To the common person, a lot of noise can possibly cause a headache and irritability. When you have fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome, loud, repetitive, grating or otherwise annoying sounds can cause a whole host of symptoms. A recent blog comment here said it really well:
"After an hour or so in an environment with more than 2 or 3 people, I find I do not sleep well and that, within hours, my muscles, especially in my legs, and my hand and knee joints hurt quite significantly and no drug I have lessens the pain. If I stay alone, in a quiet space, for a few days the pain does decrease to manageable levels. I want to run away, be alone, not interact with anyone. It's as if all noises around me are all at the same level, demanding the same amount of attention and this is incredibly tiring. Public places in general are awful." -Clare
I really related to what Clare said about all noises demanding the same amount of attention. It's similar to what my dad described when he got hearing aids -- without the brain to filter the signals and determine what's important, you notice the car driving by as much as the person talking to you. I have to think that our brains, somehow, fail to filter out the sensory input that's not important, leaving us bombarded and overwhelmed with all the stimuli.
This aspect of our conditions hasn't been studied as much as the biggies -- pain and fatigue -- but some pain findings actually do lend some support to this idea. Most people have what's called an inhibitory response to repeated sensations. That means once they've felt something and their brains have determined it's not a threat, the response to it gets progressively weaker. A tight waistband, a shoe that rubs the Achilles tendon just a little, a slightly rough bedsheet are things everyone notices, but only at first. According to studies, those of us with fibromyalgia don't get to tune out these "harmless" sensations. Instead, our nerves over-react to them, sending more and more pain signals at every contact, and instead of filtering those signals out like it should, our brains seize hold of them and crank up the volume.
Most people have a similar inhibitory response to sound. I used to, as well. I worked in a TV newsroom, where we had multiple police scanners and the many phones rang almost constantly. A phone could ring half a dozen times before it really caught my attention. The scanner noise would fade into the background. When fibromyalgia set in, however, all of those things overwhelmed me completely. Recently, I was sitting in a fast-food restaurant and a beeper kept going off for long chunks of time. I ceased being able to focus on what my husband was saying. With each beep, I got more and more agitated -- it was almost like an electrical current running through every nerve in my body. I felt the first twinges of pain start in my abdomen. I had to fight panic and try my best not to tense up all over.
I do several things to counter these kinds of episodes, which can be the result of visual over-stimulation or general sensory chaos as well:
- Carry supplements that help with anxiety (for me, theanine and DHEA work well)
- Breathe deeply
- Actively work to calm my mind
- Avoid noisy, chaotic environments (as I write this, my husband is at a big indoor playland with the kids. I don't go there.)
- Get out of these situations as quickly as possible
- Go off by myself and meditate for awhile to mitigate the after effects
Are you sensitive to noise? What symptoms does it trigger? Have you found things that help? Leave your comments below?
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My neighbor put up 3 ft long wind chimes. I thought I would go nuts. I begged and begged and they moved them to the other side of their house. I have another neighbor who leaves a dog outside that barks all the time. Trying to concentrate with noise like that is impossible.
I totally agree with the above comment and the article. I am SO sensitive to noise now …It is like everyday noise is magnified so I can hear things so much better than those around me and the worse part is is that the sounds can really get on my nerves.
For me it is instant nausea and/or migraines. It is difficult sometimes to even go into public. The drop of a fork across a restaurant, metal wind chimes as mentioned above really make me sick, the constant beep because some isn’t looking at their text message. I do the deep breathing and I carry Phenegran Gel that I rub on my wrist for the nausea. I have pills that I take also, but the gel is a more instant relief. And then sometimes it is just like a sensory overload. I can hear every noise in the room and it kind of makes you claustrophobic. It’s good to know that I’m not the only, I’m not just crazy.
I remember as a young girl not wanting to go to my big and noisy high school. all the people milling about and the loud bells ringing between classes was just too much for me. Now that was 55 years ago, I hadn’t been diagnosed with anything yet. So I spent the last two years of high school in a boarding school out in the country with only 90 students in all 4 grades. It’s strange to look into our pasts and see the very clear beginnings of a different kind of brain. It’s not neurosis, it’s brain differences.
Yes, constant noise drives me crazy. I feel like it keeps getting louder the longer I’m in the situation. It’s even worse when I’m already stressed. I feel very panicky, and have to plug my ears or remove myself from the situation. I didn’t realize it could be related to fibromyalgia.
Applause: what a problem I have with loud clapping and whistling.Once a guy behind me at a baseball game was using a dollar bill as a whistle maker, causing me terrible jolts of pain.And there used to be a springer spaniel across the street that barked constantly right up into my bedroom window, reducing me to tears.Teenagers pulling up in their cars with their radios blasting at night,distrupting my sleep.I used to sleep through anything except bad smells. Even this air conditioner bothers me. Ha! I have this clock radio that plays soothing waves,tumbling in and rolling back and then YAK! a seagull screams! Over and over!
My boyfriend never gets why I’m always complaining about normal noise on the phone. It actually hurts my ears. I have no way to explain this to him. I’m hoping this article will help, thank you so much!
Me too!!!! I’m always telling my husband that the telephone “hurts” me if the volume is too high!
i dont even like to talk on the phone tv forget about it i turn it way down to like 8 and it goes up to 100
In the last 5 months I have really noticed how much every day noises bother me. Th television being too loud, a barking dog or my kids whining or screaching!! It’s really difficult since I have three young boys I feel like I am constantly telling them to quiet down and the noise just seems to echo and ring in my head and literally hurts my ears!
I have really thought I was losing my mind til I read this these comments. I would come to my bedroom where it is quiet and hardly no light, I would lay here watch movies, sleep for hours and actually feel better. I have hearing senses that have soared I can hear, hear , hear and light sensitivity. I am so depressed. I am on ultram and Neurontin. They will not give me anything stronger, oh now I am on Suvella, vomiting, vomiting, stomach running off and nausea. Ok! There has got to be something out there. Please help me!!!!!!
