Overstimulation: Increased sensitivity to light, noise, sound, exercise etc

[ChessieCat]

On 2/7/2022 at 11:56 AM, SouthernFreeze said:

I have a really loud 5 year old, she is constantly yelling, even when she talks she is loud. Having noise sensitivity issues atm giving me headaches. Not sure if there is anyway around this one 

 

Noise cancelling headphones.

[jon1]

Sound sensitive and the anger it produces (when the sound is made by other people) has been the most debilitating withdrawal symptom for me.

 

It’s happened with every taper, lasting a few weeks each time. I took my final dose 7 weeks ago and this time it’s almost unbearable. I feel like I can hear everything all at the same time.

 

I have my AirPods on in the gym, but I can still hear other people talking over the top of my music, even when I turn it up. Nobody has changed their behaviour, it’s WD, but knowing that doesn’t help.

 

Currently I think there must be a special place in hell for people who use speakerphone in public places.

[jon1]

So almost a year on from my previous post, noise sensitivity is still the most overwhelming symptom I'm suffering from.

 

It's definitely the most life-limiting. It also seems to attach itself to any sound it can find. 

 

I was actually looking forward to the dark nights and winter this year because we'd be able to shut the windows and block out the sound of nearby children screaming, which gave me so much distress over the summer. But once the windows were closed I started noticing every bump and thump our neighbours made, which caused just as much distress and anger.

 

It's almost like it's anxiety looking for a cause. As soon as one triggering sound is gone, my brain will find another.

 

As I mentioned previously, the sound of speakerphones is one of the worst culprits when I'm outside. I live in a city, and it feels like people can't do anything without watching a video (people scrolling through TikTok like crack addicts is particularly bad, the blast of a new video starting every 5 seconds), yelling at a FaceTime call, or even making a 'normal' phone call without having their phone on speakerphone. It's horrific. It's on buses, on the street, in cafes, everywhere. People wouldn't pull out a walkie-talkie in a coffee shop and start using it, so quite how doing it with a phone has become so acceptable I don't know.

 

I recently bought some of the new AirPods, are they are fantastic, the noise cancelling is amazing. However, I've discovered that just looking at someone holding a phone now causes a stress response. It happens without any auditory stimulus.

 

So now I'm worried that repeated exposure can start to embed a fear of sounds that will be long-lasting. I'm at a point where my heart rate increases before I even leave the house, it's like a phobia.

[tsranga]

2 hours ago, jon1 said:

So almost a year on from my previous post, noise sensitivity is still the most overwhelming symptom I'm suffering from.

 

It's definitely the most life-limiting. It also seems to attach itself to any sound it can find. 

 

I was actually looking forward to the dark nights and winter this year because we'd be able to shut the windows and block out the sound of nearby children screaming, which gave me so much distress over the summer. But once the windows were closed I started noticing every bump and thump our neighbours made, which caused just as much distress and anger.

 

It's almost like it's anxiety looking for a cause. As soon as one triggering sound is gone, my brain will find another.

 

As I mentioned previously, the sound of speakerphones is one of the worst culprits when I'm outside. I live in a city, and it feels like people can't do anything without watching a video (people scrolling through TikTok like crack addicts is particularly bad, the blast of a new video starting every 5 seconds), yelling at a FaceTime call, or even making a 'normal' phone call without having their phone on speakerphone. It's horrific. It's on buses, on the street, in cafes, everywhere. People wouldn't pull out a walkie-talkie in a coffee shop and start using it, so quite how doing it with a phone has become so acceptable I don't know.

 

I recently bought some of the new AirPods, are they are fantastic, the noise cancelling is amazing. However, I've discovered that just looking at someone holding a phone now causes a stress response. It happens without any auditory stimulus.

 

So now I'm worried that repeated exposure can start to embed a fear of sounds that will be long-lasting. I'm at a point where my heart rate increases before I even leave the house, it's like a phobia.

 

Change your relationship with sound..  see if you can build a positive story around all this sound. 

 

You are correct in realizing that the brain is constantly looking for keeping you safe, and you have told it that noise makes you uncomfortable. So the brain is just doing its job extremely well.  This applies to anything that you have a negative relationship with. 

 

The key to dealing with all of this is to disarm the brain by telling it that you are fine with the noise. 

 

For me, I just told my brain that sounds mean there is life around me, so it's a good thing.  Of course, now when I move to a quiet place, the brain needs to be told that this is also safe, otherwise it starts telling you that you are alone and its unsafe. 

 

The best way to control the brain is to avoid reacting or identifying with the sensations and thoughts.  Use your breath as a center of safety while you watch/observe these sensations and let them come and go. Over time, your brain will calm down and ignore the sounds because you stopped reacting to them.

[jon1]

38 minutes ago, tsranga said:

 

Change your relationship with sound..  see if you can build a positive story around all this sound. 

 

You are correct in realizing that the brain is constantly looking for keeping you safe, and you have told it that noise makes you uncomfortable. So the brain is just doing its job extremely well.  This applies to anything that you have a negative relationship with. 

 

The key to dealing with all of this is to disarm the brain by telling it that you are fine with the noise. 

