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Do loud sounds physically hurt you?

JuniperBug

Rainbow Bird of Friendliness
I have tinnitus in a very unique way. If a sound is too loud, high pitched, or lasts for too long, I'll get a painful stabbing pain in my ear. It sounds and sort of feels like a static and the only relief is pushing or plugging my ear closed. My left ear is much more sensitive.

ENT doctors have never been able to give me a straight answer. I wear a special ear plug if I'm going somewhere loud but there's nothing else that really works.

I'm wondering if it's just hypersensitivity and if it's related to AS. Anyone else experience this?
 
I don't have tinnitus but certain sounds and pitches do hurt. I think it can be related to AS. I also have my left ear much more sensitive than the right one. I can also process speech better with my left ear which is why I always have to be on the left side when walking together with someone side by side to better understand what they are saying. I have gone to doctors and my ears are perfectly healthy so I guess it's all down to the processing.
 
Yes, I experience this a lot due to being a musician. Sensitivity tends to vary, but sometimes acoustic drums in particular are problematic - but also especially sharp sounding electric guitars, certain high pitched instruments, certain singers etc. can cause problems. The high pitch metallic "hiss" of cymbals feel like someone's rubbing sandpaper on the inside of my ear, the impact of a snare drum hits me right in the head and it feels like I'm being punched, too much rumbling and throbbing bass makes me feel nauseous, for example. When I'm part of a band I can have a say about the volume and people I work with in that context are usually respectful towards my sensitivity, and if not I just don't work with them, but I tend to prefer not to go and watch live bands, because in that situation I have no say in how loud the volume is and I'm not in a position to try to control it, and some bands play so loud that they are painful to listen to even with earplugs.

I'm not sure if what you're describing would necessarily be defined as tinnitus but then again, my definition/understanding of what counts as tinnitus may not be entirely accurate.
 
I experience something similar, yes. Interesting because I also have tinnitus - just about my whole life as far as I know.


I've been dealing with tinnitus for about six months now. Not very nice at times. It even interferes somewhat with my going to sleep using ambient sound (rainfall). Just another thing on my "glitch list" that I don't need! :(
 
Not the tinnitus, but much like Axeman52 I experience certain sounds as painful physical sensation, sometimes as sublime sensual feeling and a vast spectrum between. I especially dislike sounds which cause a vertigo.
 
I've been dealing with tinnitus for about six months now. Not very nice at times. It even interferes somewhat with my going to sleep using ambient sound (rainfall). Just another thing on my "glitch list" that I don't need! :(
Yes, me as well. I mean I use a rainfall app, and the tinnitus is like tiny wires coming down among the rain drops. So, sometimes I'll switch to what my other app calls pink noise with an oscillation. That helps because it obfuscates my particular tinnitus "song."
One thing easily remedied that makes it worse is dehydration. I have to make sure to drink water in between all the cups of tea.
 
I have experienced tinnitus for about 25 years now. My docs think it was from exposure to very loud noises. My world is never quiet,the sound much like a sine wave at times,others it is like a jet engine whine. Many times,it sounds like crickets on a hot summer night that can occur in winter. I must have spent about thousands of dollars in my lifetime repairing compressed air hisses which royally make me crazy. That is a sound that hurts my ears.
 
Yes. I don't have tinnitus, but a raised voice can set off a low grade anxiety attack that will last for a day, and I will generally be anxious around the source for a long time.
 
Definitely, the two absolute worst for me are the buzz when someone leaves a key in a car and opens the door and mic feedback - OUCH! A good rip on an electric guitar can hurt my ears, so can several female singers and two male singers that I know of. I love the high notes but, on a sound system set too loud, they hurt.

I can even do it to myself when I'm recording and, that's embarrassing.
 
Older motorcycles, contralto's, some fireworks, glass pack mufflers, and chainsaws all make me want to run away as fast as I can. To compensate, I visualize a shoulder mounted rocket launcher that destroys the sound in a fiery explosion.
 
Cold weather and sometimes exercise causes stabbing pains in my ears. I have been to doctors many many times over the last ten years trying to find out why and they have never found anything wrong with my ears. Funny noise isn't an issue for my ears but man if I go rollerblading I can end up in tears.
 
Sudden loud noises like a car horn or unexpected banging can make me jumpy,I get easily startled and i also get tinnitus a lot I've had it as far as I can remember,I also hate the TV noise while I'm trying to sleep I can't have any noise especially at night and for some reason the mumbling of the TV volume from my lounge room drives me crazy.
 
No tinnitis, I'm reasonably ok if I'm expecting it, but sudden loud noises near me can hurt inside me and make me jumpy.
 
I have constant tinnitus, usually on my left side, sometimes on the right too, due to ear damage incurred as a child. Even though 1 or both of my ears have been ringing for 25 years I still am not used to it, it still bothers me, and on the rare occasion where I am not being driven slowly insane by it I end up shocked that it got quieter or temp changed sides and stopped ringing in the left ear.
 
yes... in the sense that i will get an instant headache from certain sounds/tones/pitches and sofourth. or if it doesn't cause a headache, it will feel like a poke in my brain (usually like an electrical spike or needle)

sudden noises can do the same, but they will scare the heck out of me. obviously things such as fireworks or motorcycles or loud sounds like that will (and usually last about 5-10 minutes after the sound stops since i'm not sure if the sound will come back) but quieter abrupt noises can do the same. such as somebody dragging a chair, a toilet flushing or things of that nature (and quieter sounds depending on how quiet the house is.... but the house is never quiet enough for me. some people here will have the TV so loud i can hear it in any room on any floor of the house often louder than my own TV basically keeping me out of that room and off that floor)

also, i also like to say "stupidity causes pain".. by which i mean, when people do/say "stupid" things, it has the same effect (if not worse at times) as the sound problems. so, for example.. since i sell on ebay, when people ask me things like "what size is this?" when i have the item next to a ruler, or worse yet.. "what color is this?" when i can only assume they're not blind since they're looking to buy an item on the internet... it becomes physically painful
 
I am the same, Chris. Stupidity is painful. I am quite certain that you could post a photo of a blue baseball on eBay, title your offering "Blue Baseball" and describe it as being a vibrant, royal blue colored baseball and, some fool would ask what color it was. Humans in general are not very smart. (Those around here excepted along with my inner circle and a couple of others I know that would have words with me if I called them dumb. *Hehe*)
 

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