Before I became sick I invested in something I had always wanted – a top-of-the-line surround sound music system. During the 8 months of my initial CFS attack the music became nothing but oppressive noise. I lived within a shell with little stimulation outside of talk radio for that whole time.
When I’m not fatigued I can listen to music as I used to but during the fatigue periods I can handle only low volume for music. Discordant sound for any long period is still out of the question because it brings on a “body migraine” that can last for days.
Add me to the list of, “I’m glad I’m not alone”. Loud noises or chaotic environments have always bothered me, but have become unbearable in recent years. I’ve always wondered about any connections between FM/CFS and sensory processing problems (and/or faulty pain relay systems). I hope and pray my daughter (who had OT for sensory difficulties when a toddler) won’t grow up to have FM/CFS.
How is it that people can say, “There’s nothing wrong with you!” when just being in a room with other humans can be physically painful?
I often dream of becoming a recluse…….
PS: for those of you with iPhone/iTouch apps……there are some interesting free ones to help with relaxation & sleep.
I have the same issue with general noise and trying to prioritize/filter out noises.
But I’ve not seen anyone mention my most annoying reaction to noise – with any sudden noise, the accompanying rush of adrenaline HURTS my skin (or the blood vessels) – all of my skin. It feels as if my veins/arteries have been filled with acid or as if I’ve got very densely packed porcupine quills trying to emerge from under my skin – enough of these reactions in a short period of time and my skin will feel bruised for up to a week.
All that doesn’t even take into account the constant noise of tinnitus
Like many others here, I was so relieved to read this post. Thought I was just hypersensitive. I find the increased volume for commercials etc on TV just excruciating!!
Thanks so much for all you do to bring us this important and helpful information.
I’ve had fibromyalgia and noise sensitivity for over 10 years. I have one best friend when it comes to excessive noise: earplugs! They’ve made the biggest difference for my rest in the last ten years, and I also use them at times when I’m reading and others are around. I even bring a pair with me if I’m going to the local bookstore, and using them has really kept me from getting more stimulus provoked.
thanks for the article. i was at a dinner party when my neighbor sat tapping the table with the fork. i nearly went mad and maybe wrongly took the fork out of his hand and asked him to stop. the family now do not speak to me – but my vertigo started and i felt like I was having a panic attack. others just do not understand. it is incessant noises that are the worst for me. a dripping tap, a car alarm, a child crying. oh well i cannot live in a vacuum.
OMG, I thought I was the only one that had panic attacks from those stupid fryers at fast food restaurants. Most of the time, I won’t go inside. I’ll go through the drive through and eat in the car or take it home.
I don’t even let the microwave beep. I try to turn it off before the timer counts down to zero *laughs*. And as you say, it’s not just sounds. I have trouble with smells (avoid the detergent aisle at the store at all costs), as well as flashing lights or overly bright lights (which is why I hate Walmart…lights are just to bright and glaring).
My husband, who also had FMS, has to remove the tags from all of his shirts because he can’t stand the feel of them against his neck.
Shoshana…I’ve done the same thing in the past, just taken something away from someone. I took a ball away from a coworker because they insisted on bouncing it in the office. I asked them to stop and they wouldn’t, so I just took it away. Repetitive noises like that will trigger a migraine in me every time.
I cannot believe this is yet another symptom of FMS and CFS. Starting many years ago when the phone in a business would just KEEP ringing, a fork being scraped across someones teeth, someone who shuffles instead of picking up their feet when they walk, the television, the radio, the CD player and on and on it goes, it has become a family joke, I have bionic ears and my husband is hard of hearing. He actually does have a hearing problem, but always said I cannot believe the things you hear! The wonderful cool evenings listening to the frogs or birds is so relaxing tho, so there are good sounds, but not alot, especially during the long daylight hours or the heat of summer, it just seems to magnify things.
I so agree and just thought it was me and I was going crazy. I hate being in loud crowds and can’t wait to get out of there and I can’t stand loud music. If my huband and I are in the car, I always have to lower the music and it drives him nuts. I will have to share this post with him.
This is the first time i have added my own comment although the information within this site is so helpful, but i really felt that i was going mad, loud noise makes me so ill, i had to move into a new apartment because i couldn;t stand hearing my partner around the house and would nag him constantly, although i am deaf to some extent in one ear and find it difficult hearing one voice if there is any background noise, during the last few months i have become really sensitive to noise to the point where i get really angry and have an anxiety atack, Thank you for helping me to understand this is another symptom of my Fibromyalgia
I’m very sensitive to noise, and it seems the longer I have fibro, the more sensitive I’m getting, especially to repetitive and/or noises. Construction noises (particularly electric saws and hammering), barking dogs, and loud vehicles shoot my BP off the charts, make my entire body tense, and cause my pain level to instantly jump. And then there’re the evil thoughts of what I’d like to do to the *makers* of the horrible noises (tee hee) . . . >;)
I’d always thought this was associated with ADD that I was diagnosed with — which I now believe I do NOT have; it was fibro all along. And like everyone else who’s commented, it’s so nice not to be alone in this.
Note to Lee Ann Ray about the Savella: I don’t know how long you’ve been on it, but the nausea/vomiting, etc., should go away after several weeks. My doc put me on Phenergan to combat this when I started taking it because the nausea was so awful for me, too, but that med has been a godsend — it’s dropped my pain level by a noticeable amount, whereas Neurontin didn’t do anything but make me crazy and fat. I know not all meds work for everyone, and the initial side effects of Savella *are* brutal, but try to stick with it if you can — hopefully you’ll be lucky as I am and it’ll work for you.
Peace and quiet to all!
