Sound distractions

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I know I have a lot of sensory issues. I thought I was OK with sound, as loud sounds don't bother me much. (No, rubbing balloons, chainsaw or fingernail on blackboard don't bother me at all.) Just recently I realized it's the small quiet sounds that bother me. Not too long ago I was watching a movie with a few family members and I kept telling one of my sons to stop moving around, as he was wearing a pair of track pants that day. The slight noise from the nylon fabric moving and rubbing was so irritating I couldn't hear the movie. Finally I went and brought a different pair of pants and made him change into that. DH though I was being too harsh, as nobody else was remotely bothered by the track pants and watched movie just fine. I really literally couldn't hear the movie due to the pants.

Today we went to a park. DH was talking to me, and there are all sorts of flowers and tweety little birds chirping in the fine spring weather. Every time the birds chirped I missed something he said. Since the birds were busy chirping (mating season eh?) I couldn't understand most of what he was saying. DH thought I was so cute. I don't want to be cute, I want to be able to focus and not be so distracted.

I'm sure I'm not alone with being bothered by small noises. Even though it doesn't make sense how small noises can make me not hear something much louder or closer to me. What is this called? Is there a term for it? What can I do to make it not so annoying?

Somethimes it happens. I hear sounds normally (even it seems i listen with left ear only, because in my right ear i can't elaborate sounds very well)
I fell confused when i hear too many much sounds togheter, even if i don't ear them strong.
In this case, i assume the classic pose you see in cartoons of deaf elders, keeping my left ear near to the face of the speaking person.

It sounds like misophonia, google it to see if you agree. I have misophonia and I get really aggravated by small sounds, usually people eating but it can be other sounds too. It's really annoying I found it really interesting that it's often sounds made by people you have an emotional attachment to that annoy you most. It can also include movements that annoy you too, for example I hate it when my mum makes this twiddling motion with her thumbs, it really stresses me out.

This is probably one of my biggest pet peeves. Have you seen any of the old Hardee's commercials, where they purposely accentuate the sound of people eating one of their greasy cheeseburgers? Ugh!

I have one of those ultrasonic machines that drive insects away using electromagnetic sound waves. For the most part I don't really notice the very faint sound that it makes, but I turned it off this morning, because I'm not so sure that my son can't hear it, or if it bothers him.

I think I would murder my television if I had seen that...

Yes! so many times.
You keep volume low and suddenly VOLUME INCREASE BECAUSE OF PUBBLICITY
It annoys everybody.

And on radio is worse.

I too do not have a problem with loud noise or nails on the blackboard or styrofoam rubbing together or lawnmowers etc I have a problem with swooshy backround noise and when certain people talk-either they put on like a different voice-you know people that talk like Edward G Robinson's gangster characterization "hey pallie" like that with a sly lilt in the voice or people that make that little "tick" noise when pausing between words or the ones that do the little upswing in inflection when they are talking to you like they are better than you and talking down to you in a condescending way-that what I have the problem with.

can any of you hear the high - pitched ringing noise that comes from the high voltage power supply in tube TV's and monitors? I can. I can always tell when a tube is on in a room, even if there is no sound playing. It usually doesn't bother me, as I have grown to get used to it, but now that LCD screens are catching on, I notice it more, as it is less common

That was the biggest reason why I had to upgrade to an LCD monitor last year. That old CRT piece of junk annoyed the hell out of me making that high pitched ringing sound for hours.

Oh yes all the time and I work on TV's-I could also tell just from the audio coming from the TV which TV station and network the TV was tuned to.

Thank you for the suggestion! I looked it up and it's very interesting. However I think mine is probably not misophonia. I don't really hate those sounds, I just seem to not being able to hear much louder, more obvious sound over those noises. It's like my brain can't prioritize what's more important to hear. If I was not trying to listen to movie or people talking, those noises don't bother me much. My husband thought it's a sensory integration problem.