Anyone have any tips for noise sensitivity?

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ResilientBrilliance
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09 May 2017, 2:16 pm

Does anyone have any tips for dealing with noise sensitivity? I am sensitive to sudden noises and I would like to know if there is any way to cope with it or if any treatments exist.



Amity
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09 May 2017, 4:10 pm

For stressful situations where I know I will notice every little sound and for generally noisy situations I invested in the most expensive over ear noise cancelling headphones I could afford and have never ever regretted it... Life changer. Would like to get in-ear noise cancelling ones at some point in the future as they are more subtle.
https://www.bose.com/en_us/products/hea ... hones.html



Stoic0209
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11 May 2017, 6:49 am

I feel your pain. I have issues with conversations and sounds going on around me in my cube distracting and disconcerting me. I wear plain old headphones and listen to music. Noise-cancelling headphones might be better.



LogicOrNot
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11 May 2017, 8:20 am

I am fairly noise sensitive. I have the Bose QuietComfort 15 noise canceling headphones. These helped a lot at my last job, where my cubicle was in the part of the office where people like to congregate and have conversations. They don't completely block out sounds like people talking, but they reduce them to a dull murmur.

If I had stayed at that job longer, I would have asked to be moved to a more quiet part of the building. I am sure my manager would have been fine with that.

It also helps if you can find a quiet place to live. After being out in the noisy world all day, it is very helpful for me to come home and relax in a quiet space.



ResilientBrilliance
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11 May 2017, 2:50 pm

Thanks everyone for the responses.

LogicOrNot wrote:
I am fairly noise sensitive. I have the Bose QuietComfort 15 noise canceling headphones. These helped a lot at my last job, where my cubicle was in the part of the office where people like to congregate and have conversations. They don't completely block out sounds like people talking, but they reduce them to a dull murmur.

If I had stayed at that job longer, I would have asked to be moved to a more quiet part of the building. I am sure my manager would have been fine with that.

It also helps if you can find a quiet place to live. After being out in the noisy world all day, it is very helpful for me to come home and relax in a quiet space.

I've noticed too that headphones don't completely block out noises for me. It reduces the volume and serves as a distraction. I have heard other people say they don't hear anything when they put on headphones, so maybe it's different if you have noise sensitivity.



ResilientBrilliance
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11 May 2017, 2:52 pm

Other than wearing headphones, are there any other remedies for noise sensitivity? Like maybe treatments or therapies?



friedmacguffins
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11 May 2017, 3:21 pm

I think of the motorcycle helmet (not that you can wear one, all the time) because road noise causes a form of exhaustion, even when people think they are blocking it out.

Ear plugs become painful, gross, and eventually, costly. I don't want to be confined, or forever wearing something on my head. I have never found anything better than simple privacy. I walk like Forrest Gump. (Yes, really). Make and grow things for the garden. Lattices, hedges, and shoji screens are in the works.



Canadian Penguin
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11 May 2017, 5:16 pm

I try and tune out the noise and see if I can concentrate on one thing in particular, whether it's a spot on the wall or watching a person, perhaps sing a song in your head. Try and focus your attention elsewhere.

It's not a long term solution because eventually the noise draws me back in, but it can help tick those minutes off the clock.


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seaweed
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11 May 2017, 5:40 pm

noise cancelling headphones are great, but don't forget about noise isolation too! like, hunting/machining headsets. they are better for loud sounds and people talking/yelling. some even more expensive noise canceling headphones may also be noise isolating to some extent, but simple noise isolating ones are pretty cheap for a decent pair.



ZorgLife
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13 May 2017, 11:36 pm

I have recently started to put a constant noise source on, like a cooling fan. That helps sooth me and helps block out sudden noises that increase anxiety. Ear plugs and earphones just hurt my ears after a certain amount of time.