Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with hearing

Quick fix for auditory overload?

PatoPata — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 07:34:06 -0800

My ability to hear volume seems fine--I hear distant birds, quietly chirping insects, etc. However, I have trouble understanding people when there are other people talking, and it's affecting my business. Is there a quick fix? I've seen this great thread on hearing aids, and this one that mentions auditory processing disorder.

I'll see an ENT or audiologist when I'm back in the US, although I kind of suspect that this is more of a sensory processing problem than a physical one. Either way, I'd really appreciate any tips for how to cope now, while I'm on the road. I'm on an extended business trip.

Possibly relevant:

- I have no problem hearing quiet sounds, including insects that others can't hear.
- I'm easily bothered or distracted by all types of sensory input, such as bright lights, movement, and sensations like a clothing tag poking me.
- I can distinguish and follow one instrument out of several in an ensemble. I just can't do that with words.
- This has been an issue all my life but seems to have gotten worse in the last few years (I'm 48).
- I don't have lots of ear wax or any other obvious physical issues.

I easily learn languages and melodies by ear and love to listen to recorded books. The problem is 100% limited to understanding what one person is saying when there are other people also talking or when there's background noise.

I take pressure off myself by telling people that I have trouble hearing. I also position myself so I can see the other person's lips, which helps. But many business functions are really frustrating--talking with people in exhibit halls, business dinners with more than 3 other people, trying to hear a speaker when the door to the room is open and I can hear movement in the hallway... Usually it's clear that I have more trouble hearing than do others in the group, because I'm the only one who keeps asking people to repeat themselves.

Have you dealt with this? Is there anything I can do or take (on the road, no prescriptions available) to improve my ability to filter out extraneous noises? Relaxation techniques? Magnesium? Anything? I've got several more weeks of this ahead of me.

Thanks!

help me find comfortable earplugs for clubbing

needs more cowbell — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 02:37:51 -0800

I want to start going clubbing, but I also want to keep my hearing intact. Earplug selection help needed! I can't find any earplugs that are comfortable.

I bought some musicians earplugs (these sonic valve ones or something like them), but they seem to form a suction seal in my ear canal, and the suction is painful. Should this be happening? Does it happen with other flanged styles (like these) too?

I've used a few models of the more standard foam earplugs before and find them uncomfortable as well - I don't like the sensation of the foam against my ear canal, and they also make sound that filters through sound funny in that way that musicians' earplugs don't.

So - ideas for something that will be more comfortable? Ideally they'd be reusable and not over, say, $25 (but less is better). Earplugs that will still allow me to hear (almost) as much of people talking as I'd be able to hear in a noisy club to begin with would be especially good.

Is sauna therapy particularly useful?

mdpatrick — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 16:24:08 -0800

Are the benefits of sauna therapy real? Some family members of mine talk about saunas being useful for "getting out heavy metals." Supposedly, the body sweats them out. I've not found any valid research to this, however. I've seen some studies suggesting potential other effects, however.

Deafness in dogs

specialagentwebb — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 09:24:46 -0800

How can I tell if my dog is partially deaf? I got my first dog this past Saturday, and so far, everything is going great (well, except for his food obsession, but we're working on that). I'm a bit concerned, though, because it's hard to get a response from him when we make noise.

I first noticed it when working on his food obsession. Basically, whenever his nose would get too close to the dinner table, I'd shout a loud "AH-AH" (a la Victoria Stilwell). When that got no response (not so much as an ear wiggle), I escalated to two sharp claps. I can clap really loudly, but again, no response. Then we tried a can of pennies, but again, there was no indication that he even heard it. I've never met a dog who didn't at least look your way when you shook a can of pennies. I would have written it all off as "he's too focused on the food to even care", but it's not only when food is around. If we call his name (or call anything, for that matter), we don't even get a flick of the ear to indicate that he's heard us.

On the flip side, it could very well be that he's not used to listening to humans, and that he's very new and doesn't understand that the things we're saying are directed at him? I find myself worrying more and more about this, and looking at each scenario to see if he could have reacted because of non-auditory cues. Did he hear the door open, or did he smell the whiff of outside air? Did he leave the food alone because I barked "MINE!", or because of my body posture? So far, I can't think of a single time that he's definitively "heard" something, but then again, I'm probably in overprotective new-mother mode. We're going to the vet this Saturday for a wellness check, and I intend to bring it up then.

