Would I bu to go to the Dr about this?

[picklejimmy]

I have a weird insensitivity to low bass sounds or when people play bass music. It makes me irrationally irritated. My neighbour had his TV (next to our bedroom) on until 6am the other day tried headphones, earplugs but I can still hear the low voices and bassy tones. I ended up sleeping on my couch and last night I gave up and drove to my friends house to sleep because both sides of neigh ours has low bassy noises coming from their houses. I (there's no point talking to the late TV neighbour as he just ignores you or forgets. He's an alcoholic who pisses everyone off in the building, firealarm going off at all hours, he often forgets his keys and buzzes everyone's buzzers until someone lets him in, this is often anytime between 1 and 5am).
Right now I'm on half term (teacher) and was hoping to have a nice relaxing day doing nothing (which very rarely happens) and our other next door neighbour has his bassy music on. I'm sat here getting more and more irritated because it's all I can hear. Neighbour isn't being unreasonable because it's day time and he can do what he likes. I dont really know what to do. Does anyone else have these feelings about bass or low frequency noises? I can go to gigs fine and if its just loud music it's fine, it's the low noises. I feel like I'm going crazy. Sat in tears right now because it's annoying me so much, which sounds so very pathetic I know. Would it be unreasonable to bother the Dr with this? Or does anyone know how I can stop it?

Also forgot to add my partner (who can sleep through anything) doesn't seem to get why I get so annoyed so now I'm wondering if I'm being stupid. We had an argument about it because he said it's just noise and to ignore it. If it was that easy it wouldn't be an issue.

YWBU to see the doctor. What an earth could the GP do because these noises annoy you? Just buy some earplugs and enjoy your day, or put headphones in and listen to audible.

Is it a form of misophonia...?

Just buy some earplugs and enjoy your day, or put headphones in and listen to audible.

--- I've tried this. I can still hear it.

Scaramoose that's what I maybe thought, ive read about it and that's why I was wondering if it was something I went to the Dr about?

It's hard to explain the feeling without sounding stupid but it feels like the same sort of feeling if someone were to constantly tap on your head just over and and over for hours and hours. It's not just a case of getting headphones because I can still hear/feel the bass. And it's the same. With earplugs. I've tried both. I know it's stupid but it's more than just being annoyed someone is playing loud music. It's irrational. I get the same with thunder as well.

Has it always been like that?

As far back as I can remember.

Sounds like a sensory processing issue. Not sure what can be done other than blocking it with music or something.

That'swotshesaid that's what I usually try to do, there hasn't been a night since I can remember where I haven't slept with headphones in, but my neighbour must have moved his TV recently to against out bedroom wall so I can still hear / feel the noise.

I would suspect you will need to be assessed by a specialist and your first step would be to see your GP.

Explain your situation and if you have a decent GP they should be able to refer you to an audiology specialist

www.health24.com/Medical/Hearing-management/Experts/Question/Over-sensitivity-to-low-frequency-sound-20151206

Thanks, that link sounds exactly like how I feel! I will make an appointment, I just needed to see if I was making a fuss over something stupid.

The link above mentions hearing loss (not enough for you to notice as a hearing loss) presumably meaning you hear low sounds better than high and they therefore dominate and irritate you more - some places (eg some branches of Boots, Specsavers) do a 5min hearing screening test on a walk-in basis - that might give you evidence to persuade your doctor that you do need a referral.

Oh that's actually a good idea, I had some pretty horrible health stuff last year and the Dr was less than helpful. So if I had something to take with me to back up it might help.

I have this! I was tormented. I used to have to play music quite loud (to drown out the low frequency) to get to sleep. I have since moved out of the city and away from housemates and neighbours so get much more peace.

I have the opposite problem, high pitched noises set off my tinnitus (and not just out of the ordinary sounds, I can easily be set off by your average TV show.)

