You know that it can be difficult to get your partner’s attention if they have neglected hearing loss. Their name is the first thing you try saying. You say “Greg”, but you get no answer 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 crossly, “what are you shouting for?”
This interaction isn’t due to stubbornness or impatience. Hypersensitivity to loud sound is frequently documented in those who have hearing loss. So it makes sense that Greg gets aggravated when you shout his name after he continually fails to hear you when you talk to him at a normal volume.
Can loud sounds seem louder with hearing loss?
Hearing loss can be a strange thing. Usually, hearing loss will cause your hearing to decline, particularly if it goes untreated. But things can get very loud when you’re out at a busy restaurant or watching a Michael Bay movie. Uncomfortably loud. Maybe the movie gets really loud all of a sudden or someone is shouting to get your attention.
And you’ll think: What’s causing this sensitivity to loud noise?
Which can also make you feel a bit aggravated, honestly. Many individuals will feel like they’re going crazy when they notice this. They have a difficult time identifying how loud things are. You have a sudden sensitivity to loud sounds even as your family and friends are pointing out your very obvious hearing loss symptoms. How is that possible?
Auditory recruitment
The cause of this sound sensitivity is a condition called auditory recruitment. It works like this:
- There are tiny hairs, known as stereocilia, that cover your inner ear. These hairs vibrate when soundwaves enter your ears and this vibration is then translated to sounds by your brain.
- Age-related “sensorineural” hearing loss occurs 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. Your level of hearing loss will be progressively more severe the more hairs that are compromised.
- But this isn’t an evenly occurring process. There is always some combination of damaged hairs and healthy hairs.
- So when the impaired hairs are exposed to a loud sound, the healthy hairs are “recruited” (thus the condition’s name) to send a signal of alarm to your brain. So, suddenly, everything gets very loud because all of your stereocilia are firing (just as they would with any other loud sound).
Think about it this way: That Michael Bay explosion is loud but everything else is quiet. So it will seem louder, when that Michael Bay explosion occurs, than it normally would.
Isn’t that exactly like hyperacusis?
You might think that these symptoms sound a little familiar. That’s likely because they’re frequently confused with a condition called hyperacusis. That confusion is, initially, understandable. Auditory recruitment is a condition where you have a sensitivity to loud noises, and hyperacusis is a condition in which sounds very abruptly get loud.
But here are a few significant differences:
- While hyperacusis has no connection to hearing loss, there is a direct link between auditory recruitment and hearing loss.
- When you’re dealing with hyperacusis, noises that are at an objectively ordinary volume seem really loud to you. Think about it like this: A shout will still sound like a shout with auditory recruitment; but with hyperacusis, a whisper could sound like a shout.
- Hyperacusis causes pain. Literally. Most individuals who cope with hyperacusis report feelings of pain. With auditory recruitment, that’s typically not the case.
It’s true that hyperacusis and auditory recruitment have some similar symptoms. But they aren’t the same condition.
Is there any treatment for audio recruitment?
The bad news is that there’s no cure for hearing loss. Your hearing will never come back once it’s gone. Treating hearing loss early will go a long way to protect against this.
This also applies to auditory recruitment. Luckily, there are ways to successfully treat auditory recruitment. In most situations, that treatment will involve hearing aids. And those hearing aids have to be specifically calibrated. That’s why addressing auditory recruitment will almost always require scheduling an appointment with us.
The exact frequencies of sound that are causing your auditory recruitment will be determined. Then your hearing aids will be dialed in to decrease the volume of those wavelengths. It’s a really effective treatment.
Only certain types of hearing aid will be effective. Over-the-counter hearing aids or sound amplifiers, for example, don’t have the necessary technological sophistication and built-in sensitivity, so they won’t be able to deal with your symptoms.
Make an appointment with us
If you are noticing sensitivity to loud sounds, it’s important to realize that you can find relief. You will also get the additional benefit of using a hearing aid to enhance your life’s soundscape.
But making an appointment is the starting point. This hypersensitivity is a natural part of the hearing loss process, it happens to lots and lots of people.
It doesn’t need to keep making you miserable.