Is noise the destruction of creativity?

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In my case, at least, in the day when all hell breaks loose and then some (aka normal life in the '21st century') I can't concentrate, can barely do what I desire to do, and when I think my thoughts are so disorganized that it would seem I just fell out of a building. At night, then... IF I happen to survive the onslaught of the day (20 hours in the summer? Bah!) I appear to transform from ret*d into uber-awesome thinking machine. No, it's probably mundane and anyone who lives in an isolated castle can do that 24/7, but for me it's like I've just been giving the leash to life. As such, in the summer I'm only alive four hours... if I'm able to sleep in the day to be awake in the night.

Anyway, point I've been thinking is: aspies are screwed, right? As mostly we are disturbed by noise... in this 'modern' era, where cars are constant and planes dictatorial, we are but broken.

I mean, there weren't any stupid traffic noise when Newton was alive (AFAIK). If he was sensitive to noise could he have possibly come up with calculus? Could anyone come up with anything remotely sensible in today's atrocious environment?

I just feel so frustrated of forcibly not being able to meet my potential...

You've made me realize just how much noise breaks my concentration.

I'll be trying to type something, or create something, or just think, and my concentration will shatter because I hear my dogs barking at some random pedestrian, or my dad telling them to stop barking, or the garbage disposal running in the other room. It's all just so frustrating! That's why I find it hard to concentrate in school. All the people talking or trying to get my attention. I'm usually a very intelligent person, but if there's noise around me, I can't even think straight.

This is why I always want to finish projects at home, where I can at least have some quiet to work.

You are not alone with that. I used to get my best writing done between the hours of midnight and 3 am. During the day there is a veritable smorgasbord of noise, which effectively dries up the creative flow because I am always hyper focused on bracing myself for the next auditory disturbance. Even little sounds like a car driving by, or a dog barking can ruin a good train of thought.

For me it depends on the type of noise, but yes, certain kinds of noises and nearly all interruptions, or any kind of stress breaking into my thoughts just about kills the creative process. Even understanding this some people can't seem to let me be. Or the cats choose that time to act up, playing so hard they crash into things. Or the doorbell rings. Or there will be fire engines, sirens, helicopters flying low, you name it. Sigh. Then I blame myself for not getting anything productive done, but really who's to blame? It's just life.

the night time is the right time

It may not be noise as the culprit as much as you think. Being sluggish and having trouble focusing in the daytime, and brillant at night is one of the main symptoms of meletonin deficiency which is very common with us on the spectrum. Other symptoms including difficulty waking up, and brain having trouble" turning off" at night to sleep.

You can buy meletonin over the counter in the supplements section of most drug stores. Strangely enough, but the lower doses seem to work better than the higher doses, but if you need a higher dose take 2 of the 3mg instead of 1 of the 5mg. Take as described on the bottle 30 minutes before bed. It will take a week before you see results.

disclaimer: I am not a doctor, only speaking from my experience.

Jojo

Does melatonin make one insensitive to noise? It's annoyingly available by prescription in the UK, by the way.

Jojo,

I find that melatonin helps me quite a bit, in that when I take it, I am able to sleep. I was on medication for sleep, that was not helpful at all, and then, when I started taking the melatonin, was able to completely remove the need for the medication I was taking. I do find two things however:

1. Melatonin takes at least a month to build up in the system for full effect.
2. Melatonin is best if you take it for awhile, and then take a break, and then take it again when needed.

This is not medical advice, however, it is simply what works for me.

I was surprised when you mentioned that, however, in that, I did not think it had anything to do with Autism, and then you mention it, and I am like, "Wow, I just started taking that!" So, cool, maybe just a co-incidence, but thought I would mention it.

Nothing seems to help with the noise, though, and since my parents are TV watchers, it makes it all that much more difficult, to deal with on a daily basis, the quieter, the happier I AM!

So, what do we do when there is so much noise? I just say, "There is nothing I can do", and move on, but it doesn't make it easier to deal with the frustration, does it!

Hugs to all the people who experience pain with noise or distraction, I know how bad that feels!! !

Not really disturbed by most noises over here.

I think you're severely over-reacting.

Being disturbed by noise is one thing, but getting brain-dead is a whole different issue.