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Composers - Do you have this sensitive ear problem ?

constaneum

Senior Member
I used to be able to sleep easily back in the old days. Ever since i've started writing the music, I've noticed that my ears are trained to listen to every single instrument in the music, how instruments stand out in a mix an etc. As a result, my ears are more susceptible to environmental noises. A bit of noise, i'll get wake up and my entire sleep is affected. This isn't a once in a blue moon kind of problem. It's almost daily and i get kinda fed up with the sleeping problem.

I'm now trying to source for Melatonin supplements to enhance my sleep. I wonder whether any composer out there facing this issue as well and how do you overcome it ? Would like to hear and share your experiences. Cheers !
 
I have the same problem. I sleep with earplugs. But even with earplugs I sometimes awake because of sound. If I work with music late in the evening or before sleep, when I awake doing the night, the music is playing in my head, which is also annoying.
Maybe I have to make a soundproof bedroom with heavy basstrapes to absorb my own snoring :)).
 
Hmmm.... maybe that's why I only get 5-6 hours of sleep at the most every night now. Or maybe just because I have 2 kids. But noise does seem to wake me up much more easily than it used to .
 
I also started to wake up in the middle of the night to small noises from outside. Then I got airplugs, which are not totally cancelling the noise but are comfortable to sleep with.
 
Had tinnitus and regular sudden but temporar hearing loss at the right ear a couple years ago. Met the doctors and they couldn't find anything. Turned out it was the muscles at my right side of my neck. Loads of PC work and mountainbiking mostly with wind but without proper clothing caused my muscles to stiffen up. It took a while, bending, massaging and I finally got it resolved. It still comes back from time to time, but now I know what to do. Fitness is a really important point.
 
I need the white noise of a fan to sleep. Total quiet drives me nuts. There's too much to "hear."

Same here (hear? hehe), except that I have an HEPA air cleaner that performs dual purposes: adding white noise that masks the distant noises of traffic, activations of my heating system, etc. that would otherwise keep me awake, as well as taking stuff out of the air that would otherwise aggravate my nearly endless variety of allergies.
 
My husband has to sleep with a loud fan going. I needed to use earplugs because the bass rumble in the fan he used really bothered me. But then I started having issues with my ears from wearing the earplugs all the time. We've finally found a fan that isn't too bassy, but is loud enough for him.
 
I sometimes fall asleep easier when my PC is still running, but that's not something I want to keep running all night. I've wondered whether it's worth a try to have a subtle constant white noise running 24/7 in my room to get used to it and fall asleep easier. I've tried music and other stuff, but it never works very well. I have the theory that it has to be something I'm very used to hearing for it to have the desired effect.
 
I'm now trying to source for Melatonin supplements to enhance my sleep.

I'd recommend L-theanine over melatonin as melatonin is an actual hormone, and L-theanine is a hormone precursor which allows your body to regulate the needed melatonin at night and serotonin/dopamine if taken during the day . Melatonin can give a slight drowsy hangover sometimes whereas I've never experienced this with L-theanine. You can also take L-T during the day to chill a bit and it won't screw with your hormones.

And yes, I have very sensitive hearing as well despite also having tinnitus and an audible frequency range that cuts off at just over 12kHz.
 
I wear ear plugs.
My ears are too sensitive to noise too.
I think it dates back from my teenage time when I was sleeping in a separate floor from my family, next to the street.

And my wife talks in Chinese in her sleep... Lol
 
I used to be able to sleep easily back in the old days. Ever since i've started writing the music, I've noticed that my ears are trained to listen to every single instrument in the music, how instruments stand out in a mix an etc. As a result, my ears are more susceptible to environmental noises. A bit of noise, i'll get wake up and my entire sleep is affected. This isn't a once in a blue moon kind of problem. It's almost daily and i get kinda fed up with the sleeping problem.

I'm now trying to source for Melatonin supplements to enhance my sleep. I wonder whether any composer out there facing this issue as well and how do you overcome it ? Would like to hear and share your experiences. Cheers !
I think you might be suffering from the existential thrill of creating music, and that might be what is keeping you awake rather than any ambient noise or lack thereof :)
 
1. Earplugs. I sleep like a baby.
2. Alcohol. I wake up not so fresh.
3. Pot. May make things better or worse. It's a coin flip.
(0. Sexual activity. One doesn't always have the luxury.)

Avoid tobacco: it may make you feel relaxed, but it actually tenses your body.
 
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(0. Sexual activity. One doesn't always have the luxury.)
Luxury? Costs exactly 2 minutes of creative thinking and a dress shirt on a saturday night. I tought this is a forum for creative people, c'mon.

Back ontopic. Guys, don't use medics for every single little problem you have in life. Ear sensitivity can be caused by muscle hardening around your ears. I know many don't want to hear this, but eating healthy and gymnastics or yoga can have a way better effect on your health than any drug that will only milden your symptoms.
 
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