 

For me, I just told my brain that sounds mean there is life around me, so it's a good thing.  Of course, now when I move to a quiet place, the brain needs to be told that this is also safe, otherwise it starts telling you that you are alone and its unsafe. 

 

The best way to control the brain is to avoid reacting or identifying with the sensations and thoughts.  Use your breath as a center of safety while you watch/observe these sensations and let them come and go. Over time, your brain will calm down and ignore the sounds because you stopped reacting to them.

 

Believe me, I've tried all that.

 

There's just no way, no matter how hard I try, I can prevent my body from physically reacting to sounds. I've described common triggers here, but it can be anything, and is usually something unexpected.

 

On some days I get through without too much effort, on others, just the sound of cutlery clattering, or the tone of someone's voice can sound horrendously loud, and can cause an unexpected, immediate, shot of adrenaline that's instant.

 

I've tried (and still try) the lot, exposure therapy, meditation, breathing. Some of those help slightly for coping with the aftermath, but nothing prevents the initial CNS reaction.

 

It's a clumsy analogy, but it's like being unexpectedly and randomly punched in the face for no reason by a stranger. When it happens it's a shock, and there's no way to prepare for it.

 

I've also developed tinnitus which comes and goes too, so the withdrawal process has clearly left my auditory processing system in a 'raw' state which needs to heal. I just hoped it wouldn't take this long.

[tsranga]

Don't expect any of these techniques to be a magic pill. Magic pills are the reason we are on this forum .

 

Daily consistent practice without expecting it to have any effect, but with the faith in your body's ability to heal is the only path to healing. Over time, it will get better - we are talking not months, but years. Unconditional acceptance of your condition helps lessen the suffering..   it's true that sounds cause you trouble, but it's the need to solve the problem immediately that causes the suffering.  

[jon1]

Indeed, I'm not expecting magic pills, far from it.

 

I think I'm rather clumsily trying to get across that the auditory sensitivity is very much a physical symptom, that needs to heal. And while mindfulness (which I still practice) may help somewhat in an overall sense, it has absolutely no effect on attenuating that initial reaction.

 

Much like having a broken arm, it's just a case of waiting for it to heal. Unfortunately, it often feels like someone keeps coming along and bashing the broken arm with a hammer.

 

ITA that acceptance is an important part of coping with it.

 

[Lilith]

Hi everyone, 

 

I couldn't see another post about this (sorry if there is!) so I wanted to post here to see if anyone else has had the same/similar issues. 

 

Since tapering down my antidepressants I feel as though something has shifted, it's very difficult to put it into words but it's like everything is hyper-real now. As though I've come out of a dream and everything feels more visceral. It's not only my emotions that have become heightened it's almost like my perception of reality has also, to the point where it's sometimes anxiety-inducing. I've always known my actions have real-life consequences, but recently it's as though I'm super-aware of how my actions affect everyone around me and the larger world. It's also very stressful as I feel like I've been living on auto-pilot for the past seven years I've been on these tablets and now I've woken up and realise I should've done more than I have. 

 

I was hoping I wasn't alone in this! 

[AprilShowers]

I've recently been exposed to some low frequency sound coming from the shared housing next door. They're not very co-operative so I'm stuck with being triggered by it. It's not loud, it's not noise, nothing to complain to the police or environmental health about, it's a frequency, makes me shakey and nauseus and triggers my fight or flight. I've never experienced anything like it before. Headphones and ear plugs don't block it, I can hear it in every room of my house and even slightly outside I can hear it. I can't escape it when it's on. It really affects my body like I don't have control over myself. So disturbing. That in a moment, from a stimulus I can't control and nobody else seems to hear, this is suddenly my life again, being shakey and desperate. 

[tsranga]

31 minutes ago, AprilShowers said:

I've recently been exposed to some low frequency sound coming from the shared housing next door. They're not very co-operative so I'm stuck with being triggered by it. It's not loud, it's not noise, nothing to complain to the police or environmental health about, it's a frequency, makes me shakey and nauseus and triggers my fight or flight. I've never experienced anything like it before. Headphones and ear plugs don't block it, I can hear it in every room of my house and even slightly outside I can hear it. I can't escape it when it's on. It really affects my body like I don't have control over myself. So disturbing. That in a moment, from a stimulus I can't control and nobody else seems to hear, this is suddenly my life again, being shakey and desperate. 

 

I have experienced this throughout my withdrawal at different times, mostly when the nervous system is under some stress. 

 

What works for me is to practice acceptance - this means observing the sensation without avoidance or attachment.  Using my breath to anchor myself helps develop a sense of safety while observing sensations, thoughts or emotions.  

 

The more you practice, over time, your brain learns to ignore this sound and react as though it's dangerous, because it's not.

 

Then you get your brain to focus on something else that is more important to you. Once you can get control of your brain instead of letting the brain tell you what's dangerous or annoying, you can make space to observe and respond as needed without reacting.

 

Over time, you will notice that you can switch from the uncomfortable sensations to something else, even if that discomfort doesn't go away for a while.  

