How do you cope with noise?

[Katybird]

Does anyone else find that they need lots of silence, when even the 'buzz' of things on standby can be intolerable? I've given up TV and can only tolerate the radio for a short period of time, before I'm desperate for some peace and quiet.

[penny41]

Silence is golden and I like you need it, I do put ear plugs in at night as well. Dripping taps buzzing drives me mad, to much of people sends me running for silence as well ...

[Ebony]

I am noise sensitive, it is yet another sympton of FMS. Our neighbour is having work done on their house and although we are detached from it we wwere getting all the drilling and banging, I was getting ready at lunchtime to go round and kill the builder because of the noise he was making. i also cannot go in to a shop that has loud music playing, it drives me mad but then I rarely go shopping. I can;t sbide children shouting in the street either, infact any loud noise is distressing.

[dobby-the-house-elf]

i did not now noise was related i can't stand white noise if the radio is off channel no one else notices but it drives me CRAZY they say its in my head.

[Lucyw]

I really didn't know that loud noise was related to FMS now I know it's not me being unreasonable or getting old. It helps me know these things, I cannot tolerate children or my dogs barking all the time.

[PaulaPortela]

I can have radio on or tv on or people talking but just one at the time, and not every day some days only a person voice annoys me, I don´t know if it was only a fibro symptom because I have a high degree of deafness in one ear, the only thing I know is that I start to feel nervous.

[dobby-the-house-elf]

yes the light issue gave me a lot of problems to but i live in sunglasses most of the time and tinted reactalight (pardon my spelling) this really helped with the headaches.

[myfindhorn]

controlling the noise inside the house is easy but outside is horrendes and to boot I use 2 hearing aids as I find I have to rely on lip reading and body language, I wear sunglasses but my greatest freedom is meditation lots and lots of it and that helps like you would not believe

[Kirby]

Yes! I love music, but I have to be in control of it and turn it off when it suits me. Lived nextdoor to a whole stream of problem neighbours a few years ago and it drove me to a breakdown. Noises were impact noise, footsteps, children thumping, rows, sudden noises, bangs, shouting, dogs, balls thumping against our fence and some of it deliberate etc. Total nightmare - we had to go go and stay at our mum's all the time. Anyone would have been driven mad by the noise but as I am sensitive it made it much much worse. I wasn't diagnosed with fibro then. Also, have the bright lights thing, used to be able to tolerate it but now wear sunglasses outside and panic if I can't find them. I used to think this was my agoraphobia but since diagnosed with fibro I realize that noise, sights and smells can be a trigger. I find strong cleaning fluids or shampoos or anything can trigger a headache/migraine

[Kirby]

PS - I have to say that flickering or artificial lights are some of the worse (eg in supermarkets - hence the agoraphobia link)

[babebatista]

I love my music, but I can only tolerate it now if I'm on my own. I have another question for you. My hearing seems to of gone weird. I can't hear as well as I used to. I have to use subtitles when watching tv cos I don't want to turn up it high volume and the same with my radio, I use headphones mainly to just get the sound of the music and block out any other noises. Does anyone else have a problem with their hearing? xx

[Hidden]

I have been quite deaf in my right ear since I was small and my hearing isn't perfect in my left ear, so when talking to people in a crowded room I tend to lip read. However since being diagnosed with Fibro everything seems noisy, the tv is deafening, music played is always too loud so I have to turn it down. With films on the tv I can't make out what people are saying and yet the background noises are deafeningly loud. Buzzing, clicking, even the beep the dishwasher makes when it's finished it's cycle is ear-splitting to me. I hear noises constantly in my head, ringing in my ears. I have forgotten what a quiet World sounds like lol! The joys of Fibro!

[helsbels71]

i am sensitive to sound and to light, the levels that i can tolerate now are far less than a few years ago. my husband cant believe the smallest sounds i can hear especially at nighttime which keep me awake or wake me up plus he seems to think im a vampire because i dont like having the lights on much or i have them set low as it hurts my eyes.

[jazher]

I hate noise any kind.

My kids are so loud sometimes i just want to scream to them shut up, i dont though lol.

