able to determine the particular wavelengths of sound that are causing your auditory recruitment symptoms. Your hearing aids can then be calibrated to reduce that wavelength of sound. It’s a very effective treatment.
Effective treatment can only be accomplished with certain types of hearing aids. Over-the-counter hearing aids or sound amplifiers, for example, don’t have the required technological sophistication and built-in sensitivity, so they won’t be able to deal with your symptoms.
Call us for an appointment
If you are suffering from sensitivity to loud noises, it’s important to realize that you can get relief. The bonus is that your new hearing aid will make everything sound better.
But it all begins by scheduling an appointment. Lots of people who have hearing loss cope with hypersensitivity to loud noise.
You can get help so call us.