 

As always, keep reminding yourself that everything is temporary, nothing is permanent - this too shall pass.

 

 

[SouthernFreeze]

8 hours ago, AprilShowers said:

I've recently been exposed to some low frequency sound coming from the shared housing next door. They're not very co-operative so I'm stuck with being triggered by it. It's not loud, it's not noise, nothing to complain to the police or environmental health about, it's a frequency, makes me shakey and nauseus and triggers my fight or flight. I've never experienced anything like it before. Headphones and ear plugs don't block it, I can hear it in every room of my house and even slightly outside I can hear it. I can't escape it when it's on. It really affects my body like I don't have control over myself. So disturbing. That in a moment, from a stimulus I can't control and nobody else seems to hear, this is suddenly my life again, being shakey and desperate. 

Oh god I've had the same experience it drive me nuts! We ended up moving house because of it. 

I think brown noise was the one I had to listen to at night to help me sleep.

[AprilShowers]

13 hours ago, SouthernFreeze said:

Oh god I've had the same experience it drive me nuts! We ended up moving house because of it. 

I think brown noise was the one I had to listen to at night to help me sleep.

I'm sorry you went through that. I shall see if brown noise helps, thanks. 

[AprilShowers]

21 hours ago, tsranga said:

 

I have experienced this throughout my withdrawal at different times, mostly when the nervous system is under some stress. 

 

What works for me is to practice acceptance - this means observing the sensation without avoidance or attachment.  Using my breath to anchor myself helps develop a sense of safety while observing sensations, thoughts or emotions.  

 

The more you practice, over time, your brain learns to ignore this sound and react as though it's dangerous, because it's not.

 

Then you get your brain to focus on something else that is more important to you. Once you can get control of your brain instead of letting the brain tell you what's dangerous or annoying, you can make space to observe and respond as needed without reacting.

 

Over time, you will notice that you can switch from the uncomfortable sensations to something else, even if that discomfort doesn't go away for a while.  

 

As always, keep reminding yourself that everything is temporary, nothing is permanent - this too shall pass.

 

 

Yes, obviously if I could remove this particular stressor it's better because when the noise is not happening I'm fine but I shall take this advice for sure and try to manage myself in the meantime. It was just a shock to suddenly not feel in control of myself again but you're right, acceptance is key. 

[AprilShowers]

I wonder if there's a way to prevent my ANS from overreacting to the low frequency. Like re-train it to not be oversensitized? I heard they do this for traumatic brain injuries when people have had accidents and things. Has anyone here ever tried some kind of reset for the ANS? The constant flow of adrenaline has made me very sick. 

[abilifydamagedbutimhopeful]

Hello,

 

can anyone share tips on how to overcome hearing sensitivity/hypersensitivity?

 

 

Cheers,

abilifydamagedbutimhopeful

[Moe96]

Hello @jon1 , would you mind sharing an update on your situation with the Hyperacusis problem? I hope you got better this year. 🙏🏼

[jon1]

HI @Moe96, not much change I'm afraid.

 

I'm still finding that my 'startle response' is very high. It's not that I jump out of my skin if I hear a sharp loud noise, more that I get a shot of adrenaline, and my heart rate increases.

 

I've certainly learned a few coping methods, which have helped with everyday ambient noises. Such as masking sounds.

 

My partner has been very understanding, trying to minimise things like making noise with plates on hard surfaces etc, but obviously, it's impossible to negate completely.

 

So while the symptoms are pretty much the same, my attitude towards them has improved a little.

[Moe96]

So sorry you’re still dealing with this, @jon1.

 

it’s the most debilitating symptom for me right now. All sounds are uncomfortable, especially digital ones. Sometimes i don’t find them as uncomfortable if I’m ignoring it. 

 

May i know how you mask the sounds? Do you wear earplugs or noise cancelling headphones? Are you able to listen to music at all? I find it worsening after listening to music for a little bit (through a speaker) then it gets back to normal. 

I tried to protect my hearing once but i think i overdid it because it became 10x worse where my own breathing felt extremely unbearable. Sleep deprivation also worsens it. 
 

 

[jon1]

Sorry you're having trouble with it too @Moe96.

 

One thing I've noticed is that if I'm making the sound, it doesn't bother me. So it's clearly not necessarily just the sound itself, but the CNS being hyper-vigilant about other sounds. Everything is perceived as a threat, and feels so loud.

 

Yes, I use noise-cancelling AirPods, usually when I'm out and about (which isn't much), or around a lot of other people. I find white noise helps a great deal, and I'll often play it into my AirPods from my phone instead of music. It's much more calming. I've also EQ'd it slightly to take away some of the high-frequencies, so it's a bit 'warmer' to listen to.

 

I wear ear-plugs at night. The sounds of people or activity - even if some distance away - can prevent me from being able to relax in bed.

 

My partner has been extremely understanding in trying to miniseries noise around the house, but I've noticed that if we do solve one sound problem, another one will swiftly pop up in its place. So it's like the nervous system has all this untethered anxiety that's trying to find something to be anxious about.

 

I've also found that doing anything else that puts stress on my body, like exercise, worsens it considerably.