So after all that long lead-up, here are my questions:
Are there definitive tests for hearing in dogs?
Is there anything I can test out at home, for my peace of mind?
What kind of things should I ask my vet about?
Is is possible that there are just certain frequencies that he's not hearing?
Have you ever encountered a hearing dog that has no Pryor's reflex?

Additional information:
3.5-year-old male retired racing greyhound. Neutered. Tested negative for worms and TBDs, fully vaccinated. Had been living in the track kennel until this week.

Possibly relevant:
He has barked, growled, and whined. He's very uncomfortable walking at night. He has shown absolutely no aggression toward anyone in the house, although we don't approach him while he's asleep. And just to head off arguments, I have no intention of returning him if he is deaf or partially deaf. I made a commitment to this dog, and I am more than willing to put in all the effort and patience he needs.

Thanks in advance for all answers/suggestions/advice.

Papa Apu, is that you?

Saxon Kane — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 19:35:27 -0800

Why can't I, and how can I, hear my dad's accent? My dad moved to the US from India when he was 19. My mom is an all-American white woman. People tell me that my dad has a fairly thick Indian accent, but I don't hear it at all. It's not that I hear it but don't have trouble understanding it; I don't hear it at all, and he sounds just like any other person to me. I can hear the accent of other Indian people, including all my Indian relatives, but I don't have any trouble understanding them. I can also do a pretty decent Indian accent :)

I assume that I can't hear my dad's accent because I grew up with it. But the weird thing is, even if, for example, he calls and I don't know its him on the phone, I still don't hear it. Would it be possible for me to hear his accent if I was somehow surprised by him? Or if I heard his voice somehow distorted so I didn't recognize it as him immediately? Is there any way to get around my brain's auto-correction that turns his voice into something I recognize as "American"?

Hey how's it going OH SHI.. I CAN'T HEAR ANYTHING!

Anonymous — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 18:21:13 -0800

Wacky ear question: Sometimes when I speak out loud one or both of my ears will pOp and I can't hear anything but my own voice. What the heck is going on and how can I get it to stop? To better describe the sound (or lack thereof): it's like when you wear earplugs; outside sound is greatly reduced and muffled, and all you can really hear is the vibrations of your own voice and breathing.

It happens often enough that I get jarred when it happens because suddenly all the sounds are off balance and my voice sounds so close and LOUD. Sometimes it "sticks" and I have trouble responding to people because I just can't hear a darn thing they're saying.

Strangely, this happens to my nose sometimes too. I'll be speaking then suddenly one nostril will seemingly close up and my voice becomes very nasal and odd sounding.

What the heck is happening here? Is this some earwax/booger issue? How can I fix it? It's driving me crazy!

Reasonably-priced insurance for hearing aids

psc1860 — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 19:35:19 -0800

I'm seeking insurance for my hearing aids that won't bankrupt me. I need insurance to cover my hearing aids if they fail, get broken or lost which won't bankrupt me.

The insurance provided by the manufacturer is super expensive and my regular insurance company which I use for personal property, liability, my home and autos won't touch it.

Huh?Filter: Advice needed on getting a hearing aid

mad_little_monkey — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 10:22:59 -0800

Huh?Filter: Advice needed on getting a hearing aid My beloved husband has suspected hearing loss for years. It's time we get him a hearing aid, he has trouble hearing basic conversation. Can anyone advise on the first step and maybe the best device that is out there now? What kind of doctor should he see?

What is it about electricity which makes my ear buzz?

BrokenEnglish — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 05:32:47 -0800

BurgeoningSuperPowerFilter: I can hear some electric fields. What causes this? I first noticed this about 20 years ago, watching someone play with an electric train set. Everytime he turned it on, my right ear would buzz. There was a slight sensation with it, like some tiny insect was bumbling around in my ear. Now I notice the same thing for all sorts of appliances, including washing machines, my neighbour's car (alternator?) -- anything with a sizeable electric motor which might generate a magnetic field.

Is there a name for this? Is it related to (or likely to become) tinnitus? I'm not at all worried about it, not sure my doctor would be either, but I'd like some more info if possible.

