Noises from Electric Objects

[Cassidy]

Ever since I got my tinnitus I have noticed that I can hear the high pitched noises (electricity-type sounds) from electric objects such as certain TVs, certain laptops, certain speakers. These are coming from the devices themselves. I also read some people on this forum seem to hear this as well.

What is this exactly?? Does anyone know?? Hyperacusis? I don't have hearing loss but it feels as if I have the opposite - that I feel certain frequencies too well. Thoughts??

 

[Leah]

I experienced the same thing, even years before T kicked in. In fact took back a TV because I could hear a hum.
Makes me wonder if we are born wired a little off.

 

[LadyDi]

This may be just my imagination... but I could swear that certain electrical waves or electronic emissions bother my T. It isn't a matter of the emissions causing a new sound that I hear. It just makes my existing tinnitus louder.

For example: I work in a room filled with computers, all connected through WiFi. I swear it bugs my ears. Also, I once went on a camping trip, which usually calms my T, and was surprised that my ears were NOISY NOISY the whole time. As I left, I saw a line of high-tension electrical towers that I had missed before, along the roadway leading to the island where I had camped. When I got home, my ears quieted down.

Have no idea if this is real or just my head playing games. I just don't let it bother me any more. Be curious to hear from others.

 

[Frederick86]

For me they bother my T and also they do an strange "echo": the electronic noise keeps "playing" in my head as if it were a new T sound, and it makes this AFTER the device has been turned off. Luckily, this seems to always go away, and the same happens to others and it goes away too.

Also, there was some posts about this in this forum by a member who posted very interesting stuff about electromagnetic fields and T, and @LadyDi , what you say is exactly that kind of effect, maybe you'll find this interesting, she has also write a lot about how to improve this kind of sensitivity:

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/emf-rf-and-tinnitus-research-and-discoveries.415/

 

[Street Spirit]

Yes this happens to me but i assume it is my h. Most of the time I can just tune it out.

 

[LadyDi]

Cool, I will check it out @Frederick86. Thanks!

 

[Hudson]

I don't think it's hyperacusis in this example. I too notice the high pitched sounds. I hear them from all kinds of things, cell phone chargers that are crapping out, computers that have hard drive malfunctions, fluorescent lighting that is going bad, etc. When I point out these sounds to other people, they say "Huh?". Except, once I point them out, those people start listening for it and then they notice it. One woman I work with was so bothered by the fluorescent lights above her desk after I pointed out the noise that she requested they be replaced. What I really think is happening here is that our brains become so in tune to the high tinnitus frequency that we pick up on any high frequency sounds in the environment that most people would tune out or not even notice at all. If you're already used to listening to a high pitched sound and paying attention to it, you'll be drawn to other high pitched sounds.

What bugs me more than this though is that my tinnitus seems like it "fights" to be heard sometimes. If I'm in a quiet room, it's not all that loud. If I'm asleep on my couch and the central air kicks on (which the central heating and air unit is near where my couch is) my tinnitus seems like it cranks up a few notches to still be noticed over all that background white noise. Fans seem to do this too.

 

[jazz]

What bugs me more than this though is that my tinnitus seems like it "fights" to be heard sometimes. If I'm in a quiet room, it's not all that loud. If I'm asleep on my couch and the central air kicks on (which the central heating and air unit is near where my couch is) my tinnitus seems like it cranks up a few notches to still be noticed over all that background white noise. Fans seem to do this too.

I likewise experience a reawakening of my noise when I'm exposed to things like fans or outdoor equipment. Many things, really. But my tinnitus doesn't necessarily spike. It just becomes more noticeable.

The reason is because we all have increased auditory sensitivity. Many research articles mention this. Our auditory system is hyperactive as it attempts to make up for missing sounds. Our brains just crank things up. But I'd bet some sounds are probably more irritating than others, and that those sounds are within our tinnitus frequency.

 

[Valentin]

Electronic components do make some noise, that's perfectly normal, everyone one can hear that.

 

[mandi]

@jazzboots With a hearing aid to make up the hearing loss difference, will the tinnitus calm down? Have the hearing aids helped a lot of people with their tinnitus?