My partner is quite loud and he has the telly up and i always turn it down when he is not looking lol. He also whistles which i do have to scream at him as it is excruciating.

I am light sensetive too, especially the sun and car headlights.

kel xxx

[pjmo]

noise can be unbearable! but so can bright light and smells! i was told those are symptoms of CFS though...??? I find the telly, music and my son's visitors quite intolerable at times and I try and hide away in my bedroom if I find it too hard to take. but I also have this buzzing in my left ear, well its more like the pumping of my blood which i find equally as bad and telly noise does help drown it out when it gets really bad. catch 22...

pat x

[MissKittycat]

Has anyone thought they might have tinnitus? I have a constant buzzing in my ears and can hear it more at night when theres no ambient noise - I have heard (excuse the pun) that it can also be a part of FMS. Noise and light sensitivity are also part and parcel.... its very frustrating. I have had it so long that most of the time I can block it out, but sometimes its unbearable. Might be worth a visit to the doctor.....

[AuroraA]

Hello everyone, this is the first time I've posted and I'm so pleased to have found this site! I really struggle with coping with noise. On bad days it's like it is physically attacking me, and a noisy environment increases the pain and fatigue in equal measure. Unfortunately, I am currently living in a women's refuge with 15 other women and 25 children, and the noise at times is unbearable. My room overlooks the yard and the noise from the scooters and cars and screaming children and their mums is just awful. I'm woken up by the noise in the mornings, then kept awake by the smokers at night laughing and shouting out there. There's nothing I can do about it, so I'm just trying to get through each day... and remind myself that it's better than living on the flight path to Heathrow, which I did for over a year!! I am also very sensitive to light, especially supermarket lights, and often find that they precipitate an attack of visual disturbance which makes everything seem like it's jumping. (Apparently this too is very common in FMS, and is a form of hypoglycaemia?!) When this happens there is nothing I can do except eat something sugary, then sit or lie down wherever I am and pray it passes quickly. It can be very embarrassing, especially as it's always accompanied by extreme shaking and sweating! Afterwards I usually end up bed bound for hours, or sometimes days, sweating profusely and feeling nauseous. Does anyone else get attacks like this?

[bikerchick69 in reply to AuroraA]

Yes I do! Hypo symptoms - need quick sugar, need air and it's like a panic attack which comes out of the blue. Horrible is all I can say. I do tend to revocer quickly though, though it does scare me a lot because it's difficult for those around you to understand how bad you feel. My husband is diabetic so he is fully understanding, but others just think I have lost the plot take care Aurora hope you feel better sooon xx

[Katybird in reply to bikerchick69]

Yes, me too, nervy, twitchy and nauseous, and then need to SLEEP!

[bikerchick69]

OMG! I also have ear problems and didn't have a clue they were related to Fibro, have tinnitus in right ear, HATE loud noises/places and struggle to hear people talking at a normal volume, especially in a room which is full (and this makes my job as a teacher very interesting!!) and am increasingly struggling to hear normal things. If there's any background noise I can't hear the tv, thought my hearing was just going. I hate sudden noises, and sometimes they really hurt my ears/head. I also have symptoms of hypoglycaemia like Aurora above, need sugar and feel awful until the symptoms ease - shaking, sweating, panic and need air. Happy day! Welcome to the world of Fibro hope everyone has a good day if possible xxxx

[kraftyk8]

I have tinnitus and when it's really bad I pop a white noise generator in my ear to ease it (got it from the hearing clinic). However, I also suffer really badly from sensitivity to noise, light and movement, when they all happen at the same time, such as in supermarkets, shopping malls, train stations, airports etc., and when driving especially on motorways. I can last about 10 minutes before becoming really agitated and desperately needing to put in earplugs, put on sunglasses, or if it's really bad, removing myself from the situation before I lash out at someone. Anyone will do:). Thankfully I have managed to control the desire so far!

[dawny2187]

yes im noise sensitive too i get completely overwhelmed if there are too many things going on so a noise from tv a noise of arguments phones etc it just causes me anixiety and i feel totally exhausted by it