Music - Rockin Rockin Music

orville sash — Thu, 21 May 2009 07:01:11 -0800

Why don't I pay attention to lyrics? I am a huge music fan, as well as being a musician. As long as I can remember I have had a serious infatuation with music, and I generally like to have it on during all waking hours. Which is why I am wondering - why don't I pay attention to lyrics? Unlike most music fans, I generally couldn't tell you the lyrics to a lot of my favorite songs. I even listen to a ton of hip-hop, but generally don't remember the lyrics (Enter the 36 Chambers excepted, as I've probably listened to that album more than any other album ever.)

My questions:

1.) Is this a known phenomenon?
2.) Does it have to do with conditioning, or is this how my brain was wired?

What'd this Brit just say?

hobbes — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 03:13:24 -0800

Having trouble making out a word in this narration: "An odious (?) collection of moves?" MP3 link (@ 0:10) And for those interested, the voice is John Redhead's from the recent climbing movie On-Sight.

Thanks MeFi.

pleas don't whistle while I work

harkin banks — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 10:41:51 -0800

How can I stop a compressed gas regulator from whistling? At work we use these every day to evaporate small quantities of solvents from test tubes full of sample. The evaporators are in the hood; we pipe dry nitrogen to them from a regular lab-sized size T cylinder, chained right next to the hood. The problem is that no matter how I adjust the regulator on the gas cylinder, it emits a high-pitched whine that IMO is more than just annoying -- it may pose a hazard to anyone with chronic exposure to the sound.

The evaporator requires low-pressure gas (not to exceed 2 psi), and when it's operating the flowrate is probably liters per minute. (Unfortunately I don't have a flowmeter that goes that high.) I think the problem is that most laboratory regulators are not designed to supply such high flowrates. I've tried three regulators like this one that I had lying around, all with different second-stage delivery pressures, but all of them make the same noise.

So, my questions: Is there something I can do to reduce the noise emitted by my current regulator? Or, if not, what are the magic words that I should look for in a replacement regulator?

Insurance companies are evil. Who knew?

LittleMissCranky — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 15:56:51 -0800

Has anyone successfully had a cochlear implant covered when the insurance company says that it's excluded? My son needs a cochlear implant. Our insurance (United Healthcare), provided by my husband's employer, says that they won't cover it. There seems to be some evidence that the exclusion is illegal under Title V, but I'm having a hard time finding much support. Any thoughts?

Please don't debate cochlear implantation here. Thank you.

Diplacusis Binauralis

tehloki — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 23:54:17 -0800

I've suddenly begun to experience a rather disturbing auditory phenomenon. Sounds as heard by my right ear are pitched lower than the same sound as heard by my left ear. This gives people's voices and music (especially music) a very frightening and eerie chorus effect that's becoming more and more disconcerting. I've done some googling and the term "Diplacusis Binauralis" seems to be the name of the condition, but I don't know what has caused it or what it means in terms of my health. Has anyone had any experience with this condition? What causes it? Does it go away? I've been hearing strangely for about 6 hours now, and I don't look forward to this being permanent.

"Hey, what time is it?" "What?" I SAID, WHAT TIME IS IT?" "HUUUUH???"

sixcolors — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 21:28:41 -0800

What's the psychology behind EXTREMELY loud music in nightclubs, concerts, and even some stores? I think everyone likes music loud enough to hear it, but what's the reasoning behind places turning up music so loud that you feel vibrations in your chest?

It's something I've noticed forever (obviously), but I am really starting to wonder why is it necessary. When you're at nightclubs, it's really frustrating when you try to talk to your friends, or meet new people, but you can't hear ANYTHING because the music is so loud. It makes even less sense for stores to play extremely loud music, because customers and clerks need to interact with each other in order to make purchases.

It makes me wonder if it is something similar to the reason why nightclubs like to dim their lights...it's to cover up all the dirt and trash. But, what would loud music cover up? Is it a tactic to distract people from something?

Anyone who works at these sort of places or have a background in marketing, would you care to share the reasons why it is desirable to turn the volume way up?