Rani
I am so thankful that it isn’t just me. I need to have my husband to read this. We go grocery shopping every Thursday to the same store and every time their are babies or toddlers screaming or crying – loudly. My anxiety goes up and my body starts hurting and Friday morning I am always hurting more. Loud voices, the window A.C., get togethers, the cicada’s outside, the list goes on and on… Certain lights make my eyes go crazy and get dry and cause light headedness and some anxiery. Fm is such a fun thing to have… :J
I have a different sensitivity to noise that I did not see discussed here and I’ve never mentioned it to anyone because, I too thought I was going crazy! If it is very quiet in the house, like late at night, and the only sound is that of appliances running, like the fridge, I can actually hear what almost sounds like distant music and/or people talking! I have actually walked through the house looking for a radio that’s been left on or something. As soon as the appliance stops running, the noise stops. Weird, I know. Only after reading this article do I wonder if the noise could be from the increased sensitivity. ANYONE ever experience anything like this?
I meant to say “repetitive and/or loud noises.” Sorry! Brain working faster than fingers today.
Christen, I am so glad you wrote that.. When we would have the bedroom AC on at night and all else was quiet, I would hear what sounded like voices or music, too. I thought I was going crazy… LOL Sorry we both have to experience this. Just had to let you know!
Christen and Joan . . . you’re not alone. Me three. I’ve just always figured it was my neighbors.
Surely this is just some kind of brain overstimulation thing that our poor little already overtaxed neurological systems can’t process like a non-fibro person’s brain would? That or the three of us are going to be meeting in person very soon in a well-padded room . . .
Wow.. this is a great article and describes me better then I could…whistle really bothers me, the loud beeps, finger/hand tapping… really just repetitive sounds I can’t stand….It is such a relieve to me to know that others experience the same thing.
Add me to the list! I find even normal-level noise casues me pain. I have to ask people to talk quietly and can’t stand it when the ads on TV come up louder than the show. It is like knives being stuck in my head. My whole system recoils and I actually can’t make out individual words. It’s much worse at night when I am tired. Any extra noise, like tapping fingers or a blind flapping in the wind drives me nuts, it’s like actually being hit.
Bright light is another thing that causes intense pain and sometimes migraine. I often have to turn off the main light and would much prefer to sit in a darkened room. Sunlight bouncing off my husband’s watch when he drives makes me feel ill.
As for hearing music – if there is a degree of hearing loss it is not that uncommon to hear ‘music’. Tinnitus is at the low end of the scale. Apparently the brain fills in the gaps in the absence of real noise stimulation. I don’t think I’ve explained it properly – but it is called musical ear syndrome if you want to find out more.
Oh yes! I so relate to this problem. This along with light sensitivity triggering migraines so easily has all but turned me into a hermit. People know me as the hat lady because I go everywhere, indoors or out, in hats and dark glasses. I would rather slash my own throat than go to a Chucky Cheese type place.
I often have to ask my husband to lower his voice because it hurts so much if he gets too loud…a volume that probably bothers no one else.
Of course, when I am the most sensitive, I am also the most painful.
Sounds, light, temp, environment…..etc. Yes, this is the gift that keeps on giving isn’t it? When listening to tv or radio I hear phones ringing, doorbell sounds, odd tones…..drives me crazy! I sure wish we could get people to understand just what we go through even though we “look okay”. If they only knew.
Thank you so much for this website. It’s such a relief to know we are not alone with our symptoms.
I have actually had to leave a cart of groceries sit in the middle of the store because of the noise and commotion going on around me, especially if the aisles are crowded. I feel like I’m being suffocated. I’ve learned to shop at quieter times of the day or my husband does the grocery shopping. We used to enjoy high school basketball games, but I haven’t been to a game in years now.
I find that people’s chatter that goes on and on is the most irritating. It makes me want to scream. I use a ‘white noise’ machine at night to sleep. And relaxation before bedtime for a couple of hours is mandatory, otherwise I will not get any sleep.
Thanx for your article and all the readers comments. Add me to your list. I ,also, have ringing in my ears and I am getting hard of hearing. I can’t understand that one! I just ventured back into the world to get more social connects, but more than 5 people I start to be overwhelmed with the noise. My neighbors love loud music, and it really drives me up the wall. Feels like my nerves are shattering plus it tires me out even more. I have begun to wear earplugs before I get too nervous.
And I have to wear my ear plugs when we go to the movies. I am so thankful for my home where I can control the noise level. Too bad we have to live such a reclusive life, but I have begun to enjoy it. After raising 4 sons. at 70, It is great to have “me” time. All the books I have read in the last 10 years, if I could only remember them!!haha!
When I walked into the door of Macys I immediatly noticed the over head music system. Wayyyyyyyy too loud. I was trying to talk to a clerk and I mentioned that the music was extremely loud. She said that some people feel the same way. ( Probably all of you shop there….ha ha ). Anyway, I got hungry and stopped at 5 Guys for a burger. The noise level was insane !!! I wrapped the burger and took it home. So, here I am with the burger in front of me in the quiet of my room.
Whew.
Repetitive noises make me more and more frantic the longer the repetition lasts. It hurts. Too much conversation makes my ears hurt. The beeper on the french fry machine at McDonalds is unbearable. Fire and ambulance sirens are unbearably painful. Voices that are shrill or shouting are painful. I avoid crowds because, for me, they are plagues.
I had never realized that my noise irritation could have something to do with my FM/CFS. I cannot stand to go to Wal-Mart and listen to the check-out registers! There are many other times that I feel anxious about being around noisy areas. Again it is good to know that it is not all in my head!
I now take ear plugs with me everywhere i go and panic in case i forget them. I am so glad this article came up….i will have to show it to family and friends who think i am rather odd with all my noise sensitivities. Cannot get to sleep without the ear-plugs and often wear them at home in the daytime too! I worry about noise constantly.
I have noticed at times I have to hold the phone away from my head, just to loud, feels like my heads vibrating sort of. Never had this problem prior to getting CFS since 06.
