Quote Originally Posted by CymekSniper View Post
Maybe things get louder because you get used to the silence and when you start to hear noises like TV or a keyboard they seem louder cause of the lack of sound. Happens to me all the time.[/b]
Exactly what I was thinking. Plus, you are doing this with the intention of improving your hearing. You are concentrating on your hearing; its not surprising that your mind is picking up on sounds a lot more. This happens even if you just close your eyes (to concentrate only on your sense of hearing) and pay attention to noises. Also, you say to turn off your TV and everything that makes noise, so there is a lot less background noises than there is normally. Therefore, you're able to pick up on other noises much more than you would otherwise... you can probably hear birds chirping from far away, dogs barking from across the neighborhood, and the neighbor having sex with his lover.

I really don't see anything special about a cup of water, or blinking really hard for that matter, that would increase your ear's sensitivity to noises, like SKA said. Instead, try this
1. turn everything off, TV and what not.
2. Blindfold yourself, so that you don't have to concentrate on keeping your eyes closed.
3. Concentrate on sounds around you.

You will probably get the same results...