HSPs and Noise Sensitivity

Being a highly sensitive person (HSP) means we have a trait called, sensory processing sensitivity and HSPs experience different levels of sensitivity. Here are some challenges HSPs have shared about noise sensitivity and also what helps.

The following are answers from a poll, I did about what types of noise sensitivity HSPs are experiencing. Which ones do you relate to or would like to add? I would love to hear from you in the comments!

• I startle easily, bristle at loud or irritating sounds, and quickly flash to being disoriented, angry, and often near crying. Motorcycles/obnoxiously loud cars, construction. I currently live facing a busy street and am losing my mind. Also multiple people talking at once or talking over the TV, etc. And I am sensitive to too much silence! I need to have a soft steady fan or white noise going most of the time.

• Really loud motors from motorcycles or construction machinery physically hurt. Also any loud, startling noise.

• People talking loudly, chewing, popping gum, traffic, clacking on keyboards, construction.

• Noise and screams, especially when I am in that place in searching of a quiet little corner. Or too many people moving, too many colors to observe, it’s really too much for my nerves.

• Certain kinds of sound have been my biggest fear since childhood. I never understood people who were not afraid of the sound of fireworks, thunder, pistols at sport event, dogs barking, car horns, sirens, cracking bonfire, popping popcorn, and many many more. For decades I was trying to find out why, without success. I ended up concluding that I might have a light Asperger syndrome or something, until I finally got to learn 4 years ago about HSP. I was saved and have been enjoying my second life ever since, except right now. Recently I had to move in a new apartment and live with 60-80 dB sound pollution all day and night. Torture.

• The sound of pulling anything frozen out of the freezer, like when it scrapes off the frost on the freezer walls.

• Fireworks, loud TVs, loud banging bass music, motorcycles, trucks with no mufflers, is just a start....

• Toilet flushing, vacuum cleaners, any kind of alarm (house, care, smoke).

• Basketballs bouncing.

• Yes. I live in an apartment complex and the neighbors are always very noisy. Especially now that I work nights and sleep during the day. Right now I’m looking in to moving in to a townhouse where our bedrooms are upstairs so that it’ll be a little quieter. I sleep with ear plugs, I have a floor fan by my bed that sometimes I turn on to drown out the noise. And I also have a white noise machine that I use to drown out the noise. It’s extremely frustrating.

• Unless I am at a concert, I cannot take anything that is too loud. I cannot stand a non-stop TV or talking on the radio. Anything that sounds violent, like screaming. I love to hear kids scream and laugh in delight, but not like horror movie noises. When someone swallows too loud, like gulping down a drink. Traffic noise. I can't even stand to hear my microwave beep too many times. Lol.

• Soooo many... anything louder than white noise can stress me out, irritate or startle me... or leave me physically and mentally in a dull but perpetual state of activation. It’s worse I think since I’ve been regulated and stable. I love the quiet.. but actually feel very overwhelmed when I can’t find it for too long.

• Omg so many! People talking, especially if they are walking behind me. Other people’s music, whistling, tapping, flies, road traffic, construction, noisy restaurants, most noises I don’t choose really.

• Loudly whistling tea kettles!

• Yes loud noises period make my blood boil and give me anxiety.

• Fireworks, sirens, storms, many people talking.

• Chewing, breathing, clicking, banging, scraping......

• I experience Misophonia. A lot are eating noises, but people tapping, rustling food wrappers, sucking fingers, drive me insane. Kids screaming, screeching, or crying; I'm child free for a reason.

• Yes. Sensitive to most loud noises.

• I have some, for sharp or jarring noise. My biggest sensitivity is for smells though.

• Fireworks.

• Yes, many people talking at the same time, sirens, phone and computer noises when the TV is on, and any noise when I’m tying to read.

• Most definitely! Can't sleep without total silence. My neighbor is often using his table saw and that noise drives me crazy!

• Pens tapping or clicking, repetitive noises in general, balls bouncing indoors and the sound the phones/devices make when people listen to them without headphones all make me cah-RAZY!

• I can't stand hearing people chew gum snap gum eat if a TV and radios too loud I have to turn it down certainly makes life hard to live.