I’m with just about all of you on your comments. I am a night-shift worker so I use earplugs regularly. I even carry them in my purse…just in case. I work at a hospital, so you can imagine the beeps ALL the time. I also work with new born babies and they are NOT quiet! I always have my lunch break alone in a quiet room.
But, yes, noise makes my skin hurt, my ears ache and someone said something about appliances. I can hear a refrigerator motor from rooms away.
I am in the same boat with all of you. It’s like we have these attacks to our senses. The noise…while I now have to wear hearing aids, I still suffer from tinnitis and hear the motors, the music from an unknown source and thunder that isn’t there!!! I can’t handle fabrics other than cotton. All tags must be removed. I recently cut a hole in not one, but two summer tops trying to remove the tags. Apparently, they didn’t bother me last summer. (Is this getting worse??) Odors are not pleasant. I frequently gag when driving by a Burger King or the like. Bright lights = more migraines…That leaves the sense of taste. Well, I still love all the crap I’m not supposed to be eating…go figure.
For years and years I felt so tired with all the stiff muscles. But because I suffer from a mental illness as well I was told by medical people that it was all in my mind, because I am overweight, it was due to that. I cannot shower dry my hair and get clothed without resting in between. The loud music news is so welcome!! I cannot concentrate driving with the radio on, I go nuts!!!I cannot listen to the radio, I get headache. Loud music at a party or so, is most terrible.I love sitting in total silence at my pool and listen to the birds. When people start screaming and fighting I run to my room and shut my ears. I am irritated most of the time within crowds. Thanks!!
I have sensitivity to everything. Some days are worse than others. It is hardest at night when I am trying to sleep. I find that I must have on long sleeves and long pants plus socks on my feet so that my body will stop trying to feel everything. It helps my mood at least to know that I am not alone. God bless you all.
I was so relieved to read this and the comments that followed. I will print out the article and share it with my husband. He has a very hard time understanding why I can’t listen to the radio first thing in the morning or last thing at night and why the tv is ALWAYS too loud for me. I turn down the volume on the phone and can’t use those automatic hand dryers because they are so loud. On the other hand, because I am so sensitive to sound (after 30+ years in radio) I can now appreciate the quiet things most others miss!
Rani, you made me laugh really hard this morning! Thank you. But hopefully there are no padded rooms in our future!
Like you mentioned – this can be as bad if not worse then the pain we get. Plus, for me it stops any of my meds or pain relief techniques from working!
This morning I woke-up in my usual terrible pain, took my meds and start to do my relaxation techniques. It’s Sat at 6:15am and a neighboor is working on a house. Pounding, grinding, etc.! It’s Sat for Christ-sake! I need to see if there is a noise ordinance for this area.
Rani, I loved your posting, too… I also forgot that when I am in the bathroom or kitchen running water, I can hear the phone ringing (not really but it sure sounds like it is) and also when I am doing dishes in the kitchen it sounds just like someone was opening and closing the front door. I always go and look and nope no one there.. Maybe the padded cells are close, LOL
To add to my previous email – this morning while the work people in the neighborhood were making so much noise I used my dog to distract me. I held him, he licking my face, I focused as much as I could on “just” him. It worked! I have always trained dogs for a hobby so I have trained him as a therapy dog. I used to take him for hospital visits but for a time when my life was too stressful I stopped taking him and used him 100% for my therapy!
i hear things that most people don;t .. i also smell things that others don’t – i am hypersensitive to sounds,smells, bright lights – everything!! . When multiple people are talking at the same time, i literally cannot hear anything except noise .. it is worse when people are speaking in different languages … it actually makes me dizzy … i think i will start carrying theanine with me . what a great idea – i take it on bad days but never thought of having it on hand in case of a noise emergency
WOW!! I have CFS but it’s been much better & thought I was over the worst of it. Been noticing that sounds are starrting to get me INCREDIBLY irritated. The leaf blower outside makes me angry!
Have always been sensitive to ice cube & carrot chewing for instance. But worse latelty and yes, I also “hear” things. My cell phone plays a song for the ringer & I will swear I hear it & check my phone & no one has called!
My kids have moved out of the house recently, so I thought it was because I was getting used to the quiet or had just built up a high tolerance for so long & now I am letting my guard down so noises have started bothering me more.
I just thought that today so this article comes at a perfect time!! Thank you!
Oh yes – when there are other noises going on – particularly radio or TV or another conversation, I cannot “hear” a person talking to me!
My husband plays in a band, which I love to go out and hear, however the loud noise and crowded environment set my nerves on end. After a couple of hours, I am so anxious and irritable I can barely stand myself. After a very unpleasant evening out where nothing could ease my mood or the muscle pain, I now choose to stay home. Any suggestions?
There is a book by Elaine Aron entitled highly sensitive person. that’s me and always has been. i developed severe insomnia when my parents lost their home (i was 12) and suddenly we were in an excruciatingly loud apt. environs. and nearly everywhere i’ve lived since has caused me big problems. when outside, i am the only person who has to stuff my index fingers in my ears when a motorcycle or ambulance pass. most places including home are misery and the only break is sleep
Oh, how I wish I could do as Jodith did…and take the offending item away from the person who is offending me! I’ve had more than coworker who’d incessantly crack gum (even after I’d kindly request that they not do it, because it was so loud that I couldn’t concentrate on my work). Yet, they’d continue to do it…ALL DAY LONG!!! While it wouldn’t cause me what I’d cause physical pain, I know it would cause my jaws to clench and the hair on the back of my neck to stand up. It’s possible that by the end of some work days, I may have had headaches because of my intense dislike of this sound.
Like some of the others, I’ll often avoid places where I’ll hear offensive sounds (such as gum cracking or fryer alarms in restaurants). Of course, I can’t really avoid the “thump-thump-thump” of car stereos in my neighborhood. Those make me want to curl up in a ball or run screaming, all the while holding my head and crying.
