sensory problems

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hi im dx aspergers w/adhd and have sensory intergration which i can normaly handle by headphones etc but lately my sensory issues have magnified and when i get stressed any noise or sound is agonising has anyone else had this happen or know of any techniques to help as i cant use my music method as any sound is now painfull

Sorry, would love to help but music pretty much works for me.
Do you have noise cancelling headphones? Or do they not work too?
I would say avoidance but that's not the best option. How can you avoid life?

Are you on meds? They could make you more hypersensitive.
I'm really hypersensitive to noise now. Still not as bad as you. But I can't help think some medication I used to be on was the culprit. SSRI's.

I use industrial-rated earplugs (I get them at a hardware store), but I read somewhere that if I use them for more than a few hours a day that my sensitivity can actually increase over time. Is it possible that you've increased your sensitivity by using headphones too often? Not that it would help you now, but maybe you can prevent from getting even more sensitive to sound? I'm trying to deal with it for as long as I can before I put them in... and I mostly only use them on the train commute in the morning when it's really annoying and at night because my partner grinds his teeth and it really upsets me to get woken up by the sound of that. Ugh.

That is correct that using ear protection can worsen symptoms. I have always had sensitive hearing and as a result, aged 12 years old, I started to wear ear plugs. Over the following five years, my acute hearing got worse, and worse, and worse to the point where the smallest little noises were almost killing me with pain. I could hear things like dog whistles, those things that people put in attics to scare squirrels, sounds that were happening miles away. Sounds which were close to me were worse, agonizing. I couldn't (and still can't) hear what people were saying to me over all the noise.

I was diagnosed with hyperacusis when I was 18. At this point, no one really knew what had caused it, I was just told not to put earplugs in (easier said than done) and to wear two hearing aid like devices which let a white noise into my ears. Unfortunately, less than a year into my treatment, my circumstances changed and I moved away and my treatment was stopped. Over the next few years, until 2010, I carried on suffering. I was now wearing proper industrial style ear protectors at times. I was finally referred to the local hospital after I kept bugging my GP over and over. The audiologist there was so much nicer. He explained that not only was my hearing average, I was also hearing pitches that were not usually heard by human ears. In other words I had brilliant hearing. I wasn't too pleased when he said this, especially when he mentioned how hard it is for him because he has poor hearing, however for the first time ever, a specialist told me, 'It can be just as hard to have hypersensitive hearing as being deaf'.

I was told to carry on the white noise therapy, but to keep them in ALL day now (I accidentally lost one though :S) and, most importantly, to STOP WEARING EAR PLUGS FULL STOP! Amazingly, for the first time in my life, using gentle ocean sounds at night, I can now sleep through the night without ear plugs. It is brilliant. My hearing, although still very acute, is starting to improve. It is important to stop using anything to mask the everyday sounds, or if you do listen to music, try and get headphones which let you hear other noises as well at the same time. Irritating, but it should help in the long run. If you have REAL problems with this though I suggest you try and see a specialist.

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I have HFA, ADHD, OCD & Tourette syndrome. I love animals, especially my bunnies and hamster. I skate in a roller derby team (but I'll try not to bite )