Additional recommendations about Change of Habits - 1/3

1. Sleeping can be very difficult. Many times the mere act of turning our head on the pillow makes a loud noise in our ear. If we have severe hyperacusis we learn to roll our head on the pillow, or better yet, lift our head and reposition it. New cotton pillowcases can be difficult because the material is new and rough.

2. Crushing paper, electric can openers and dropping ice cubes in empty glasses are also difficult. Alternatives: fold paper and then dispose of it; get a manual can opener (they work great); and try filling your glass before dropping the ice cubes in.

3. For many of us, we miss working with wood and using a hammer. Pounding a nail is 100 decibels, and beyond what many of our tolerances allow! Let us talk about Dynamic Range. Although we have collapsed tolerance to sound, our ears cannot adjust to sudden shifts in volume. Even shifts from zero decibels to 40 decibels are hard for us, yet we may be able to tolerate sustained sounds of 40+ decibels.

What kind of sense does that make? Sustained sound is much easier for us to handle than sudden shifts in volume. That is part of the reason the early morning is difficult for us. Our ears have heard no sound all night and then as day breaks we must become reacquainted with noise. As we get on with our day - things often improve.

4. Before you turn a TV or radio OFF - turn the volume off too. Starting a car and being blasted by the radio is very difficult (dynamic range). Most TV's have an oscillator that emits a high frequency ... often we are able to hear this high pitch noise and it is very irritating.

5. Sirens are very distressing for us. When you hear one coming close all windows before it passes.

6. ... if you have hyperacusis and need to raise your voice to get attention, it is better to cup your hands around your mouth. This method protects your ears from the loudness of your own voice.

7. Cutting grass is a particular challenge. Push mowers are quieter than tractor type lawn mowers, but electric lawn mowers are best... Others use foam earplugs or wear earmuffs.

(to be continued on the next posts)

Texts extracted from The Hyperacusis Network web page (Supplement section), with the permission of its editor. (see “related links” in this blog)