Silicone ear plugs have become good friends to me. I carry them with me everywhere I go. One problem, though, is that some people assume that everyone in this world can hear. I’ve often thought I should have a T-shirt made up that announces “FMS sufferer wearing ear plugs: Don’t assume that I can hear you!” I’ve had people become quite annoyed in public when I’ve had the ear plugs in and they’ve said “excuse me” while trying to get around me, but I haven’t heard them. Of course, then I get really nasty looks. From that point, I become more frustrated…because I want to scream at THEM for assuming too much. What a vicious cycle. Oh, how I hate FMS!!!
When I was teaching (before I retired), our school district used to begin every school year with a large general meeting in the school district coliseum. That meeting meant several hundred adults in a large echoing room. I always felt later as if I had been physically beaten! I actually looked to see whether I had bruises on my arms and shoulders. It was several years before I understood that those sound waves were beating me up! Years later, I learned that fibromyalgia meant that I was super sensitized to many such things. And for me, noise was the greatest problem. Now, that I sleep well and have a good pain medication, these things do not bother me nearly as much. In fact, this weekend, I attended a reunion held in a large ballroom filled with about one hundred people dancing to very loud music. Although I was tired the day after (I had been there for four hours and had delivered a tribute to the guest of honor), I didn’t hurt. My arms and shoulders did not feel bruised all over I know how much pain noise can cause and I feel for those unable to find relief.
Thank you! Thank you! I am reduced to tears reading this article because I have two noisy little boys who make me feel like I’m going crazy and my husband doesn’t understand at all. He gets mad at me for shushing them. It is a horrible thing to essentially be punished for being ill and it is really hurting our already strained relationship. I will make him read this so he will know I’m not crazy and that what I’m feeling is REAL. I thank you so much for showing me this is real.
Wow—I am so happy to have found this site–I thought that I was nuts (maybe I am) but I too am sooooo sensitive to sound and bright lights also, but little sounds that should not bother me now drive me nuts and really do cause pain—I just seem to be so sensitive to everything and therefore tend to choose a very quiet lifestyle–not really what I want, but that’s how it is–since I only get one life, I try to adjust and am trying to convince myself that I really do love quiet–peace and quiet to all of us
#11..first time I ever heard anyone else call it a body migraine. That is the best description I have ever found.. I always tell my docs that when I am having a major flare up.
I too can’t tolerate noises. When I first developed CFS I got wireless headphones for my family to use while watching TV and listening to music. I hate large crowds of people…not just the noise but the constant over-stimulation. So great thave company in my misery
Hyper sensitivity to some kinds of repetitive sound was one of my intense initial problem symptoms. Sometimes I felt like I was going to go into some kind of a seizure from the echoing feel of some sounds that repeat. Noisy busy places were no good at all for me. Busy shopping malls were stressful because of the overload of sound and vision and activity and brought on some anxiety from that. I read that some of the hypersensitivity can also be caused by a deficit of neurotransmitters and that tyrosine might be helpful for that. I think tyrosine helped me with a few different cognitive symptoms as well. It wasn’t THE one and only answer, just one of many things that helped me along the way.I really sympathise with anyone with this awful symptom. I’m much better with busy places now, but still have trouble with some sounds, mostly if I’m trying to concentrate. It gets inside my head too much.
Noise and a lot of activity drains me so horribly. I get through the event and then I am wired but tired and then I am a wreck for two days when I have to rest and somehow get away from noise and people. Solitude heals me but it is not always a possiblity. I had no idea that all of us are sensitive to just about everything. The sensory overload thing is so real. So glad to hear it is not just me.
Thank God there is a reason for my CFS issues.
Thank you so much. After all these years I am finally researching this. I read many of the comments but not all. I didn’t see this symptom however. I am super sensitive to people’s voices. This is to the point I can’t be in the same room with high shrill women’s voices, especially if they laugh loudly and harshly – instant headaches and pain. This causes bad feelings because they think I do not like them but it’s their voices I cannot take. Another is smell. I can smell chemicals coming from my own skin depending on what I consumed from food, wine or a cigarette. This is super sensitivity gone a muck!
When I initially became ill my first realization that I had a sensitivity to noise was that I could no longer listen to the radio when driving. As time passed, I found other things that were bothersome as well. However, during times when I’m feeling better, I can listen to the radio. One day as I was driving I decided to turn it on. Immediately my lower left arm started hurting. Understanding that sometime the noise resulted in physical pain, I turned off the radio. Then I thought what a strange place for the pain, and it must have been a coincidence. I turned on the radio again and the pain in my left arm reappeared. Recognizing that the radio noise was clearly the source, I just turned off the radio again. To this day, that is one of the most bizarre episodes of my CFS/FM.
I hate noise. I think the worst is when my husband watches sports, the background noise drives me crazy.
I don’t deal well with noise in general, and I’m obsessed with finding out where it is coming from. Unfortunately I have very keen hearing so I can hear a watch ticking when it is quiet at night. I avoid noisy, busy situations usually, but I didn’t realize that this was a symptom of Fibromyalgia, so that explains why I react the way I do. If I am in a busy crowded area I will tense up and be in more pain. Interesting, I guess I thought I must be imagining these things. Thanks.
I worked at a big office with no separation between the workers. There was constant conversation and phones ringing. It drove me nuts! The office was changed and we all got cubbies. Much better for me!
So interesting to hear this is ‘just’ another symptom to Fibromyalgia I to get anxious when there are to many noises around me. I am getting frustrated though with hearing oh it is only just part of the fibro.
We had to move because of the noise my neighbors were making. There was one house on our street with lots of teenagers and young adults listening to thumping music day and night. It took a while but finally my husband understood that it was torture for me. We moved into a very quiet unit in a nice condo complex. That move may have saved my life or at least my sanity. I wanted to just run away alone to get away from the noise. It was horrible. Other noises bothered me too and some still do but I still cringe when I’m in traffic and a car with that super loud stereo pulls up next to me. Medication has helped with some of the common everyday noises but I go out in the car when they are mowing the grass here.