Be aware most GP’s have never heard of Misophonia sadly

Misophonia starts at puberty and approximately 2/3rds of sufferers are on the autistic spectrum

It varies in severity, dd has severe Misophonia and it’s prevented her having a normal childhood

Bose noise cancelling headphones are fantastic and they’ve recently brought out some noise maskers which you can sleep in which are also awesome but expensive

noise cancelling headphones are fantastic and they’ve recently brought out some noise maskers which you can sleep in which are also awesome but expensive

I think I'm going to have to look into those as well. Last night I drove to my friends house to sleep because I was just so irritated by the bass coming from neighbours TV, even over my music, which like previous poster was up quite high but I could still hear the bass.

This is my idea of hell! I understand you OP as I feel the same, a low bass note makes me feel quite queasy. I don't know whether a dr could do anything though.

I'm not sure either but I'm definitely going to try the noise cancelling headphones.

I have heard of this and think you will more than likely have to advocate for yourself. The doctor probably either won’t have heard of it or will give you some basic tips. I have a rare medical condition and get little to no help with numerous doctors.

I feel for you though, I read an article about a woman who had this and ended up commiting suicide. Hers sounded a lot more severe and I’m not saying for a second you would do that obviously but just so you know it is a proper condition and you shouldn’t get fobbed off.

You could try to use some mindfulness techniques which could potentially calm down the hyper sensitive part of your brain but not sure this would definitely work. Good luck with the headphones and hope you get a good gp when you go.

Im not that about it, that sounds awful the poor woman :(
It does cause a lot of arguments with dp because he doesn't get why I get so irritated and upset by it, which I understand because unless you experience it it sounds stupid. But it's like that thing when you're angry and someone tells you to calm down, it just makes it worse.

*not that bad about it

I have it secondary to 2 other conditions which are migraine and M.E

You will probably need to educate your Dr on it as many have never heard of it. I live a very quiet existence. When I was diagnosed when in hospital for migraine, it was my neuro who explained what it was to me and got his secretary to send me info.

I forwarded the info to my brother and the first words I got back from him was "I am SO sorry, for all the distress I caused you growing up"

Every family mealtime was a battleground with me, my mum didn't wear her teeth so wasn't a problem, when he ate always seemed to hit the fork/spoon off his teeth which would cause me to meltdown and even from a very young age most of my pocket money was spent on buying plastic cutlery to try and get him to use it with me.

Occasionally a fork would screech around a plate and I would lose it completely often running out of the house, up the lane (about 250 meters) and lying in the field across the road crying hysterically for up to an hour.

He was often sent to come and try and calm me down but when I was in meltdown mode, he would have to sit on me as a means of calming me. He is 7 years older than me.

Over the years I have dealt with stuff like this by wearing industrial earplugs which I can press a small button on to listen normally when trigger sounds aren't expected.

When the neuro diagnosed me I was crying and sobbing and my body was trying to thrash but couldn't due to paralysis.

He asked what was wrong and I explained thru tears it was the other patients eating lunch, knives hitting off forks, forks hitting off teeth and plates, the lids for food clattering off the trolley was setting me on totally meltdown mode and had been noted by staff but they had no idea why,

As he was the consultant who was in charge of my stay, it was mentioned in passing to him that I was on the verge of meltdown esp at mealtimes and that led to my diagnosis.

I then went off the ward with someone during meal times and my meals were held for me so that I avoided all the clatter and other patients eating. They also gave me plastic cutlery for my own use.

For a quick self-assessment misophoniainstitute.org/misophonia-test-do-you-have-misophonia/

If you do get the diagnosis, I attach a card which is handy to have printed and laminated

Best wishes

Oh my god that sounds horrific. Mine is nowhere near that severe. I can't imagine how horrible that is :(
Mine is only really low frequency sounds. If someone with a deep voice talks, thunder, TV and music through walls. When I was at uni I lived in a student area and house parties in other houses used to make me cry because of the bass. I will try that test now. Thank you for sharing your story, I don't feel stupid about it now people underatsn how I feel.