10 ms·

Are you sure you have decent hearing? I thought I could hear what people were saying in noisy environments, but couldn't understand anything. This was one of t

by randlet 10y ago

Are you sure you have decent hearing? I thought I could hear what people were saying in noisy environments, but couldn't understand anything. This was one of the major symptoms for me before I was diagnosed with moderate/severe hearing loss. It's very isolating. No problems now with a decent set of hearing aids. Have yourself tested! The quality of life improvement from a set of hearing aids is incredible! edit: I was 31 when I was diagnosed, so don't think because you're young that you're immune. Generally hearing loss is very gradual so you don't really notice it. If you frequently have to ask people to repeat themselves though...

freyr 10y ago
I became unable to understand conversations in noisy bars and restaurants. I had my hearing tested, and it was normal. I can hear one person talking quietly from across the house, but can't understand a person right next to me in a bar. It's very frustrating.
- randlet 10y ago
  Agreed. Social situations can be frustrating/depressing if you can't converse like everyone else.
- maxxxxx 10y ago
  Same for me. I have had my hearing tested several times and always had pretty good scores. But I still don't understand people in loud environments. It would be interesting to try a hearing aid.
- canes123456 10y ago
  Some people with Autism Spectrum Disorder have this issue. I believe I had it when I was younger but it less noticeable right now.
- kmonsen 10y ago
  I have this as well, and respond with talking louder since I think it is the same for everyone. Turns out it is not.
- jnbiche 10y ago
  I have the same problem and also was tested with "normal for age" hearing. But I know that most people can hear conversations in busy restaurants, loud cars, etc. What could this thing be? ENT was very unhelpful.
- enobrev 10y ago
  Like the others who have replied here, I've found that I have the same issue. I started noticing at maybe around 35 (I'm 38 now), and I know it was something new, as I spend a lot of time in social settings. I assumed I was losing my hearing, which would make sense as I was a DJ in my later teens and spent a lot of time with large speakers and no ear protection. I went to get tested this past summer and I passed - my hearing is basically "normal for my age". They didn't have much else to offer, unfortunately. What I've noticed in loud settings, like bars or busy restaurants, is that I can hear the music and everyone's voice at once, but I can't seem to pick out the voices directly in front of me. It can definitely be a bit embarrassing as I'm constantly asking people to repeat themselves if it's a serious conversation, and if it's not, I try for a while until I lose the thread and then zone out and ask my wife about it later.
- sowbug 10y ago
  A while back I was treated with cisplatin as part of chemotherapy. One of the side effects is ototoxicity. I acquired tinnitus that ranges from unnoticeable to distracting but not severe (I've noticed that green tea is a very reliable trigger for the rest of the day). I self-tested my hearing after chemo and found that I'd lost 15KHz and higher. I knew about the side effects before starting treatment, so I'd already run the same test. Pre-treatment, I could easily hear up to 17.5KHz. I've adjusted to the hearing changes for the most part, but the most insidious new problem is acute sensitivity to nearby conversations when I'm talking to someone else. The best way to describe it is that I've lost the dynamic range of amplitudes. Rather than being able to focus on one conversation and hear it as louder than the rest, I feel that all of them seem to be at the same volume. The worst is when I'm out walking with another person to have a conversation, and we come upon another walking/talking pair. I need to let the other people go ahead until they're out of earshot. No complaints overall. I'd have died without the chemo, so it was a favorable trade.
didgeoridoo 10y ago
It can also be a neurological or psychological issue. I had my hearing tested after years of being totally unable to pick out voices in a noisy environment. Turns out my hearing is actually above average. My ENT suggested that I might just be "bad at hearing", in the same way that one might have poor memory, or have poor visual-spatial awareness. It's apparently a skill that can be trained.
- skylan_q 10y ago
  I never thought of it that way but it makes sense. My hearing is fine and I can pick out quiet sounds, far away sounds, high-pitched sounds, etc... But I always have trouble turning the sounds that comes out of people's mouths into words especially if there's other noise. It's not a focus issue, either. I'm probably just bad at hearing speech in those situations for some reason.
  - jobigoud 10y ago
    I feel research in this area would be very relevant to foreign language learning. At some point you go from hearing gibberish to individual words, and then to being fast enough to assemble the words into meaning.
- okreallywtf 10y ago
  I have heard this[1] and my girlfriend (an amature musician) has worse hearing than me generally (subjectively based on quiet situations picking out very quiet sounds or high frequencies) but is way better than me in loud enviornments. [1] http://io9.gizmodo.com/5839116/lifelong-musicians-can-understand-you-better-at-noisy-parties http://io9.gizmodo.com/5839116/lifelong-musicians-can-unders...
tibbon 10y ago
