Low frequency noise; sleep disturbance?

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Hi, I'm new here. I have actually known about this site for a long time but only signed up today. Anyway... Sorry about the length, I rewrote this twice to no avail.

I work out of my house so I am home a lot during the day. For about the last year or so there has been a large housing construction project going on near my house. They use a lot of heavy machinery but the sound doesn't really bother me. Most of the time I can't even hear anything unless I go into certain rooms in my house. However, apparently the vibrations, infrasonic noise, or something is screwing up my brain.

As far as I know there is no equipment running at night. I go to sleep just fine and most of the time I seem to sleep OK. However, I must not be getting into the deeper stages of sleep or something because I'm experiencing all sorts of weird psychological and physical effects. I sometimes get really sleepy during the day, fatigued, feel like I have been awake for 48 hours straight, or get that awful “brain fog” feeling all day long. I'm also having anxiety attacks, inability to cope, migraine headaches and other symptoms common to sleep deprivation or from what I have read about people who live near low frequency noise sources like windmills. The symptoms get better when the work stops (like over the weekend or during breaks). It takes about 2 or 3 days for the symptoms to go away or come back. It does seem to be getting worse the longer it goes on, I do not recover as fast as I used to.

Now, I probably have a tendency towards anxiety and such anyway due to AS (or whatever) but I have always been able to control it. It is getting out of hand now though because it is effecting my work and physical health. I used to work-out and was in pretty good shape before all this started but I haven't been able to get back into things for months. My family thinks I may be clinically depressed or something but I know that's not it. I don't feel the disconnection or sadness you supposedly get with depression, although I can see myself getting that way if this continues on for too long.

When I can, I try to get away from my house and work but that is difficult to do all the time as all my equipment is at my house. I have started experimenting with noise canceling headphones but I'm not sure if they will help (plus it's hard to wear headphones all day). Apparently there is a primal fear built into all animals when the ground shakes and that may be what is causing my extreme anxiety. It's freaky though because it's so subconscious. For a long time I didn't even realize what was going on and I thought I had a serious illness or something.

I know the heavy equipment work will have to stop at some point but I don't know how much longer it will be. I should probably go see a doctor but the anxiety is too great right now and I'm not sure they would even know what to do other than pump drugs into me (bah) or send me to a psychologist. It seems like all the low-frequency research has been done over in Europe.

Has anyone else experienced this? Did you do anything to cope with the problem? Anyone have any ideas? Am I crazy?

Welcome to WrongPlanet.Net Coded. You have alot
to say, and so did I when I first started using
W.P.N. Can you break down your ideas into
categories so I don't feel overwhemed and perhaps
can offer some ideas.

There is nothing wrong with what you wrote, just
some clarification, and I AM GLAD YOU ARE
ABLE TO VENT, that is always a terrific first step.

Here is a basic breakdown of AS & HFA:

There are key diffences in AS and HFA. AS people share similar
traits of obsessions, talking but not being able to be grapsped by
normal people, lack of eye contact issues an isolative and
social problems, But....the key diffences between Asperger's and
the Autism Spectrum Disorder is the fact that most HFA people
had early delays in Language (and other non-specified disorders)
related to learning by the age of 3-6(Sp:Ed). The topic is NVLD.
"Neurological Vactive Learning Disabilities" and a with most Asperger's
disgnosises have a terrifiic intellect but lack social skills mainly.

KEY WORD SEARCHES :
NLVD
ASPERGER'S
AUTISM
*Lars Perner also offers good insight in the diffences.

1)...Delayed Learning - LFA to HFA(Lower Form Autism, Higher Form A..)
2)...4-6 year old geniouses (Asperger's Syndrome)
©1944-2005 studiesBack to top

•What do you do for a job?
•Which of the categories applies to you?

AND WELCOME TO WRONGPLANET!

Sincerely,
Ghosthunter

Nope. I don't think you are crazy.

I also have trouble with different sound frequencies. Athough I have never been able to word it like you have. In fact you have helped me feel less crazy about it. Finding out about AS also eased my mind about it too.

How much longer is the contruction going to be for. If it is a long time, it might be worth sound proofing your room. This can be done by lining the walls with egg cartons.

It makes so much sense to me that frequencies are affecting your physical and mental states.

ElfMan

For CODED'S issue and questions!

•I work out of my house so I am home a lot during the day.

•large housing construction project going on near my house.

•Most of the time I can't even hear anything unless I go into certain rooms in my house. However, apparently the vibrations, infrasonic noise, or something is screwing up my brain.

• most of the time I seem to sleep OK.

•not be getting into the deeper stages of sleep or something...
?weird psychological(effects...)?

1)...anxiety attacks
2)...inability to cope
3)...migraine headaches
4)...other symptoms(?)

Clue?
("from what I have read about people who live near
low frequency noise sources like windmills.)

Clue?
("The symptoms get better when the work stops")

Clue?
("2 or 3 days for the symptoms to go away or come back")

?physical(effects....)?

1)...feel like I have been awake for 48 hours straight(daytime only?)
2)...awful “brain fog” feeling all day long(daytime only?)

?Main Idea?

•I probably have a tendency towards
anxiety and such anyway due to AS (or whatever)
but I have always been able to control it.

•AS/HFA?

?Dilema?

("I should probably go see a doctor
but the anxiety is too great right now
and I'm not sure they would even know
what to do other than pump drugs into
me (bah) or send me to a psychologist.")

I am sound sensitive too. I was doing the
shipment at the restraunt and they
were doing road work. It was a terrible
day to do it and my focuses, the "backdoor",
not front door delivery(it is a small restr')
put me in a annoyance phase. This is because
too much chaos to focus on a particular
task(especially sound). I do feel for you,
and hope the construction stops soon.

My intuition tells me there is more to your
symptoms than just construction and
?.

Welcome, Coded!
Your post was very interesting. It seems like you're onto something. The headphones sound like a good idea, unless your problem is actually caused by the vibration rather than the noise.

Could it also be that there is something else screwing up your sleep patterns? Like a breathing problem such as Sleep Apnea, or the side effects of medication? For example, if I take simple over-the-counter Claritin for my sinuses, my sleep gets totally messed up. I'm exhausted all day and feel like I never get any deep sleep at night. Just wondering if there could be other, less obvious, factors involved.

By the way, you have my sympathy--living next to a construction site must be awful.