Last week, my grandmother went through something upsetting. She was convinced her neighbors were blasting loud music day and night. She couldn’t sleep, was exhausted, and grew frustrated when no one else seemed to hear it. The nurses assured her there was no noise at all—yet the music never stopped for her.

What she was experiencing is Musical Ear Syndrome. It’s a form of auditory hallucination that can affect people with hearing loss, especially when they aren’t consistently using their hearing aids. When the ears aren’t bringing in enough sound, the brain tries to fill in the silence on its own. The result is phantom music, singing, or rhythmic sounds that feel real to the person hearing them.

Imagine having nonstop music playing in your head, day and night—it would wear anyone down. Since no one else can hear it, Musical Ear Syndrome is often mistaken for dementia or confusion, but it's actually related to reduced hearing, not memory loss.

The good news is using hearing aids consistently, improving background sound levels, and addressing hearing loss can reduce or eliminate these phantom sounds. Musical Ear Syndrome is fascinating to read about, but for the person living with it, it can be overwhelming.