I have a similar problem in loud spaces. Given my activities (motorcycling, guitar playing, powertools, etc) I had assumed my hearing was bad, but when I went to an ENT/audiologist for unrelated things I had them give me a good test on a whim. For me, the results were that I have hearing ability on-par with a ~5 year old, and they only see adults like me every 18 months or so. I've got a printoff of the chart around here somewhere, but it's well outside the normal, especially for my activities. On the flipside, I'm very ADHD, which I think hurts my loud-space conversational abilities some. I always figure my ears are trying to listen to all of it at once. (Most lightbulbs and televisions drive me up a wall, because I can hear them all the time)
- randlet 10y ago
  Interesting! I can totally see having hyper sensitive hearing being very annoying too. From one rider to another, make sure you always wear hearing protection under your helmet :)
- manyxcxi 10y ago
  I went to an audiologist a few years back because I could hear certain things that would drive me up the wall. I thought it might be tinnitus or something like that- I ride motorcycles, am on the water in boats, use power tools, etc. Turns out I have exceptional hearing as well, and much better high frequency responses than an average 30 year old. Certain cheap lights and power transformers can drive me absolutely freaking crazy.
  - Faaak 10y ago
    I have the same. They said it was hyperacusis. It's different than tinnitus.
  - conradev 10y ago
    This happens to me as well. I'll walk into a restaurant and there is a high pitched ringing coming from the HVAC on the ceiling, I ask anyone else if they hear it… no one does.
edge17 10y ago
maybe a dumb question, but how do you get yourself tested? does a doctor have to order tests? is it a self-test?
- randlet 10y ago
  No not a self test: you need to be tested by a professional. It's done in a sound proof booth using a standard set of tests, including mechanical things like measuring how well your eardrum responds to sound vibrations. I think I pay ~$75-$100CAD per checkup. You usually don't need a referral as most hearing aid clinics will just let you call up and schedule an appointment. If you want to talk to an ENT specialist though, you'll probably have to go to your family doc first.
- berberous 10y ago
  There's an iPhone app these days that will test your hearing called Mimi. Not sure how accurate it is. If you have symptoms you may want to confirm with a real doctor.
mabbo 10y ago
I have mild hearing loss, but I never realized how much I relied on lip-reading until I started hanging out with a friend who habitually put his hand in front of his mouth while talking. "Brian, you've pressed mute again".
- KingMob 10y ago
  I have hearing aids, and I seem to recall reading at one point that lip-reading provides about a 10 dB improvement in speech comprehension.
dspig 10y ago
There are different aspects - I have good hearing (measured by quiet tones in an audiogram test) but a worse masking threshold than other people (so sounds are swamped by other, typically lower frequency sounds) but you are unlikely to find an audiologist who will test you for this, and anyway there is not much you can do about it.
AdamJacobMuller 10y ago
I have similar issues and have "pretty good" hearing (been tested in the past 2 years) My hearing is actually far better than it was when I was younger (32 now), I also had moderate/severe hearing loss from allergies (which I have mostly grown out of).
boobsbr 10y ago
Yeah, I'm sure, I've been doing audiometry tests yearly and the doctor says it's quite good.
faster 10y ago
An audiologist once told me that hearing is sort of mechanical; does the vibration in the air stimulate the nerves that send a signal to the brain? Processing is where we make meaning of the signal. They are distinct functions. I hear just fine (slightly above average 'signal' for my age), but in a noisy environment I struggle to focus on the voice of the person in front of me and exclude the 'noise'. That's processing.
AYBABTME 10y ago
I always had a hard time understanding conversations, and thought it was my hearing but multiple audition tests confirmed that my hearing is just fine. I'm guessing it must be some mental inability to process words from the noise, since my hearing is fine. Hence, I don't think the OP necessarily has hearing problems.
JohnTHaller 10y ago
I've had the same issue for a good chunk of my life. I have good hearing according to my standard and advanced 'musician' hearing tests (aside from tinnitus). But I have trouble focusing on a given conversation in a room full of noise. Places with flat walls reflecting sound make it especially difficult.
tiglionabbit 10y ago
Being able to pick out one voice in a cacophony is a learnable skill. If you don't have experience it's quite frustrating. I have decent hearing but I avoid these settings too. Talking in them is just too much effort.
solarmist 10y ago
I have been tested in the past and I have very little hearing loss (other than some tinnitus), but I have trouble with the same things. If I'm in a bar or club if I'm not watching a person's lips I have trouble following the conversation.
Grazester 10y ago
I know I am half deaf(well have some hearing loss) and in loud spaces I have problems hearing people also
746F7475 10y ago
Man, now I'm all worried. In every physical where my hearing has been tested I've always gotten average results, but quite often if there is some noise in the room (like a dining hall or a bar) I have really hard time hearing what people are saying

by randlet 10y ago

freyr 10y ago

I became unable to understand conversations in noisy bars and restaurants. I had my hearing tested, and it was normal. I can hear one person talking quietly from across the house, but can't understand a person right next to me in a bar. It's very frustrating.

