Did you know your ears never stop hearing? During sleep, your brain simply ignores incoming sounds. Here are four more strange facts to show just how bizarre the world of hearing can be.
55 minutes is the longest anyone has endured the quietest place on Earth. The anechoic (echo-free) chamber at Microsoft in Redmond, WA, is the quietest place on earth. Any sound waves that hit the walls, floor, or ceiling are instantly absorbed. For a human sitting in it alone, the chamber is unsettling — you can hear noises that happen inside your body.
Some people have super hearing — sort of. True super hearing would make you miserable: Loud sounds would be even louder, and you could hear all the noises in your neighbors’ houses at once. But some people are sensitive to certain aspects of hearing: some hear very quiet sounds, others very high pitches, and some can tell whether sound arrives at each ear at a different time.
The wax moth has the best hearing of any animal (including humans). Galleria mellonella, also known as the wax moth, can hear frequencies up to 300 kHz. For comparison, bats — the wax moth’s main predators — can hear their own sonar at 212 kHz, a dog can hear 45 kHz, and a human with unusually good hearing can hear 20 kHz.
Tinnitus can be musical. Some people experience what’s called musical ear syndrome (MES). As with tinnitus, it’s a sound perception with no external source. But unlike the simple sounds of tinnitus, such as ringing or buzzing, MES can include perception of entire songs, such as “Silent Night” or Wagner’s “Ride of the Valkyries.” In fact, a common name for MES is musical tinnitus.
Are you experiencing a ringing or buzzing that only you can hear? Contact us today for a tinnitus consultation!