Tinnitus After Antibiotics

amyms — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 20:09:49 -0800

I'm recovering from a bout of pneumonia for which I was prescribed a 5-day course of Azithromycin. I'm feeling much better, but I'm bothered by tinnitus. Googling has revealed that my antibiotic may have cause this. If so, will it go away eventually and/or is there anything specific I can do to help it go away? I really don't want to - and can't afford to - pay for another doctor visit if this is something that will go away on its own. What I'm hearing/feeling can best be described like the sensation that occurs when holding a seashell to one's ear (e.g. I can hear my own pulse making a "swooshing" sound) and I feel like I'm hearing other sounds as if from underwater. If I'm having a conversation, I feel like the other person is miles away. I feel really disconnected from my auditory environment.

Any words of wisdom or advice (or reassurance) from others who have experienced this would be greatly appreciated.

How can I fix my hearing?

rybreadmed — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 18:03:37 -0800

What can I do to fix my hearing? (Don't forget to use caps so I can hear you.) I went to an Ear, Nose, and Throat doctor this past week for a hearing test. I've felt that my hearing has slowly been degrading over time. I say, "What?" a lot, and usually have the TV too loud (compared to where other people seem to hear it fine).

Based on the results of the hearing test (listen to the beeps and click the button if I can hear it), the doctor said that I indeed possessed "mild to moderate hearing loss," but that he thought it was not bad enough to warrant a hearing aid. I asked him if there was any way to fix it besides a hearing aid, and he said there wasn't: the cilia in my inner ear is all messed up (he used more appropriate medical terms--but you get the idea). He said that all I could do is just get my hearing tested each year and stay away from loud noises.

I'm only 28, I don't work in a job with a lot of loud noises or power tools, I don't listen to really loud rock music, and I don't spend a whole lot of time around loudness in general. I play my music and TV a bit louder, but it's not deafening. My father said he's experienced the same thing through his life (messed up cilia in the inner ear--again, substitute the medical terminology in here). He's almost 60, and he said that in the last year or two, he has started hearing a constant low white noise (like TV static) or grasshoppers.

Fantastic. So this is what I have to look forward to. Grasshoppers, white noise, and playing the TV too loud. My father can still hear and doesn't have a hearing aid; in fact, he has great ability with tonal differentiation (he plays piano).

So the doctor says there's nothing that can be done. He said it definitely wasn't a wax build-up, either. I humbly ask you if you can think of any potential fixes for this? Is there some kind of audio therapy? Or new-fangled technology to overcome hearing problems?

Save me from the grasshoppers.

Where do I go for this annoying hearing problem?

gracious floor — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 08:54:21 -0800

Not-My-Doctors on MeFi: Where do I go with this hearing issue? I've experienced slight hearing loss for about the past five years. It has bothered me in the past, but only recently have I noticed how much my hearing has been affected. Having just aquired a decent health insurance plan, I'd like to use my benefits to get this checked out. But where do I go? I've never had a "family doctor" and have only occasionally seen doctors at in-and-out clinics.
If it helps- within the past two months I've had several shooting pains around the aforementioned ear. These have only been recent- in the entire time that the hearing has been an issue, there hasn't been pain. Also: my mother has the same hearing problem (i.e., loss of hearing for seemingly no reason) and a doctor told her there was nothing to be done. I am a female, 23 years old.

So: do I go to a regular doctor to get a referral to a specialist, or can I bypass that and get help quicker?

Any advice appreciated, I don't do this often. Thank you!

Let he who be without sine...

phrontist — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 19:00:54 -0800

Why are sine waves considered "pure" tones? Why do we consider sinusoids the building blocks of periodic functions? When analyzing physical, electronic, and acoustic/musical phenomena, it's often handy to view things in the frequency domain. I understand the basic idea of Fourier Analysis, namely breaking apart periodic functions in to the sums of sinusoids of given frequency and phase.

What I don't get is why or how sinusoids are "special". I know in the real world a great number of objects are essentially complicated dampened spring oscillators, so sinusoids are common in nature. Is that the end of it, or is there some deeper reason this function is good at representing periodic phenomena?

Isn't it possible to do a fourier analysis that breaks an arbitrary periodic function in to the sum of any other periodic function? Why not square waves, or a sawtooth?

While sine waves sound "pure" to me, it seems highly subjective. Is there something more than convention at work here? Some property of the ear?

The wikipedia page for sine waves reads...

The human ear can recognize single sine waves because sounds with such a waveform sound "clean" or "clear" to humans; some sounds that approximate a pure sine wave are whistling, a crystal glass set to vibrate by running a wet finger around its rim, and the sound made by a tuning fork.