O M G, ditto to above comments
Traffic, concrete places, box stores, screaming kids, bars, restaurants, conflict, phones/tv/ Just a quite time at the lake, or beneath a shade tree, the sun in the evening or rising early morn, gardens, soft warm sunshine, cool breeze & fresh air, puppies/kittens, bubble baths, and if all else fails
my Fibromyalgia is TAMED, with an Acetaminophen 650mg
x3, “time released” (relief) and a f e w beer or wine at the end of the day. RELAX . . . it’s only life and we can get thru this! Keep fighting the F.M.
So glad to read all of these comments and find out I’m not the only one! I recently made the connection between my chronic physical pain and sound sensitivity. What a surprise to find out that if I put in earplugs, my muscles actually start to relax and I feel NO PAIN in my body–I was able to go shopping and not get freaked out and have to take a 3 hour nap afterward. Great discovery that I plan to keep experimenting with, but also a little distressing to realize how much of my life I changed to accommodate avoiding sound: only shopping when other people aren’t there, insisting on working from home, avoiding dinners and social events (including ones that would have been good for me professionally), not being able to enjoy music as I would like to. Seeing how many other people have these issues (not just FM/CFS, it’s all over being called different things on the internet) makes me wonder whether instead of there being something “wrong” with all of us, maybe the world’s just gotten too noisy/over-stimulating and we’re like canaries in the coal mine manifesting symptoms to point to the problem. I don’t really have any issues when I’m out in nature strolling along without any man-made noises. I just don’t have time to go on as many nature retreats as I would need to recover from all the time spent working.
I suffer from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and have noise sensitivity, along with other symptoms. I cannot stand it if someone is tapping their fingers on anything. A regular or irregular noise has the same effect. If two people speak at once I hear neither, even in a small gathering I cannot follow the conversation unless I stand apart and speak to one person. It takes a great deal of concentration and a more severe develops . In a crowded room I feel sick and dizzy. My sons ipods drive me nuts with their constant hissing. I am hardly ever without a headache, its just the severity that varies. But if something is dropped or there is an unsuspected noise I am made more aware of the headache. I carry earplugs with me where ever I go and also pain relief.
Does sniffling, coughing, and other annoying noises count? I have CFS and I think I have FM also. For years and I mean YEARS, sniffling has bothered me to the point that I cry or I get real angry. When I sat in a class for three weeks, I had to wear earplugs just to listen to the instructor and filter out the noise.
Last night while in bed my husband was coughing all the time. Every time he coughed I wanted to SHOUT at him to stop. I could not understand why i felt like that. The boys came from church and they sang hymns, I put my head under the blankets and closed my ears. I felt so bad about it. After that I could not sleep at all. Even the sound coming from the keypad of my huband’s phone while he was playing a game drove me up the wall. But how do I explain this to my boys?
I first noticed my sensitivity to sounds riding in my husband’s truck and their was certain pitches in the music that I just could not tolerate at all. The vibrations also drive me crazy….but the most wierd one of all is sensitivity to smells. Am I the only one that has this problem? I can smell something and it seems so overwhelming that I think it takes my breath away. I actually have to get up and go outside to get a fresh breath of air…..Does anyone else have this problem?
I like reading your responses to the topics because it makes me feel much more better knowing that I am not alone…..
It is really strange how different things affect different people with Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue. I worked as a dispatcher for the state police where there were 2 radio channels talking constantly, phones ringing non-stop and people coming and going all the time. All this noise never bothered my fibro UNTIL I moved from a warm climate to a much colder one. Now all I want is peace and quiet. I truly believe that cold weather and altitude have a lot to do with how this disease affects us.
My husband even after 24 years with CFS/FBM doesn’t understand why I can’t work in our auto body shop. Besides the noise the smell of the dust and pain will put me in bed for days. I also get flares when he and my son get into it about business. When I say I don’t want to hear it I’m accused of taking sides. Otherwise he is really understanding. Haven’t found the solution yet but working on it
Wow, what a thought. I’ve had noise sensitivity for YEARS. Always thought it was related to my migraines (as it has been a trigger before).
I was only diagnosed last year, so this is incredibly eye-opening. So much to discover about this illness.
I can so relate to the noise, omg kills me at times, but not only noise affect me like that, but flashing lights do as well, like when there is a message on my phone, and the light is flashing, omg drives me mad at times. When I am in a crowd of ppl at a mall, not only do I get over censored, but I start hearing things like they are in a tube, so strange, but if I don’t get away fast enough, I actually pass out from it
Makes it so hard to Christmas shop!!!
I shake like a chihuahua. I get sharp shooter nerve pains throughout too at times, a knot in my guts, and a tension headache. jaw tightens. my head will actually bob, like Katharine Hepburn, the actress.
I get the shakes too. A headache and the right side of my face pulls stiff while my head bobs
. I can laught about it now, but i find it VERY disturbing when it happens.
I have had sensitivity to sounds and bright (or flashing) lights forever. My family has always thought I was wierd because I don’t listen to the radio. I have been blessed with a husband who also does not care to have radio on in the car; I don’t think he has FM but he does share some of the symptoms with me!
Also I think the people today who have to have their music so load that even though they are using ear phones, the rest of us can still hear their music, have alreadty ruined their hearing and their lives becasue of the noise.
I have to agree to some extent.. A small group doesn’t affect me. However I was at a meeting this morning w/ about 25 people & couldn’t wait for it to be over.. Before the meeting started I felt a headache brewing.. By the time I got home, the area around my shoulders, upper back hurt, I felt cold & very tired, My head was pounding, noise, light & smells were making it worse! I was counting down till my 2 toddlers were going in for their naps, b/c I just couldn’t think straight!
