Question About Sensitivity to Sound

[Kavigant]

Certain sounds cause me a lot of trouble, even causing me pain. It may be certain sounds (like eating noises) or just certain tones/pitches of the human voice.
But at other times, sound doesn't bother me at all. I can go to live concerts, I can listen to heavy metal at high volume, etc.

I think it can be difficult for people around me to understand why their eating of pumpkin seeds makes me angry but my loud music doesn't. I'm afraid it can make me seem as though I'm making things up.

1. Why does my sensitivity to sound seem so random?
2. For those of you who also have sensitivity to sound, is your sensitivity like mine (difficult to explain to others)?

 

[tazz]

Some of this is about intensity I think. It seems quite common for people (with or without autism) to have difficulty with particular sounds. But the degree to which they are affected varies hugely. The reaction of someone who is extremely sensitive to the point where it's painful might seem like an exaggeration to someone who is familiar with getting irritated by sounds but in a less debilitating way.

Regulation also comes into it. Neurotypical people learn at a very young age how to regulate their distress - getting upset but then calming down again. Whereas with autistic people who find it difficult or impossible to regulate reactions, it can quickly escalate into distress and melt-down/blow-up.

I'm using vague terms like "seems" because I don't have any research at hand to back this up, so I'm just repeating bits of information I've picked up along the way from specialists.

When I've tried to talk about this with friends and family, I've encountered responses such as "well we all have our pet hates" and "I get extremely irritated by that too so I guess I'm autistic as well".

I haven't found a good way to explain it. But I'm starting to think that focusing on physical differences in the brain and nervous system can help. I almost feel like I don't want to use the word autism when talking to people because they don't really know anything about it, or worse they've picked up some pieces and misinformation from mass media and think it's something different. When I've experimented by telling people I have a "neurological condition" without mentioning autism, people seem less likely to make assumptions and genuinely wiling to listen - like "I have a neurological condition that makes it difficult for me to use the phone, can we email or meet face to face instead". No-one responds with "Oh yeah, I've got that too" or "that's odd, you don't look like that guy from that movie"

I'm still learning and experimenting, but that's my thinking so far. Don't mention autism. Describe it as a physical condition. And be specific. Such as "I have a sensitivity to some particular frequencies of sound and I'm struggling in this cafe, would you mind if we get our coffee to go."

 

[Neonatal RRT]

Certain frequencies do bother me, as you've described above.

I do tend to keep the volume down. I keep the TV at volume level "10" where my wife complains she can't hear it and wants it at level "20".

I can hear frequencies well above most adults. I work around a lot of electronic equipment at the hospital and it's not uncommon for me to be rather irritated by sounds that others cannot hear at all.

One of the TV programs my wife and I enjoy is "The Voice". I have never studied music, but I can easily pick out "pitch issues", whether or no they are singing behind "the pocket", and yes, some singers have a tone that is not pleasant to my ears even though they may be quite talented, otherwise.

 

[Rodafina]

1. Why does my sensitivity to sound seem so random?

Maybe don’t think of it so much as sensitivity to sound as sensitivity to certain pitches, rhythms, and tones. Surely, some patterns will emerge.

2. For those of you who also have sensitivity to sound, is your sensitivity like mine (difficult to explain to others)?

Definitely difficult to explain. Especially the chewing sounds. Chewing sound send me into a rage and terrible things happen in my brain. It’s very difficult to explain this to another person. Even though they can understand that I don’t like the sound of chewing, they cannot understand the intensity of it.

 

[Misty Avich]

My ears can hurt, literally, at certain high-pitched or low-pitched sounds. Extreme low-pitched sounds, such as the noisy neighbours stomping about upstairs, can trigger slight vertigo for me. Extreme high-pitched sounds, such as toddlers screeching, can hurt my ears to the point where it feels like my eardrums are bleeding. People don't understand this, they say I'm exaggerating, or overreacting, or even being selfish. But when it comes to pain, it's difficult to ignore or block out these sounds. My husband tells me to "just ignore" the people banging upstairs, but for me it's impossible. One time I poked him in the arm a few times and told him to ignore it, he said it can't because it hurts and is annoying, so I said "exactly, that's how it feels for me when they stomp about upstairs." I envy him for having the ability to ignore them and not have his ears hurting.