This seems arbitrary though.

We say that the timbre of a violin is complex because it has many different harmonics. But the very idea of harmonic content assumes some basis function, right? Could we just as easily say a sine wave is complex by choosing square waves as our basis of spectral analysis?

So is this just a convention, and if so, where do we get it?

Replacing the C-guard for Siemens Pure 500 hearing aids

shirobara — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 20:09:30 -0800

My husband's hearing aid's C-guard slipped out, and any new one we try to insert gradually worms its way out and pops out too. Any advice on getting it to stay in until we can make an appointment? My husband recently got a new set of hearing aids (Siemens Pure 500), and this evening, the plastic C-Guard popped out. We tried to put in a new one, but nothing we tried would stay in. He has a custom earmold, not a dome. He'll make an appointment at the audiologist tomorrow, but he has a big meeting coming up tomorrow morning and needs his other hearing aid. Is there something we're doing wrong or some way to keep it in for a few hours? The instruction manual just says to insert the new one, but that's not working all that well.

Never talk to the angry without earplugs

StrikeTheViol — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 18:58:05 -0800

EarPressureFilter: I had an argument with someone a couple hours ago, and they yelled in my left ear for a few seconds. My ear isn't ringing. but it feels pressurized, like I'm underwater, on and off. I've taken a full dose of magnesium-based antacid...anything else I can do? Will a doctor be able to help, or do I just need to move somewhere with a vow of silence for a month?

Please teach me about hearing aids

Acari — Wed, 14 May 2008 22:30:52 -0800

I need advice on purchasing hearing aids in Canada. My Canadian mother has come to the realization [more than a little while after being told by her doctor...] that she needs a hearing aid. She's currently unemployed, and really unsure about hearing aid technology in general, so I'd like to try and offer her some advice.
Only I don't have any. Do you?

Is there any kind of funding available to help her out? What are key features / things to avoid in hearing aids these days?

Other general tips?

I want to be able to present this to her as a relatively non-daunting thing that can happen, but at first glance it seems pretty daunting, and like it might not happen soon.

Figaro! Figaro! Huh? Who?

geekyguy — Sun, 04 May 2008 10:23:21 -0800

I am a big fan of theater of all types and it one day occurred to me while I was watching an opera that at least some of my enjoyment comes from the fact that opera is very organic; opera singers sing without wearing microphones, they just project. I recently saw the Sacramento Opera performance of Tosca and during a scene in the first act between Mario and Floria they are very close while singing with such great projection. My question is, how do they do this with out hurting or even damaging the hearing of the person near them?

Lack of brains does not explain this echo in my head.

notquitemaryann — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 15:29:44 -0800

My left ear seems to be declaring war. A little bit of grossness inside. Have you experienced this? Not seeking medical advice; I'm planning to see my doctor either tomorrow morning or the next day (the weirdness just happened today, they're closed, and don't schedule appts after hours). I'm just wondering if this is familiar to anyone out there.

Here's the background: I've been sick for nine days now with a combination of tonsillitis (with huge tonsil swelling, followed by reduced swelling with little white patches), fever, sinus congestion, coughing, and finally severe pain in both ears as I suspect things work their way out of my system. No appetite, and some nausea that's probably just from living mostly on DayQuil and cough drops and chamomile tea. Bleh. But anyway...

Both ears got that clogged, kind of numb feeling, followed by a day or so of intense pain for each, and showed then crystallizing fluidy discharge (no blood or anything). The right ear, which has constant rushing tinnitus anyway, has reclogged and hears normal, albeit muffled sounds, but the left ear, although clear now, hears what sounds like a higher register of sound, accompanied with a very slight delay. For example, when my cat meows, I hear a faint adult feline meow with my right ear, and a kitten with my left ear. When I whistle or sing a note, I hear a faint but jarring chord. Is this normal ruptured eardrum (I suspect I've had that happen before, but I've never had this particular effect) behavior, or do you recognize from personal experience something else going on here? And if you've experienced it, how long did it take for it to go away?

LA LA LA la laou laue lai LA LA LA

Corduroy — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 18:11:28 -0800

Whenever I yawn while listening to music, the music becomes not only distant, but out of tune. Why is that? My mother says it happens to her as well.