Wow, I never really thought about it, and it makes sense. But for me, it’s not only repititious sounds but movements as well. My late husband and now my son can’t seem to sit still. He sits and jiggles his leg up and down. I can handle it for about 5 seconds before he gets “the dreaded finger nails!” And some commercials bother me more than others, usually the ones that are loud and repetitive. Thanks for the information!!
@ Donna #13, I also have the feeling like my skin hurts, when the noises start bothering me, it feels like my blood heats up and courses through my veins and I begin to hurt all over! Like alot of you, I find that it’s easier just to avoid places and people that are loud, I tend to like being alone where I can control my enviroment.
I worked in a busy hospital nursing unit for years, and was able to selectively filter through the many beeps, bells, buzzers, and alarms. Even past the incessant hum of voices, phones, and such, I could pick out what needed to be dealt with, and ignore the extraneous noises. Now that fibro has me retired, I often can’t tolerate even a single, low radio. Even the most innocuous background noise can cause body-wide pain.
I’ve noticed noise sensitivity (and light sensitivity) for many, many years now. I also notice that some days are less sensitive and on other days, there is more sentsitivity. On the less days, I try to keep myself as relaxed as possible and enjoy as much as I can, like a trip throught the mall, which I love. I pick days that sren’t too terribly crowded. If so, I rest along the way more frequently. Thank goodness for the seating areas. Sudden loud noises are most irritating & bothersome, so I like to go during the weekdays when the kids & teens are in school.
I’ve noticed noise sensitivity (and light sensitivity) for many, many years now. I also notice that some days are less sensitive and on other days, there is more sensitivity. On the less days, I try to keep myself as relaxed as possible and enjoy as much as I can, like a trip through the mall, which I love. I pick days that aren’t too terribly crowded. If so, I rest along the way more frequently. Thank goodness for the seating areas. Sudden loud noises are most irritating & bothersome, so I like to go during the weekdays when the kids & teens are in school.
wow after reading the article and some of these comments I have a clear understanding why I suddenly feel like I am going to pass out and get sick to my stomach when I am in a very lg croward. and why its hard for me to focus when there is a lot of noise around. in fact when I talked on the phone and the T.V is on I leave the room and go into another room so I can focus on the person I am talking to
I can totally relate. The part of the article talking about the noise. My family thinks I’m bananas because I’m constantly going “shhh” to the child, to the dogs, to my girlfriend who always speaks in outdoor voices. People shouting/arguing sends me into outer space almost instantaneously. Sometimes I find it more comforting to just pray/ meditate quietly or silently in my car as opposed to having the radio on. Too much stimuli puts my body into lockdown, and it won’t let up until it’s darn good and ready. Thank you for this article. I’m going to share it with my “shush-ees” so they know I’m not just being a total jerk. Well, at least about this. Thank you thank you!
Wow! How true of ME ! I can’t stand crowds and being closed in with noise. If the company in house gets to many and kids get to loud, I can’t handle it ! I go to my domain. Bedroom, and stay !
Very good article!
Its odd, for me CHAOTIC background noise is the enemy & the way I avoid the stress of it when I go out is to listen to an mp3 full of my favourite music. It can be loud (blocks outside noises), so long as I enjoy singing along in my head. The words to those songs work almost like chanting a mantra.
I find the worst situation to deal with is being in a confined space somewhere like a party or in a densely packed large crowd. The sound hits you with a physical force that makes me feel faint & ill.
Count me in. I’d always known I had more sensitive hearing (and eyesight, that’s another story) than most as I can, for example, hear the electrical, often high pitched, buzz of most appliances.
The problem I have is differentiating one sound from another. When I was of better health and would attend a gathering I took to writing “I can’t hear you” on my hand, so sick was I of asking people to repeat themselves. I found it impossible to listen to a person speaking without also hearing the lyrics of the song in the background and the conversation across the table, making understanding extremely difficult. I use to just nod and smile, hoping I hadn’t just agreed to something I’d later regret.
Now, my illness has progressed and I rarely leave my house, however, living near a primary school is causing me severe migraines. The girls next door love to play a game I can only assume is called: ‘Who can scream the loudest”.
I also cannot wear any clothes that are tight fitting or hang/gather/tie around my stomach. Anything at all around my stomach makes me feel nauseated to the point of vomiting.
Getting comfortable in bed is also problematic and I find it impossible to switch off, being kept awake by sound, mainly the buzz of appliances (which I now switch off at the socket in order to get some peace).
It’s such a strange sort of relief I feel upon finding this article, thank you for writing it, thereby opening up the lines of communication for us all.
I fit in to all above and have decided that for me i had to use my love of music and dance to help me through the real bad times. When i am ultra sensitive i put my earphones on and play relaxing music and in my mind i dance to it, I close my eyes and just take myself away from it all. Meditation is my one savior
I have these similar problems as you all do… I can hear the electrical lines going into the light and it hurts my ears. I can not stop this where can I finally get some peace and quiet. they told me to get noise reduction head sets. I can not live like this I am a people person and I have my job to do.
I get tired easily and I have stomach aches and feel so sick in my tummy alot so that offen food gets me rather sick too.
My dr. says there is no cure and that I have to live with this. why should i live with it, when there are others like me out there, should there be a place for us to go to?
anyone from West Florida know of anyplace to help us at?
Barking dogs exacerbate my fibro symptons. My neighbor has a dog who does not like to be left alone at night and she will sit out in their yard and bark non stop until they get home. One time, I left a note on their gate telling them of this problem and that I have a medical issue that is aggravated by their dog’s continous barking. They took no measures to stop the barking…. It is making my so sick. Guess I’ll have to find a lawyer to make it stop. Noise cuts right through me, raises my blood pressure and the muscles in my upper back, neck and head tighten making my head feel like it is going to explode! I feel so helpless living next to a neighbor who’s not home to hear his own dog bark nor does he care….
