Struggle to distinguish conversation from background noise.

[MitchT]

I have [recently tested] excellent hearing but I have a real struggle making out conversation when there's noise in the background. I seem to struggle to distinguish conversation from background noise far more than other people do - my OH gets particularly frustrated with me. I've always been like this, right from being young and going to noisy pubs/bars/clubs and finding it virtually impossible to understand what bar staff were saying to me when I was ordering drinks while friends had no difficulty at all. Now in my 40s I'm still the same - the OH only has to be looking away from me when she says something and I can't work out what she's said if there's any sort of background noise whatsoever. I have slight tinnitus in my left ear and during the investigative process I had a very thorough hearing test and was told my hearing was outstanding, but add different noises together and it all becomes a muddle from which I find it impossible to distinguish the bit that I need to be taking notice of. Am I normal?

[Zoon]

You may be going deaf.

[MitchT]

But during a recent hearing test I managed to recognise incredibly feint sounds, well beyond standards regarded as normal. Also "going deaf" ... as I said, I've always had this problem so I'd have to have been going deaf for the last 25 years with no actual detriment to my hearing!

[SHutchinson]

In for the conclusion as that could describe my hearing exactly. Perfect in almost every circumstance except noisy pubs/clubs. Been like that since I was a kid.

[langtounlad]

I have tinnitus in one ear (lhs) and I have the same problem. I've learned to live with it but it does make many social gatherings difficult.

[TameRacingDriver]

I've not really got any advice for you OP other than the fact I too have always been like this. It has been very annoying at times. I sometimes may as well not even be there if I'm in a loud pub and there's a conversation going. Chatting up women in pubs back in the day was simply impossible for me - their high pitched voices were even more difficult to understand in loud environments, and so you can imagine how frustrating that was when all I wanted to do was go on the pull.

I'm not sure what it is really, as like you I can hear very feint noises and I love my hifi gear and can pick out lots of details in music.

My brain just seems to find it impossible to filter out the background noise so that I can focus on what is being said. Whenever in such an environment, or similar, like a crowd of people talking over each other, the sound just all seems to merge together.

[Foliage]

Have any of these other symptoms?

◾Poor understanding of other people's feelings
◾Insensitivity to social cues and facial expressions
◾Inappropriate social and emotional responses
◾Preoccupation with one's own world
◾Not sharing enjoyment, interests, or achievements with others
◾Following repetitive routines or rituals
◾Limited interests, usually one or two subjects
◾Repeating words or phrases over and over
◾Good rote memory without understanding the information
◾Limited verbal skills or using words in odd ways
◾Taking things very literally
◾Focusing on small details and having trouble seeing the bigger picture
◾Ability to read without understanding the words
◾Problems with nonverbal communication
◾Few facial expressions, except for anger or unhappiness
◾Impaired body posturing or use of gestures
◾Clumsy movements
◾Hand flapping
◾Poor coordination
◾Inflexibility or trouble accepting change
◾Difficulty accepting loss or criticism
◾Obsessive desire to finish any tasks that are started

[Dr Murdoch]

I have the same, the hearing doctor said it was 'audio dyslexia', and was told to get on with it.

[TameRacingDriver]

Foliage said:

Have any of these other symptoms?

?Poor understanding of other people's feelings
?Insensitivity to social cues and facial expressions
?Inappropriate social and emotional responses
?Preoccupation with one's own world
?Not sharing enjoyment, interests, or achievements with others
?Following repetitive routines or rituals
?Limited interests, usually one or two subjects
?Repeating words or phrases over and over
?Good rote memory without understanding the information
?Limited verbal skills or using words in odd ways
?Taking things very literally
?Focusing on small details and having trouble seeing the bigger picture
?Ability to read without understanding the words
?Problems with nonverbal communication
?Few facial expressions, except for anger or unhappiness
?Impaired body posturing or use of gestures
?Clumsy movements
?Hand flapping
?Poor coordination
?Inflexibility or trouble accepting change
?Difficulty accepting loss or criticism
?Obsessive desire to finish any tasks that are started

What does any of that have to do with it? (yes to a few of those but then doesn't everyone - e.g. following repetitive routines or rituals - that pretty much describes most of the population i would have thought).

[SebastienClement]

TameRacingDriver said:

What does any of that have to do with it? (yes to a few of those but then doesn't everyone - e.g. following repetitive routines or rituals - that pretty much describes most of the population i would have thought).

The way you’ve described your hearing is how i would describe mine.