I have perforated eardrums due to having a lot of grommets in and out my ears through surgery in the past, so I think that contributes to my sound sensitivities, as I didn't have sound sensitivities when I was a child.

 

[Misty Avich]

Maybe don’t think of it so much as sensitivity to sound as sensitivity to certain pitches, rhythms, and tones. Surely, some patterns will emerge.


Definitely difficult to explain. Especially the chewing sounds. Chewing sound send me into a rage and terrible things happen in my brain. It’s very difficult to explain this to another person. Even though they can understand that I don’t like the sound of chewing, they cannot understand the intensity of it.

I understand. While I am not affected by the sound of people chewing (in fact I can't even hear it), I still understand how difficult it is for you to deal with it. I can relate to what you said about the rage and terrible things happening in the brain. I get like that when my upstairs neighbours walk across their floor, I think "God I wish they'd drop dead, God I hate them", which isn't what I want to feel but I do. But we both know we don't mean it personally nor that we're going to become dangerous.
It doesn't help when people say "we need to chew our food, we can't help it if it upsets you, you have to not let it get to you and just ignore it". I bet you've been told that many times. That never does help our situation and it's frustrating how people just can't understand.

 

[The Pandector]

Most of my life I thought I simply enjoyed music more than most. Never related that to the problems I always had with ambient noise. Most people naturally learn to cancel out constant sounds, but to me the sounds become more rather than less pronounced.

Good for the music, bad for a guy working in a computer installation with hundreds of muffin fans in a room, line printers on occasion, squawk box, old fashioned tape drives spinning, etc. Good for wind in the treetops. In the signal corps, I could often pick a test tone out of an overwhelming background of radio noise.

 

[MildredHubble]

I tend to pick up on little sounds, particularly high frequency ones. They irritate me, particularly when my brain tunes into them but I'm not sure of their origin.

I can't ignore them and I go in search of them or they will distract me. I can often hear little sounds that are anomalous from cars. I pick up on things that have helped avoid issues with lots of our cars.

Some high pitch noises, like a wonky CRT TV high voltage whine make me ears feel like they are literally retreating into my head and I get a fluttering sensation in both ears. Very irritating.

Low frequency noises can irritate me too, but no one else noticed them. For about a week I was constantly kept awake by this low frequency hum that started dead on 10pm. No one else in the house could perceive it. I had to take sonograph readings to prove to myself that I wasn't going insane! I was quite relieved when I could see the low frequency hum in the readings. Then one day it stopped.

I told people at work about it and someone familiar with my town told me that there are a large number of tunnels under the town and surrounding areas and he felt it was likely some chemical company was storing dangerous chemicals in under ground storage. The noise just stopped completely around 2am and I never heard it again and I could finally get some sleep.

Of course like others here, I like my music loud. I've been told I'm going to deafen myself with the volume in my headphones.

It seems contradictory, but I guess I'm choosing the "noise" and it's "noise" I enjoy listening to. I know what causes it, and there's no mystery.

 

[Rodafina]

I understand. While I am not affected by the sound of people chewing (in fact I can't even hear it), I still understand how difficult it is for you to deal with it. I can relate to what you said about the rage and terrible things happening in the brain. I get like that when my upstairs neighbours walk across their floor, I think "God I wish they'd drop dead, God I hate them", which isn't what I want to feel but I do. But we both know we don't mean it personally nor that we're going to become dangerous.
It doesn't help when people say "we need to chew our food, we can't help it if it upsets you, you have to not let it get to you and just ignore it". I bet you've been told that many times. That never does help our situation and it's frustrating how people just can't understand.