• Absolutely. Noise, strong smells, being touched by my kids all day, fast moving objects (Like riding in a car, I can’t turn my head fast) strong tasting foods... ugh I have sensitivity to all senses.

• Yes especially the noise from my kids devices drives me nuts. Make them go to their rooms or put their headphones on!

• Yes. I startle very easily. I also get overdone by constant noise.

• Clock ticking, turn signals, any two noises at the same time, commercials, any noise I’m not making myself that goes on too long.

• Yes I do. External stimuli is overwhelming and I just feel irritated.

• Many. Noisy eating, slurping chewing and sucking noises, also squeaks and grinds and brass instruments, anything rhythmic like thumping or tapping.

• The 4 beeps of the microwave!!!

• Chewing gum, biting into crunchy fruit or vegetables, breathing, things that rattle, drumming fingers, whistling, mockingbirds, house sparrows, thumping bass, snoring. I think thats the top 10.

• Yes, intentionally loud cars.

• Yes, depending on the time circumstance and surrounding. Someone who doesn't stop talking. Snoring which is sad because I can't sleep with my husband. Repetitive noises. I have noticed they bother me more at night or if I'm trying to leave my house. I've taught myself to block most out but not all.

• Chewing, nose whistling when breathing, someone breathing heavily, loud bass music, loud music all around, slurping. That covers most. It has gotten worse with age.

• Sirens and jet noise.

• Whistling! Finger tapping—-aaargh!!

• Clock ticking.

• Yes! Repetitive sounds are very distracting. Sounds like loud motorcycles make me angry! Cannot focus unless it’s totally quiet and calm in my space.

• People who eat with open mouths.

• People who whistle along with music, chopping carrots on a cutting board, dueling sounds (people talking at the same time, people talking during a music performance, my husband playing a video while I'm watching a tv show), off-key singing... I'll think of more.

• Agreed on dueling sounds especially! I can’t manage it!

• Any kind of repetitive noise from a clock ticking to the wind making something bump around, or a bass beat when I can’t hear the rest of the music. Even an oscillating fan where I hear it moving but combined with the air blowing on me in intervals just drives me to distraction, especially if I’m trying to sleep.

• Everything, including hearing my own voice. Water running, you name it- it can send me over the top.

• Pretty much all loud noises! Unless if I am in the mood to listen to loud music.

•  The worse for my, unfortunately, is me kids voices. As horrible as it is, I really struggle to tolerate the high pitch sound of their little voices. They both have pretty bad allergies and get raspy sometimes and that grates my skin too but I actual enjoy those days to their normal voice.

• When my air unit cuts on it's loud. Lawn care outside. High pitched or nasal voices. Honking horns. And or course chewing or slurping.

• Crunchy eating, eating sounds, loud motorcycle or auto engines, people talking over something I’m trying to hear... screen door opening and closing over and over because spouse goes in and out like a cat!! Dog barking loudly! Air conditioning running and turning on and off in my office, babies crying, children crying or being loud... LEAF BLOWERS... omg those should be outlawed!!!! Or hours set when you use... I can’t deal with those…

• I really can not tolerate my dogs licking. They love to come in in the morning and lay on the floor, and groom themselves in the dead quiet. I was out of bed at 6 am as a result, and I have 3 dogs.

An interesting thing that I learned after working with and researching HSPs is that the challenges of the particular sensitivity we are having can be reduced when we have a balanced nervous system. Have you ever noticed that when you are extremely stressed that you feel more sensitive than usual? That’s because your nervous system isn’t balanced. I personally found this to be so helpful to know that I had some kind of control over lowering my challenges with sensitivities. A lot of HSPs don’t even realize that balancing the nervous system reduces anxiety too! Learn more about balancing a sensitive nervous system.

Other Things That Help

Ear plugs. I love Mack’s silicone ones personally. I can adjust how much sound to tune out depending on how much or little I seal my ears. Stay tuned for my research on auditory regulators for HSPs too. I’ll announce this in my HSP Newsletter and you can subscribe here.

