Noise sensitivity

P

peony

New member
I have pretty severe noise sensitivity since going through burnout. It was never this bad beforehand. I use various models of loop earplugs as well as soundcore noise cancelling headphones. Occasionally I wear ear defenders that are designed for children and so are slimline and make me feel less self- conscious. I recently watched an autistic YouTuber, who is also a therapist, and she said that you shouldn't use these strategies too often as you can make the sensitivity worse. But when I'm wearing my headphones I'm often playing music into them so I'm still hearing sound at a decent volume. I'm just avoiding the unpleasant sounds outside. I suppose I'm looking for advice on whether others have experienced their sensitivity getting worse whilst using these aids, as well as recommendations for the best products you've found.
 
I only use my noise cancelling headphones when really needed, so generally during the day I just have music on my Echo speaker ( ihave them all over the house) or the TV on . This wont stop any noise triggers completely but it helps and I also suffer from tinnitus, hence that is a additonal pain that the music helps mask, so I even use music or noise (rain/thunder) tracks on Spotify to help when I'm going to bed. I've heard the same, and don't know if this has been backed by any study ?, but it sounds reasonable enough to be believed, but is there any scientific evidence ?
 
Hi Bluelyn, sorry to hear you are struggling. I try not to use something unless I need to. I find that when I take headphones/flares/loops off then my sensitivity is very high initially but quickly wears off so I give myself space/time to transition from wearing them to wearing nothing. My noise sensitivity has got a bit better. I realised that I was getting very anxious about noises so some of the "sensitivity" was actually just anxiety. Over time I've been able to tell them apart: when I genuinely find a noise difficult vs when I'm just anxious about the possibility of finding it difficult. I'm also less burnt out so that has slowly improved things. I hope you find what will help you too.
 
Just found this post, was misdiagnosed with audio processing disorder back in 2020 by a local collage, was about 48 at the time, really struggle with nosies, but I can have my music on really loud, the worse bit I have awful tinnitus which drives me crazy as it never goes away.
The audio processing disorder turned out to be ADHD, which lead to me also getting diagnosed for Autism a few weeks ago.
Crazy thing is I always heard things others didn't, but it got worse over time.
Like you having music helps with focus, but it isn't perfect.
 
Hi I use Alpine Silence Earbuds they are the only ones that allow me to hear a conversation in front of me, whilst reducing the peripheral sounds and the decibel level in any environment. I was recently told that if women are perimenopausal it can aggravate our senses and increase sensitivity during this time. I'm very recently diagnosed, but I thought I might be able to contribute with recent experiences.
 
bluelyn said:
I'll look these up, I've tried loops and flares but can't stand them in my ears, yes I agree with the peri menopause making everything worse
Click to expand...
I have never got on with Loops or Flare either. Might not be your thing but I've tried so many. These are far the best value and the ones I've thrown at the walls the least amount of times.
 
Cant do anything in my ears, so have over the ear headphones, got a great pair though access to work, they do noise cancling but not 100% so its quiet enough but not so much that I feel isolated.