Would loud music help sensitive hearing?

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Ellytoad
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28 May 2011, 9:09 am

I've had sensitive ears all my life, and I've been wondering whether listening to my music at high volume would take the edge off.



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28 May 2011, 9:16 am

You could try it, but I doubt that would work. It would be like if you had sensitive skin that burned easily in the sun, and you are asking if laying in the sun a lot would help. At least that would be my result if I tried it.

OTOH, I used to listen to loud music as a teen and in my car when I had to drive long distances. It helped keep me awake. :)


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purchase
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28 May 2011, 9:22 am

In my experience, NO. The opposite. I had to leave a concert my family was at and go sit out in the car because my ears were (not literally, but) bleeding and I was definitely incurring ear damage. It was the worst feeling in the world.

I can stand certain music at high volume, specifically music I find beautiful and music without sudden jumps from quiet to loud that leave your ears unprepared. That might work!



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28 May 2011, 9:32 am

I don't think it would cause your ears to become less sensitive, unless it was so loud that it caused hearing loss.

I think "exposure therapy" such as this only forces you to find ways to psychologically cope with the discomfort, rather than lessening the actual physical discomfort.



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28 May 2011, 9:35 am

I'm having white noise therapy for my hyperacusis. I wear two 'hearing aids' which send out white noise into my ears. It's taken nearly three years, but I am definately becoming less sensitive! It's probably best that you don't listen to your music too loud because quite often your hearing isn't physically louder than anyone elses' but is perceived by the brain as being loud, so if you damage your hearing, you'll lose it eventually. Don't want that really :(


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Ellytoad
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28 May 2011, 10:42 am

purchase wrote:
I can stand certain music at high volume, specifically music I find beautiful and music without sudden jumps from quiet to loud that leave your ears unprepared.


Why do classical music composers love dramatic dynamics so much? It's a sensitive person's nightmare. How many times in the past have I had my finger constantly on the volume control...



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28 May 2011, 11:45 am

my hyperacuisis got much stronger following a sudden noise that caused dulled hearing for several days. hearing damage can do strange things. It was actually a huge relief, because i was so worried and despondant that my hearing might not recover.

Maybe hyperacuisis can be caused by stress - chronically heightened adrenalin? so anxiety can locks one into 'survival' mode where senses are heightened to negotiate danger. If you have any vague symptoms linked to anxiety, id look into those even if you dont think you feel particularly anxious.

But i absolutely wouldnt expose to 'loud' noise intentionally, and advise carrying protection at all times. On the other hand ive heard that hyperacuity is aggravated by excessive silence so perhaps if noise is bothersome but your sure its at a safe level it might be wise to resist the temptation to exclude it. I suppose thats the idea with the white noise therapy.



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28 May 2011, 11:55 am

I was actually going to say it probably would, but after reading some of the other responses I don't think it's a good idea.


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28 May 2011, 2:50 pm

I've lost range in my hearing due to listening to loud music, but I still have hyperacusis.



OJani
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28 May 2011, 3:16 pm

Ellytoad wrote:
I've had sensitive ears all my life, and I've been wondering whether listening to my music at high volume would take the edge off.

I wouldn't do that. Besides possible damage to your ears, it's probably no more useful than listening to music at moderate volume. Giving stimuli to your ears by either listening to music regularly or using white noise therapy as mentioned before is probably a better way to go.

Btw, I always strive to make my audio system to be able to resolve sound and dynamic details so I can listen to music at lower volumes for longer periods without fatigue. I can understand how classical music can be by its dynamics a little hard on the ear. Better reproduction helps. I wonder if this would be the reason why I seem to prefer modest but detailed sounding systems to lavishly sounding ones. Yet, I have to stick to the knob sometimes too...



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28 May 2011, 6:57 pm

I don't think it's a very good idea, at all. It would only make things worse.


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28 May 2011, 6:59 pm

Ellytoad wrote:
I've had sensitive ears all my life, and I've been wondering whether listening to my music at high volume would take the edge off.

It always helped me.



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28 May 2011, 7:04 pm

It only helps me to block out background sounds. Keep in mind that damaging your hearing due to listening to loud music can make your hearing even more sensitive. I've got this weird condition where I have poor judgement for the position of sounds and even recognizing them properly. And I have much more sensitive hearing than I did before. And tinnitus.

Ear plugs or noise canceling headphones work best.


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Ellytoad
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29 May 2011, 12:38 am

Verdandi wrote:
I've lost range in my hearing due to listening to loud music, but I still have hyperacusis.

That sucks. As a matter of fact, I actually have hearing loss already, for as long as I can remember. It has always seemed like such a contradiction...



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29 May 2011, 3:59 am

Ellytoad wrote:
Verdandi wrote:
I've lost range in my hearing due to listening to loud music, but I still have hyperacusis.

That sucks. As a matter of fact, I actually have hearing loss already, for as long as I can remember. It has always seemed like such a contradiction...


I know, right? It's a processing problem, rather than a hearing problem. When your auditory processing is engaged, then the sensitivity to noises can come into play. So the only way to stop it is to have no hearing at all, I suspect. That's not a recommendation.

The worst part I think is when loud/obnoxious noises basically shut my brain off.



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29 May 2011, 11:40 am

It's helped with people because it would damage their hearing and they could no longer hear sounds lot of people can hear but yet my ex loved listening to loud bass but yet he still kept his above normal hearing.