I have Asperger’s syndrome - although you probably wouldn’t know it to talk to me. I’m also musical and have perfect pitch / ability to hear little random things that no one else pays attention to.

It’s incredibly frustrating and I really do sympathise, but the chap above might be on to something.

[TameRacingDriver]

SebastienClement said:

The way you’ve described your hearing is how i would describe mine.

I have Asperger’s syndrome - although you probably wouldn’t know it to talk to me. I’m also musical and have perfect pitch / ability to hear little random things that no one else pays attention to.

It’s incredibly frustrating and I really do sympathise, but the chap above might be on to something.

I guess he is describing the symptoms of Aspergers there? Well as far as I know I don't have that, or at least, never been diagnosed with it, but I did find myself agreeing with a few of the things on there - not sure whether I should be concerned about that or not

[MitchT]

langtounlad said:

I have tinnitus in one ear (lhs) and I have the same problem. I've learned to live with it but it does make many social gatherings difficult.

My tinnitus has been since early 2015 whereas the problem I describe is as long as I can remember.

Foliage said:

Have any of these other symptoms?

?Poor understanding of other people's feelings - No, actually quite sensitive to others' feelings
?Insensitivity to social cues and facial expressions - No
?Inappropriate social and emotional responses - No
?Preoccupation with one's own world - Only when I tune out because of smalltalk
?Not sharing enjoyment, interests, or achievements with others - No
?Following repetitive routines or rituals - I like structure but I wouldn't say my life is like a stuck record
?Limited interests, usually one or two subjects - Somewhat
?Repeating words or phrases over and over - No
?Good rote memory without understanding the information - Not sure
?Limited verbal skills or using words in odd ways - No
?Taking things very literally - No
?Focusing on small details and having trouble seeing the bigger picture - Quite the opposite
?Ability to read without understanding the words - No
?Problems with nonverbal communication - No
?Few facial expressions, except for anger or unhappiness - Yes, "resting bh face" 95% of the time!
?Impaired body posturing or use of gestures - No
?Clumsy movements - No
?Hand flapping - No
?Poor coordination - No
?Inflexibility or trouble accepting change - No
?Difficulty accepting loss or criticism - No more than any normal person
?Obsessive desire to finish any tasks that are started - Well, I like to finish what I've started but I know when to give something up as a bad job too

Dr Murdoch said:

I have the same, the hearing doctor said it was 'audio dyslexia', and was told to get on with it.

Good way to describe it.

[Yipper]

Sounds like spatial deafness. Damage to inner ear. Get some different tests. After 50, it will worsen.

[omniflow]

How thorough was your hearing test?

I had an extensive hearing test as part of an investigation into a potentially serious condition, and I was told I had hearing loss in the mid-range. The ENT guy told me that this would give me trouble with "speech in noise". I'd always thought my hearing was fine, but it turned out it wasn't. No issues with high or low, just the middle.

[HughG]

OP has perfectly described my hearing too, interesting to hear about spatial deafness, I will look into a thorough hearing test see if they can tell me about frequency range. Thank you all.

[Speed 3]

Isn't hearing like eyesight where the brain does 90% of the processing ? Could possibly be the secondary processing is lacking rather than initial input.

I've been the same since I was a teen, was always amazed how other people could possibly hear clearly in the same surroundings. Probably explains my hatred of nightclubs in my younger days.

[C0ffin D0dger]

I also suffer with this, no idea if I've always been like it or it's got worse over the years. Did used to go to quite a few gigs, clubs etc. in my younger raving days and have now got a little bit of tinnitus. The other thing I get it that it's almost like my brain needs a moment to catch up, the wife will ask me something, I'll almost immediately say pardon because I didn't quite catch it but then a moment or two later I now understand what she's asked. Don't want to be taking a 10 second pause every time someone asks me a question though.

[lj04]

It means your a normal male. Females seem to be able to lip read.

[Pippage]

I have virtually exactly the same set of symptoms and experiences OP and funnily enough was recently doing some research, as I was becoming frustrated again with my other half becoming frustrated with me, if you see what I mean.

I came up with this as a possible/probable desktop diagnosis;

http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/auditory-processing-d...

And some evidence for comorbidity with ADD/ADHD which also rings true for me;

https://www.additudemag.com/central-auditory-proce...

[Pippage]

lj04 said:

It means your a normal male. Females seem to be able to lip read.

Actually no, lip reading helps me cope with it to some extent