I'm very noise intolerant, can it be fixed?

[Spookyscary]

I find noise unbearable. I'll give some examples.

Visiting in laws, we are all chatting and they put the tv on loud, everyone talks louder over the tv so someone turns the tv up, it all gets louder and louder and my head feels like it's going to explode.

Ds watching noisy videos on YouTube, people shouting and screaming. sudden shrill high pitched screams. I can cope with normal cartoons but the shouting on YouTube drives me insane.

Dh and ds keep talking over one another, asking me questions or telling me thinks at the same time and I can't process what they're saying.

Persistent coughing.

Loud cats or motorbikes.

Any sounds like someone tapping on a desk or table.

Everything that goes on in our open plan office, people banging drawers, dropping things, sneezing loudly, loud ringtones, snorting when they laugh, eating loudly.

I could give many more examples. I hate being this way it makes life so difficult because obviously there's noise everywhere. I just want to run away with my hands over my ears.

What is the difference between Autism and AdHD.
I'm very noise intolerant too.
Deep breathing I cant stand, loud tv or radio. Does this mean ive got one or the other?

I need this thread too. The noise sensitivity has had a huge impact on my relationships. I put my hands over my ears quite a bit with exp. He used to take showers late at night and instead of opening the bedroom door he would crash through it making a big racket. I felt so angry that I would pretend to be asleep hoping he would open it quietly. He wouldn't. This affected intimacy and all sorts too.

I think you're among friends OP. 2 members of mu immediate family are like this and the other 3 are LOUD. It's the family joke now, but we wear noise cancelling headphones if necessary, and I'm just open about it with family, so if it's getting louder, I just move into another room/area/sit on the stairs! Mostly, the family start to quiet down.

I can relate to this. The anxiety around out of control stuff resonates with me though I have no identified trigger incident. I can't recall noise bothering me in my teens.

Misophonia sufferers do oi also have a much stronger sense of smell and do odours bother you?

I have always had this problem. In the past I could get through this with a few drinks. The alcohol seems to lessen the perception of too much noise. Obviously I only did this in social situations.

Im older now and have stopped drinking at all, but I can avoid most social situations these days.

Thanks for all the replies and advice, it's so interesting reading everyone's point of view.

It's like some people have described it isn't just a mild annoyance it's like physical pain and I struggle to contain my anger.

Interesting someone upthread mentioned about smells because I am sensitive to smells too but it's not nearly as bad as the noise.

No idea if anything in my childhood made me this way. My dad was very shouty and prone attention seeking noise when he and my mum weren't speaking but I'm more inclined to think it's just the way I am.

I don't think you are unusual or unreasonable at all, a lot of people just seem to think everyone else should put up with their constant noise.

And keeping the TV on when people are trying to talk is just stupid and rude.

Noise cancelling headphones are a good idea, and more generally, can people keep the effing noise down a bit!

I don't think it's about having an "ism", it's just other people being completely inconsiderate. You can't help some noise like mowing the lawn or drilling on occasion, but you can keep it down when you have garden parties, you can play your music on a train with headphones so nobody else hears, and you don't have to have cars with stupidly loud exhausts,

Same though. Odour sensitive but it's nothing compared to noise.

This thread makes me feel less like an arsehole

Thanks for this thread OP!! And thanks for those who recommended Loop earplugs, I’ve never heard of them before but have now ordered a pair, I hope they will help me!

I hate eating noises but I also struggle with a loud music in restaurants. I find it very difficult to tune it out.

I think I definately have a trigger for eating noises. Growing up I had a very tricky relationship with my DM, she was often uncouth and very much lacked in table manners. At dinner she used to stuff her mouth with food and then launch into a rant with a full mouthful about her day at work. She also used to lick her plate 🤢

Because she was very controlling and we were not allowed to critize her, it made me loath the eating times.

It's the associations with noise too isn't it? Like if people on another table in a restaurant are shrieking with laughter or someone in your family is gabbing away through a tv program it makes you feel that they're deliberately disrespecting you and invading your personal space.

When we had the misfortune of noisy neighbours in a semi-detached, I could feel my heart start to race whenever I heard the music go on or when they arrived back home and I knew we'd hear thumping footsteps up the stairs and the family calling out to each other. It felt very personal, as though they had no concern or respect for my life and I think that's where a lot of the stress is rooted. In reality, I doubt it was deliberate; they were just fairly laid back people who didn't realise how loud they were. But in my head it became a huge stress.

The day we moved to a detached house, in a peaceful location, it felt like a weight lifted and my quality of life rocketed. Even though noisy restaurants or souped up cars stress me out, the difference is they're temporary, or situations I can walk away from. Noise in your own home that you can't control is the worst.