by Linda W. Arms, Sept. 16, 2018
The world is full of sounds, and after a brain injury, they often become intolerable. How many of you start experiencing an increase in anxiety, brain fog, balance or other problems associated with your brain injury when you are overloaded with sounds? This was a huge problem for me right after my brain injury and continues today, 12 years later, but to a lesser degree.
After my injury, I spent many hours with my head under pillows because I could not tolerate the sounds and lights around me. I wanted to curl up into a tight little ball and be in a cave where lights and sounds could not “get” me. Things you commonly hear around you but don’t think about, become a problem. I couldn’t tolerate the chirping of birds, the clock ticking, cars driving over wet pavement making that splashing noise, whispers, and many, what you would think, quiet sounds. Hammering, sawing, loud engines, music, TV programs, vacuums, dogs barking, so many everyday sounds, caused me to retreat to a silent place.
There were times, however, when I couldn’t leave where I was. It became torture to have to continue hearing the sounds. I would get nauseous, off balance, my vision would become problematic, all because my brain was overstimulated with sounds it could not process.
During most of the early years after the accident, I avoided noisy environments. Just going to the grocery store or hearing car sounds when I was out and about was usually too much to deal with. Restaurants were very difficult and I didn’t enjoy going out but did so for my family’s sake.
My neuropsychologist told me that my brain lost its ability to gate (or ignore) sounds around me that are just part of our environment. He suggested I get musician earplugs so I visited an audiologist. They fitted me with earplugs that included a noise filter to muffle a lot of the background noise but allowed me to still hear people near by me.
The earplugs helped a lot but there were some negatives. When I took a walk, I could hear my feet hitting the pavement which wasn’t pleasant. Restaurants still weren’t enjoyable because when I ate, I’d hear myself chewing and couldn’t hear anyone speaking at me over the sound of chewing. The earplugs were uncomfortable when you laid down on your side. It took me a while to figure out how loud I needed to speak. After getting the earplugs, I spoke too quietly and most people didn’t hear what I was saying. I had to learn to modulate my voice properly so others could hear me. Since then, I discovered Mack’s silicone earplugs which I’ve now used for years when sleeping or needing to block out all noise around me. The musician earplugs are still useful when I want to hear some sound but not be overwhelmed by noise.
I can tolerate so much more these days and can function very well. There are times, however, where I am in an environment that overwhelms my senses. In these situations, I’ve had to leave or needed some assistance getting away to a quiet place. I’m still learning what my limits are and it seems that sometimes they are different depending on other things going on with me. Just because we have this problem, we should still try to live a normal life and learn coping mechanisms to not just survive but also thrive and enjoy ourselves. Don’t let sensitivity to sound keep you from living a full life. Prepare yourself when going to a noisy location and set boundaries for yourself.
Here are some additional resources that provide information about sensitivity to sound:
Sensitivity to Noise/Phonophobia
Hyperacusis – Noise Sensitivity
Sounds familiar. It took me a few years to listen to anything other than some limited music you would listen to for meditation or yoga. After a few years, I could tolerate what I would call easy listening music and only things I was familiar with or would have enjoyed before. Finally, I graduated to listening to more upbeat and loud music that I enjoyed in my younger years. Today I can listen to a lot of different music including some of the new things but it absolutely has to be on something where the quality of the sound is very good. I cannot tolerate listening to anything somebody is playing on a smart phone or some devices that do not have great sound quality – it is like listening to something scratching a chalkboard.
For the last six years after encephalitis my ears buzz all the time. Plugging them up makes the sounds louder. Certain things like being around people talking, crowded areas like restaurants, etc., is very difficult. I tend to only find peace whenever I’m on an ocean beach with waves or listening to music that seems to help.
Thanks for sharing. During my first year following SAH I could not tolerate a slightest noise. In a noisy crowd if somebody threw a can in a bin or someone went past me I get hypervigilant that I get myself ready to hide as if someone was attacking me or us. I could not use a headphone, earphone nor place my mobile phone next to my ear coz it felt my eardrum will burst. These days I’m back to using earphones but I get startled easily and jump at an unexpected sounds, voice, noise. Our brain is such a complex organ that a slightest injury may effect a change in our wellbeing.
I’m 16+ years on now and have used earplugs of varying types for 11 years. I have the customised type with filters that are my everyday plugs, then I have Mack;s Ear Seals Dual Purpose for use at anything with music. In fact Mack’s have a great range, their soft foam ones are good for me too. I carry a box of different types with me all the time as I never know what noise I am going to have to deal with in this noisy world. I also understand the footsteps and the eating noises so had to experiment until I sorted out what worked for me.
Dear Linda
thank you so much for your wisdom and for being a voice for all of those who have a Brain injury I understand the pain and isolation thank you for all that you do for helping all of us be heard and the ways to cope you are the Brain Fairy!
Thank you, Karen. Just want to let you and others know, I am not the brain fairy. It’s more that I’m a victim of the brain fairy. Several years ago, I came home after a difficult outing and told my family that the brain fairy had not been good to me that day. In my mind, the brain fairy is that elusive thing that stirs up problems in our brain and also helps make it better. The brain is often considered the final frontier of science so they still have much to discover. So, since the scientists don’t know it all, I blame it on the brain fairy.
It’s been five years and I was never offered therapy or rehab. I’m trying to fight insurance over it. Had to get scans to prove it. I need OT, PT and ST as well as behavior modifications I just flip out, act out, and get really angry and defiant when any of these is too much. I can identify most of the problems but don’t know how to fix them. (Or let them go aI had toxic anoxia put into my spinal cord and brain for 11 days with doses toxic and overdosed more then 10x what they should. . A lazy dr says it goes away. And I’m healed. Not true. Help me understand these things,and my family, and how to navigate through. My mouth never stops talking now. I can’t connect in my brain so everything is verbal strings I add the rest to it later.
If you are in the United States, contact the Brain Injury Association for your state. They may be able to offer your some resources. Unfortunately, in my experience, health insurance has not stepped in a whole lot for me over the years that I’ve been healing from my brain injury.
Each acquired brain injury is unique in itself. It is a trauma that affects how we problem solve, feel, and behave. I was told that my core personality remained the same though…that was what kept me going. Yours was 12 years ago, mine 13. The medical profession still struggles as a whole but with Alzheimer’s and Dementia research we know more than when you and I had our injury. I feel for your inability to block out environmental noises. Re-learning skills I lost, and learning new strategies to cope with the “new” me helped me survive to the point where I am thriving…still. Never give up!
Thank you so much for sharing. I can’t agree with you more – I feel I am thriving by relearning skills and coming up with strategies to succeed. I am very proud to be where I’m at today and I expect you are too.