Slow down and practice the right amount of self care to rest your sensitive nervous system. It is truly amazing how much we can reduce the challenges when we are doing the right types of self-care. My program, Brain Training for the Highly Sensitive Person, Techniques to Reduce Anxiety and Overwhelming Emotions has proven to help HSPs notice improvements within 1-2 weeks.

Advocating for your needs. Do you need more silence? Are there ways you can ask for that in your life at home or work as needed? If you need help advocating for what may help you, my online course, Blooming Brilliantly, Understanding and Loving Who You Are as a Sensitive Person can help.

Here are some more examples of things HSPs have shared that help from a poll…

• Tiredness, stress, hormones can all lower my tolerance level. Ear plugs, quiet music and best of all, alone time helps.

• Regular sleep is a big one, 8 hrs for sure.

• Quiet, alone time, being outside.

• I love that fan and I can still watch t.v. or listen to my own music if I want.

• Apple AirPods Pro have saved me and I tell all my HSP clients about them!

• I listen to 'Super Deep Brown Noise' on YouTube with my noise cancelling headphones.

• Ear pods with earth wind & fire music at grocery, anywhere noisy..

• Soft warm plugs.

• White noise. I have a fan running most of the time.

• Marijuana and earphones.

• My noise sensitivity gets bad when I'm sleep deprived or low in vitamin B12. So keeping topped up on Bs plus magnesium and zinc does the trick for me! Before I knew this, I would retreat to a dark room with wax earplugs and try to sleep it off.

• All noises stress me out, above all, repetitive noises, people talking aloud. Any noise is a distraction when I want to focus on something in particular. I use airplugs every night, at the beach or while traveling. I can't stand people talking aloud.

• More alone time. I tend to be a homebody because I don't like just ordinary noise like in a grocery store. A screaming child makes me want to run.

• I wear ear plugs, turn on my floor fan and I have a white noise machine. I live in an apartment and it’s too noisy when I sleep. Working nights and sleep during the day doesn’t help.

• I discovered that my hearing in one ear was half gone; When I got a hearing aid, it helped with the noise sensitivity I was experiencing.

• Breathing, if I can't remove myself from the source.

• I sometimes wear noise reducing earplugs, such as Vibes High Fidelity Earplugs, when I walk on the street or riding the bus. Helps take the noise level down a few notches but I can still hear everything around me.

• If outside in the city I wear headphones (even if I don't want to listen to music they help me to tone down the outside noise). At home I use wax earplugs to sleep, over ear headphones to tone down whatever noises that interfere with my solitude.

• Living in apartment building, your home being at a place with constant noise around ... I use sounds of nature as background noise - like water waves. saves my life or in headphones or a real fan, sound of water waves or wind ... makes me calm.

• Earplugs save me!

• Getting away from it if possible. There have been times at social gatherings that I would retreat to the bathroom or outside or wherever I could get away from the noise until I could calm down. Noise cancelling headphones or earplugs can also be helpful for times you can't escape it.

• Removing myself from all sources of stimulation for a time until my brain course corrects. Usually takes about 20 minutes

• Closing the door, listening to some soothing sounds. Deep breathing.

• Nothing helps like just peace and Quiet.. sitting alone outside early in the morning reading or relaxing or gardening... alone with my own thoughts. Also, a couple days of solitude to recover.

• Either music in my headphones or my lovely rescuing earplugs ready in my bag

• Not ear plugs due to having tinnitus but I keep my home as peaceful as I can.

• Peace and quiet 😁 I use plugs a lot though too.

• Lowering my overall stress level. I find that the noise sensitivity is more of a reaction to *existing* stress than a trigger itself.

• Working from home

• Ear plugs.

• We have a low sensory room in our house that helps all of us!

• Ear plugs for quiet, or noise canceling ear/headphones with music to distract from noisy background, or something like brain.fm if need to concentrate on work.

My brain training program has helped thousands of HSPs reduce sensitivity challenges. Learn more about my course, Brain Training for the Highly Sensitive Person.

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What’s your Sensitivity Score?

Which ones do you relate to? What helps you? Love to hear from you in the comments!