A few years ago I was convinced I was going deaf. At parties and in crowded rooms I couldn’t hear what was going on. Trying to have a conversation in a pub or cafe was proving more and more difficult. If I was unlucky enough to be at a party with a disco – it was pointless trying to chat with friends or new acquaintances.
I did an online hearing test for free before paying for a hearing test, or going to my GP. I thought it would give me something to show them. But the results showed that my hearing was fine. Hmmm. I realised that when I am in a quiet environment my hearing is fine, but when I’m in a noisy, crowded or echoing place, I can barely hear.
Looking back, I always hated clubs and noisy pubs with blaring music. I struggle to have conversations in crowded restaurants with lots of people close together. The sounds are overwhelming and snippets of other people’s conversations are very distracting. I love quiet venues with cosy corners to chat in and calm, ambient background sounds, perhaps in the open air with nature all around.
People with ADHD can experience sensory overwhelm, and many sounds are distracting or stressful. Individual sounds like a person eating, a child crying, an alarm sounding, can be very uncomfortable for some. I don’t like the sound of a radio playing music – it really grates and I have to grit my teeth to tolerate it. So crowded places with a lot of background noise can make us feel that we can’t hear properly.
ADHDers can also have Auditory Processing Disorder (APD) which is a neurodevelopmental condition affecting the way the brain processes sounds. There is an overlap in traits between people who have ADHD and APD, and some evidence that it’s possible to have both.
If you are concerned about hearing loss and think you might be going deaf, I can recommend doing a free online hearing test as a first step. You might be struggling to hear at particular times and places so it’s worth making a note of these to see if there is a pattern. There are various ear plugs on the market which help to minimise background noise and sound distortion for people with sensitive hearing.
It might be hearing loss, sensory issues or APD – and that’s good to know.