randlet 10y ago
Agreed. Social situations can be frustrating/depressing if you can't converse like everyone else.
maxxxxx 10y ago
Same for me. I have had my hearing tested several times and always had pretty good scores. But I still don't understand people in loud environments. It would be interesting to try a hearing aid.
canes123456 10y ago
Some people with Autism Spectrum Disorder have this issue. I believe I had it when I was younger but it less noticeable right now.
kmonsen 10y ago
I have this as well, and respond with talking louder since I think it is the same for everyone. Turns out it is not.
jnbiche 10y ago
I have the same problem and also was tested with "normal for age" hearing. But I know that most people can hear conversations in busy restaurants, loud cars, etc. What could this thing be? ENT was very unhelpful.
enobrev 10y ago
Like the others who have replied here, I've found that I have the same issue. I started noticing at maybe around 35 (I'm 38 now), and I know it was something new, as I spend a lot of time in social settings. I assumed I was losing my hearing, which would make sense as I was a DJ in my later teens and spent a lot of time with large speakers and no ear protection. I went to get tested this past summer and I passed - my hearing is basically "normal for my age". They didn't have much else to offer, unfortunately. What I've noticed in loud settings, like bars or busy restaurants, is that I can hear the music and everyone's voice at once, but I can't seem to pick out the voices directly in front of me. It can definitely be a bit embarrassing as I'm constantly asking people to repeat themselves if it's a serious conversation, and if it's not, I try for a while until I lose the thread and then zone out and ask my wife about it later.
sowbug 10y ago
A while back I was treated with cisplatin as part of chemotherapy. One of the side effects is ototoxicity. I acquired tinnitus that ranges from unnoticeable to distracting but not severe (I've noticed that green tea is a very reliable trigger for the rest of the day). I self-tested my hearing after chemo and found that I'd lost 15KHz and higher. I knew about the side effects before starting treatment, so I'd already run the same test. Pre-treatment, I could easily hear up to 17.5KHz. I've adjusted to the hearing changes for the most part, but the most insidious new problem is acute sensitivity to nearby conversations when I'm talking to someone else. The best way to describe it is that I've lost the dynamic range of amplitudes. Rather than being able to focus on one conversation and hear it as louder than the rest, I feel that all of them seem to be at the same volume. The worst is when I'm out walking with another person to have a conversation, and we come upon another walking/talking pair. I need to let the other people go ahead until they're out of earshot. No complaints overall. I'd have died without the chemo, so it was a favorable trade.

didgeoridoo 10y ago

It can also be a neurological or psychological issue. I had my hearing tested after years of being totally unable to pick out voices in a noisy environment. Turns out my hearing is actually above average. My ENT suggested that I might just be "bad at hearing", in the same way that one might have poor memory, or have poor visual-spatial awareness. It's apparently a skill that can be trained.

skylan_q 10y ago
I never thought of it that way but it makes sense. My hearing is fine and I can pick out quiet sounds, far away sounds, high-pitched sounds, etc... But I always have trouble turning the sounds that comes out of people's mouths into words especially if there's other noise. It's not a focus issue, either. I'm probably just bad at hearing speech in those situations for some reason.
- jobigoud 10y ago
  I feel research in this area would be very relevant to foreign language learning. At some point you go from hearing gibberish to individual words, and then to being fast enough to assemble the words into meaning.
okreallywtf 10y ago
I have heard this[1] and my girlfriend (an amature musician) has worse hearing than me generally (subjectively based on quiet situations picking out very quiet sounds or high frequencies) but is way better than me in loud enviornments. [1] http://io9.gizmodo.com/5839116/lifelong-musicians-can-understand-you-better-at-noisy-parties http://io9.gizmodo.com/5839116/lifelong-musicians-can-unders...

