My hearing sensivity just got worse.

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Yesterday I got really startled.

Early in the morning I got waked up by a terrifying noise - the water in our central heating was boiling. The whole house smelled like ironed clothing. I jumped out of bed and run to the basement, on the way I met my mom. I told her to unplug the heating machine from power source and run away since I couldn't guess how much time left till everything blows up. I'm not sure if the boiling water in house radiators can actually cause them blow up but my mom was always telling me it does and I consider it true, especially since the sound in boiling heaters is really scary.


Fortunately it was enough. Once the heating machine stopped working the overall temperature started to drop. Soon the radiators stopped making boiling water sound and started to tick. It is a scary sound for me but I learned it is just a sound of heaters temperature changing fast - the metal changes its density and it causes a stress that has to line up. Dad was always telling me not to worry about it "nothing bad happens, its just a sound". So despite the sound being distracting and scary I learned to not make a fuss of it, especially since it last only a few minutes to a hour.

The house got cold.

The rest of day was stressy. I was not only worried about the central heating but I also have had some things to do in the city - including a job interview (I not got in but they guy told me I got a chance when they are going to need more workers - they just started a company). I come back home about 7PM - not enough time to do stuffs according to my weekly or daily routine (I always spend at least 5h a day on my special interests).

When I was gone my dad fixed the heating machine. The house was warm again. But as soon as I entered my room I discovered scary thing - my room heater was making a loud sound of running water. I checked if the water is not leaking anywhere but it was not. I touched the heater - it was hot at one part and cold at the other. I figured out it must get aired due the boiling. So I told my dad about it and he fixed it by adding water. But it made me unable to gain my trust back - dad might fix the machine but he had o idea my heaters are broken so how can I suppose he really has any clue about the house central heating overall?

Everything was fine till it was time to go to sleep. As soon as I turned out my quite loud computer I realized the house is full of a new constant silent sound of a machine yowling. Apparently it got similar frequency as my computer fans so I couldn't hear it before. My parents were already asleep and the sound didn't sound dangerous so I decided to ignore it...

But tell it to my body!

I couldn't fall asleep because I was constantly hearing the new sound. As well as all the other central heater sounds. The heating machine was adding fuel every a few minutes, the pump was pumping the water around, the fire was burning, the air was blowing... In the end, about 4AM I realized the house is too hot for that time of night and the machine is adding fuel way too often so I went to basement to check it everything is fine. It was - despite the heating machine having temperature of 53*C and designed temperature of 59*C (with heaters temperature of 45*C - too hot for a night time!). I turned the designed temperature down and the machine stopped to try fuel so forcefully. Finally.

When I was returning to my room I met my parents - awake and angry. They scolded me for not sleeping and I told them I can't sleep because the house it too hot and the central heating sounds don't let me sleep. They told me "not to worry about that because they are home and if something is going to happen they will hear it". I asked them if they don't hear the new constant sound, the fuel adding, the fire, the air and the pump. They told me those are normal central heating sounds and I should "stop paying attention".

I went back to bed. But I still couldn't fall asleep. The constant sound was pissing me off. It was still keeping my focus on the radiators temperature was dropping so they started making ticking sounds and occasional machine fuel adding sound as well as the fire and air blow. I couldn't stand it. So I was lying there, trying to fall asleep. Tired like hell but wide awake. I was also getting cold so I was thinking about going to basement and setting the temperature a bit higher but I was worried of waking my parents up again and messing up the machine as well. I don't trust it anymore.

I managed to fall asleep about 6AM - when neighborhood and nature morning sounds started again and covered the constant sound a bit. But I was still waking up everytime the heating machine was adding fuel. And in the end I waked up at 2PM (I believe I started to sleep soundly about 10AM when my parents woke up and turned on TV downstairs since I don't remember any waking up since then but I remember trying to fall asleep to get rid of really bad headache) - tired like hell and with slight headache as well as remorseful for walking up so late. The first sound that got my attention once I woke up was the new constant sound. So depressing. It's not my house anymore! I can't rest here!

And them my parents scolded me for sleeping too long...

I told my dad about the new sound and he said he doesn't hear a thing and I must be imagining it. And my mom told me I should stop worrying because dad is home so nothing bad is going to happen. But how I do it when a constant sound keeps my focus on all the central heating sounds and even causes me headache?

Eventually my dad helped me discover the sound I am hearing might be underlying sound of a new water pump - a broken pump was the reason the water boiled yesterday so he installed a new one. But he yelled at me that he won't pay another 400PLN for different pump only because I am "imagining" the sound is scary (the sound is not scary - it just keeps my focus on other scary sounds) so I just have to deal with it.

The question is - how?
Leaving computer on for night(which seem to cover the pump sound) is not an option - I am unable to sleep with computer going just like I am unable to sleep with the new pump sound.

Have you tried earplugs? I find them indispensible.

If background noise works for you, I'd also try playing music on a phone or mp3 player.

I tried earplugs once but they don't help in my case - I end up hearing my own heartbeat and my hair rubbing against the earplug which is even more irritating.

I might try playing music but I am afraid of my parents scolding me for making noise - all my music devices are quite loud even on lowest setting unless I use headphones. And I can't sleep with headphones on because I am afraid of the cable wrapping around my neck.

I would also have to choose the background sound carefully - it can't be radio music because I would end up listening to it and not sleeping. Songs are distracting in their own way. I have great auditory memory so instead of falling asleep I would either "record" a new song in my mind or play a remembered version in my head to compare it with the version I hear in the radio and detect any miss sounds.
I might try some sound tapes such as the sound of the woods or sea though.
Or I might do the same thing I was doing often when I was 10 years old(my hearing sensitivity was really bad when I was young - I couldn't sleep because I could hear everything) - listen to some boring lecture recordings in a foreign language so I won't try to analyze what is being said. Just have to think of what language to choose - it can't be English as it used to be since I know English now.

Yeah, that sounds like an idea. But first I have to find a device that plays silently enough for my parents not hear it next door. And get a non English, non Polish boring lecture recording sound file...

Earphones can be used as quiet speakers. Some of them are almost loud enough to be used as regular speakers when the sound isn't being trapped by an ear. You might also want to look at getting wireless ones you could sleep with, or a speaker with an analog volume dial that can go arbitrarily low.

Fortunately it got better now.

Apparently the increased hearing sensitivity was due to stress and lack of sleep as well as some changes I wasn't aware of - when my dad was filling the heaters with water he moved some stuff in my room so they wouldn't get wet - including the summer sky stare set I keep in a gap between heat pipes and closet (mattress, pillow, sleeping bag). It looks like they were silencing the heating system sounds a lot and once they were gone the gap between pipes and closet started working as a sound amplifier. Today I put them back in there and my room is silent again - all I can hear is clock ticking, heating machine fuel adds and heaters ticking when they go cold - no more constant high pinch sound although I can still hear it in some other rooms.

I also discovered a nice tool that helps me fall asleep. An android app "NatureSound". It has its own loudness scale so I don't have to depend on the messed up system scale where the minimum you can set is 10%(next click moves it to 0%). I am running the app on 40% of system 10%(=4%) and it is just right loudness.
The sound of sea helps a lot. It not only takes my focus off other sounds but also slows down my breath because I tune to the waves.