Yes, I can definitely relate to the things you've posted about your upstairs neighbors. So constant. So out of your control. Just like chewing, stomping toddlers are inevitable. We are trapped. But as you've experienced yourself, always canceling it out with headphones or earbuds has its own problems. It's very frustrating.

 

[lovely_darlingprettybaby]

Certain sounds cause me a lot of trouble, even causing me pain. It may be certain sounds (like eating noises) or just certain tones/pitches of the human voice.
But at other times, sound doesn't bother me at all. I can go to live concerts, I can listen to heavy metal at high volume, etc.

I think it can be difficult for people around me to understand why their eating of pumpkin seeds makes me angry but my loud music doesn't. I'm afraid it can make me seem as though I'm making things up.

1. Why does my sensitivity to sound seem so random?
2. For those of you who also have sensitivity to sound, is your sensitivity like mine (difficult to explain to others)?

It is weird I love music but am not sensitive to all sounds
I love like nature sounds too, crickets sometimes and birds and wind etc.
I have never really minded when people talk of nails on the chalkboard, it may bother me a bit but what really bothers me is the person who performs it because they hurt their fingers
I do not like powertools though
I like loud music usually for an hour or two though not too long and it depends at what volume
Club music may be too loud

 

[Jumpinbare]

If I am fully absorbed in a task, I can miss sounds entirely, but if I am lying in bed I hear every siren for miles, and every dog barking or howling in response. I was awakened by a high pitch my wife couldn't hear at all. It was a mouse that the 3 cats were playing with. It was basically screaming. I picked it up by the tail and put it outside.
At a hearing test, the doctor had to extend his scales because I was responding to his highest normal pitches and lowest normal volumes. He commented I had super hearing except around 6600 hz and 8000 hz. I mentioned offhand that two of the tones were very close to the normal background ringing. One ear higher pitched than the other. That was when I learned there was no "Normal" background ringing. I have tinnitus. I have had it since birth. My world is literally never quiet. Quiet to me is nothing but the normal background ringing

 

[MildredHubble]

If I am fully absorbed in a task, I can miss sounds entirely, but if I am lying in bed I hear every siren for miles, and every dog barking or howling in response. I was awakened by a high pitch my wife couldn't hear at all. It was a mouse that the 3 cats were playing with. It was basically screaming. I picked it up by the tail and put it outside.
At a hearing test, the doctor had to extend his scales because I was responding to his highest normal pitches and lowest normal volumes. He commented I had super hearing except around 6600 hz and 8000 hz. I mentioned offhand that two of the tones were very close to the normal background ringing. One ear higher pitched than the other. That was when I learned there was no "Normal" background ringing. I have tinnitus. I have had it since birth. My world is literally never quiet. Quiet to me is nothing but the normal background ringing

I have that "normal background ringing" too. I suspect around the same sort of frequency. I didn't realise I had tinnitus either.

I did manage to minimise it by playing sounds tuned to the same perceived frequency in headphones until I couldn't perceive it anymore. I heard the world for once without the ringing, it was a little strange. Although I wouldn't recommend taking that sort of risk with your hearing, it may or may not cause damage.

For years the ringing only really came back after being in a noisy environment. But now it's back permanently. I guess I could repeat playing matching tones in headphones again, but I don't want to take the risk.

 

[ra49]

If I am fully absorbed in a task, I can miss sounds entirely, but if I am lying in bed I hear every siren for miles, and every dog barking or howling in response. I was awakened by a high pitch my wife couldn't hear at all. It was a mouse that the 3 cats were playing with. It was basically screaming. I picked it up by the tail and put it outside.
At a hearing test, the doctor had to extend his scales because I was responding to his highest normal pitches and lowest normal volumes. He commented I had super hearing except around 6600 hz and 8000 hz. I mentioned offhand that two of the tones were very close to the normal background ringing. One ear higher pitched than the other. That was when I learned there was no "Normal" background ringing. I have tinnitus. I have had it since birth. My world is literally never quiet. Quiet to me is nothing but the normal background ringing

Me too - I don't know what "quiet" is, the ringing is constant in both ears and louder if I pay attention to it . . .