tibbon 10y ago

I have a similar problem in loud spaces. Given my activities (motorcycling, guitar playing, powertools, etc) I had assumed my hearing was bad, but when I went to an ENT/audiologist for unrelated things I had them give me a good test on a whim. For me, the results were that I have hearing ability on-par with a ~5 year old, and they only see adults like me every 18 months or so. I've got a printoff of the chart around here somewhere, but it's well outside the normal, especially for my activities. On the flipside, I'm very ADHD, which I think hurts my loud-space conversational abilities some. I always figure my ears are trying to listen to all of it at once. (Most lightbulbs and televisions drive me up a wall, because I can hear them all the time)

randlet 10y ago
Interesting! I can totally see having hyper sensitive hearing being very annoying too. From one rider to another, make sure you always wear hearing protection under your helmet :)
manyxcxi 10y ago
I went to an audiologist a few years back because I could hear certain things that would drive me up the wall. I thought it might be tinnitus or something like that- I ride motorcycles, am on the water in boats, use power tools, etc. Turns out I have exceptional hearing as well, and much better high frequency responses than an average 30 year old. Certain cheap lights and power transformers can drive me absolutely freaking crazy.
- Faaak 10y ago
  I have the same. They said it was hyperacusis. It's different than tinnitus.
- conradev 10y ago
  This happens to me as well. I'll walk into a restaurant and there is a high pitched ringing coming from the HVAC on the ceiling, I ask anyone else if they hear it… no one does.

edge17 10y ago

maybe a dumb question, but how do you get yourself tested? does a doctor have to order tests? is it a self-test?

randlet 10y ago
No not a self test: you need to be tested by a professional. It's done in a sound proof booth using a standard set of tests, including mechanical things like measuring how well your eardrum responds to sound vibrations. I think I pay ~$75-$100CAD per checkup. You usually don't need a referral as most hearing aid clinics will just let you call up and schedule an appointment. If you want to talk to an ENT specialist though, you'll probably have to go to your family doc first.
berberous 10y ago
There's an iPhone app these days that will test your hearing called Mimi. Not sure how accurate it is. If you have symptoms you may want to confirm with a real doctor.

mabbo 10y ago

I have mild hearing loss, but I never realized how much I relied on lip-reading until I started hanging out with a friend who habitually put his hand in front of his mouth while talking. "Brian, you've pressed mute again".

KingMob 10y ago
I have hearing aids, and I seem to recall reading at one point that lip-reading provides about a 10 dB improvement in speech comprehension.

dspig 10y ago

There are different aspects - I have good hearing (measured by quiet tones in an audiogram test) but a worse masking threshold than other people (so sounds are swamped by other, typically lower frequency sounds) but you are unlikely to find an audiologist who will test you for this, and anyway there is not much you can do about it.

AdamJacobMuller 10y ago

I have similar issues and have "pretty good" hearing (been tested in the past 2 years) My hearing is actually far better than it was when I was younger (32 now), I also had moderate/severe hearing loss from allergies (which I have mostly grown out of).

boobsbr 10y ago

Yeah, I'm sure, I've been doing audiometry tests yearly and the doctor says it's quite good.

faster 10y ago

An audiologist once told me that hearing is sort of mechanical; does the vibration in the air stimulate the nerves that send a signal to the brain? Processing is where we make meaning of the signal. They are distinct functions. I hear just fine (slightly above average 'signal' for my age), but in a noisy environment I struggle to focus on the voice of the person in front of me and exclude the 'noise'. That's processing.

AYBABTME 10y ago

I always had a hard time understanding conversations, and thought it was my hearing but multiple audition tests confirmed that my hearing is just fine. I'm guessing it must be some mental inability to process words from the noise, since my hearing is fine. Hence, I don't think the OP necessarily has hearing problems.

JohnTHaller 10y ago

I've had the same issue for a good chunk of my life. I have good hearing according to my standard and advanced 'musician' hearing tests (aside from tinnitus). But I have trouble focusing on a given conversation in a room full of noise. Places with flat walls reflecting sound make it especially difficult.

tiglionabbit 10y ago

Being able to pick out one voice in a cacophony is a learnable skill. If you don't have experience it's quite frustrating. I have decent hearing but I avoid these settings too. Talking in them is just too much effort.

solarmist 10y ago

I have been tested in the past and I have very little hearing loss (other than some tinnitus), but I have trouble with the same things. If I'm in a bar or club if I'm not watching a person's lips I have trouble following the conversation.

Grazester 10y ago

I know I am half deaf(well have some hearing loss) and in loud spaces I have problems hearing people also

746F7475 10y ago

Man, now I'm all worried. In every physical where my hearing has been tested I've always gotten average results, but quite often if there is some noise in the room (like a dining hall or a bar) I have really hard time hearing what people are saying