Sometimes think I hear the sun come up and depending on the season, there are 3 different railroads I can hear, furthest one about 8 miles, and traffic on the highway 3 miles, the freeway 4 miles, and 3 different blvds within 2 miles . .

My mechanical engineer is deaf as a post, likes the TV volume about 50 whereas it is plenty loud enough for me at 12, so i have custom made silicone earplugs from his audiologist to protect my ears

I would rather have my ears than his

 

[Progster]

For me, part of the problem is that I'm sensitive to high-pitched sound - lots of things feel like someone is running their fingernails down a blackboard. The other part of the problem is that I can't tune out sound and it just bugs me. It often seems really loud, too, where other people might not think so.

I find that others don't take me seriously, but there are a number of YouTube videos that aim to similate what noise and other sensory stimulation can feel like to an autistic persn, and it often helps to show sceptics these videos.

 

[Suzanne]

Same, which I guess does go without saying! I hate very low sounds and droning sounds, like lawnmowers etc.

But, my music has to be at top volume for me to enjoy it.

I have also had perplexed looks by my husband. Why, loud music, you are ok with, but tiny sounds you are not?

I get angry too and want to scream, if I cannot block the low noise out.

 

[kenaij]

For me it is also very specific. But I do not relate to the common explanation of the sound 'hurting' you or causing you 'pain'. For me it is more like an extreme annoyance that I cannot ignore or it can cause an overload in which everything is too much and I need to go to a quiet place.

Great example of an overload it music in the car. The family and I often play music pretty loudly in the car via bluetooth and we pick and choose in turns. Especially when I`m driving I might be able to go for 4, 8 sometimes even 15 songs without any problems. I can sing along and all of a sudden the sound overloads me so much that I get really irritated by it and I can`t concentrate on the road and what I`m doing. Eventhou it did not bother my moments before. It has never happened but I`m certain if we do not turn off the music, I will lose all focus on the road and we will have an accident. To my wife I have explained it like a phone with a RAM overload which causes my brain to shut down all running apps to clear it.

An example of me needing a quiet place is at work. I work at a school and during lunch period there are roughly 600 teens in one big atrium. Normally I can sort of ignore all the noise. Because there is so much noise I can`t even figure out a single word that is said. Which is better than hearing different words from different conversations. But during one particular lunchbreak I was so overloaded by it I wanted to run away. And I did. Couldn`t figure it out at first. But I have now. We have a new colleague who's voice causes this for me. I had worked with her that morning in the same room. And when she is talking I cannot concentrate on anything else. So when other people are trying to ask me something I cannot even hear what they are saying because this other person it talking. So I make sure I don`t work in the same room with her for a long period of time. I have not told her why, but since I have two computers in the building she has not asked either.

Things like people eating also annoy me. But not to the point I have to walk away from it. If I shut off and go into my bubble I can ignore it.

So yes. I would say it is normal that your sensitivity is very specific and I think it is very common in autism to have very specific sensory triggers.

 

[MNAus]

It may be certain sounds (like eating noises)

Someone eating an apple on a train or bus and I'll be like David in American Werewolf in London.

 

[Rodafina]

For me it is also very specific. But I do not relate to the common explanation of the sound 'hurting' you or causing you 'pain'. For me it is more like an extreme annoyance that I cannot ignore or it can cause an overload in which everything is too much and I need to go to a quiet place.

Likewise. No pain, just mental overwhelm and shutdown. It turns to violent thoughts and rage if I can't get away.

 

[Judge]

Abrupt and prolonged unwanted low frequency sounds below 30hz can really get to me. When I put on my ear protectors. Often noisy and powerful internal combustion engines idling in the parking lot near my apartment unit. Made worse with obnoxiously powerful audio systems so the entire city can hear them.

Also the occasional high-pitched screaming at the top of their lungs toddler in stores can do it for me.

And incredibly noisy pigeons roosting in my roof above my living room really get to me as well.