My comment was incomplete about noise problems due to CFS and FM. I was about to say that I have changed my shopping schedules so that I won’t have to listen to a screaming child and I also carry earplugs with me for some of the other distractions that keep coming up that really interfere with my life and happiness. They buffer the sounds so that they are almost tolerable. I thought I was losing my mind when this started happening, so when I first read about this being a symptom of CFS or FM, I was thilled! My family doesn’t understand how I can be so sensitive to this, so I just try to avoid the issue with them. I wish there was a better way to fix this problem, but for now I will continue to either remove myself from the situation or use my ear plugs. Thanks for asking.
i do not have this happen every night, but when it does happen it only starts in later evening. noises like the t.v doesnt bother me, but the tapping of fingers or a door closing light switch being turned on, basically the small things, feels like it is inside my head. it makes me feel like there is a small earthquake going on in the front of my head, i do not get headaches with these, although i have been fighting some illness that docs cant figure out for 3 yrs now, i do in fact have headaches most days of the week and dizzy spells everyday, (among many other issues that is effecting my health). i do have a partially blocked subclavian artery that i thought might be causing the problem. anyone else think maybe that might be atleast this part of it? the docs tell me to stay off of the net, and stop trying to diagnose myself, but when they cant wont or are unable to what do they expect, i am naturally going to start trying to find answers myself, 3 yrs is long enough, and for the first 1 1/2 they tried to say it is depression and anxiety but now they know it isnt. so if anyone can help me in this area of my illness please please please help…..
I’m so glad to have stumbled upon all this info, and relieved.
My husband has been a long term snorer which only exacerbates the problem I have with noise at night.
I can hear the fridge in the garage rooms away, the clock on the oven, the smaller fridge coming on and off, the circuit breaker in the loft humming away, the hum from the plug on the alarm radio, and when the heating comes on at 6.30 (I wake about a minute before it comes on) the humming from that and the water gurgling then the floorboards reverberating……then hub getting ready in the en-suite and really REALLY I SHOULD get up and welcome the new day and go for a fantastic walk on the hills with the dog and come come home refreshed and tire myself out for a great sleep …… which I know will not come
Every night is like Groundhog night. Every morning starts how I know it will start. I am so SO SO SO tired all the time.
When I do achieve some sort of quietness within me all I can hear is the tinnitus.
I have often wished I was deaf, with apologies for sounding so dramatic and pathetic and not to make light of deafness.
I am so glad to see this article. Like many of you noise almost drives me crazy (literally). There were times with barking dogs or loud music next door that I seriously contemplated taking an ax and bashing down a door, taking a knife and slashing the trampoline where the children bounced and screamed. And like many of you, my husband could not understand and would not help me with these people. I suffer from headaches and noise can make the pain unbearable.
I notice that many of you say you use ear plugs. I tried that but I can hear my heart beating loudly, which only added to the irritation.
I also hear ‘ghost noise and smells” as I call them. I didn’t however connect them to fibro.
thank god there are others w/this i thought i was a rare bird
carrying foam earplugs helps…also take something for anxiety an hour b4 entering the situation if you can
wear polarized sunglasses inside bldg
Last night I watched American Idol with my husband and son. My son is very loud and obnoxious all the time but last night it really go to me. I couldn’t get him to shut up enough to please me. My ears felt like the were ringing, irritated. All I wanted was peace and quiet. Today, two of my grandbabies came over and between the crying and the dogs barking, my hands are shaking and my ears feel very irritated, I feel like I can’t stand to have any loud noises around me. I am irritated when I have alot going on around me. I can’t think, can’t focus.
I find that white noise, ambient noise and traffic sounds make me feel uneasy and weak, sometimes paralyzed and have passed out from siren, motorcycle and truck sounds while riding in a car. Sometimes I have convulsions ( typical of a seizure) just from hearing white noise or a motorcycle but always there is loss of consciousness involved. Anywhere from 3 to 30 minutes. After I pass out I fall into a deep sleep. Anyone have problems like this?
I read this article and all the comments and found relief in that I’m not alone.
Now, how do I get my place of employment to help accomodate me? I like my job and like working (most days) but I’m in a high traffic area and they are going to be doing some contruction here soon. Is there anything, anywhere that I can research and show them?
For me it is strange; buzzing noises are especially bad or when multiple people talk at once. I have heard this referred to as “white noise deafness” before- the inability to separate sounds.
At the same time, if I go to a nightclub and hear pounding basslines all night long, they will never bother me. I think it has something to do with like… I dunno, volume, or something. the louder and more consuming a noise is, the easier it is for me to deal with, but if it is below a certain volume, and happens in a pattern, I have GOT to get away from it somehow.
For me thedre is a difference between noise and sound. Loud sounds don’t bother me. Its the clicks, pops, taps, ect that make me want to kill myself!! I sleep with ear plugs becaUse my fiance smacks his lips while sleeping. I’ve yelled at my kids for playing with toys noisily. I want to punch someone who sniffles constantly! I’ve gotten out of a car with a person chewing gum and walked home. I’ve started carrying around ear plugs for evry day use.
Thunder! My enemy is thunder and that’s just for starters. It’s not like you can get mother nature to shut up. Thunder brings me to tears with pain and anxiety. I don’t even have a firm diagnosis yet but I’m sure I have CFS. When it starts to thunder I have to take a Xanax just to cope. After the storm passes I’m left with the pain of a monday quarterback who got sacked every play he made. It sucks. See the rheumatologist in late November. Yay. A three month wait.
I am currently at my pain threshold pressure – i had a complete melt down this morning over bare feet on carpet by my 3 dogs and my adult son – it hurt my hands, arms, and feet and i couldn’t stand it any more. All of a sudden any friction sounds or visuals were causing more and more pain and so I ran, bawling, into the garage and into my truck and locked the doors and turned it on and blew the A/C at high (w/ the overhead door open for safety). I wasn’t going to drive anywhere – it hurts to touch the steering wheel on my palms. I just needed to get control back w/o stimuli. I spent the next 10 hours in my bedroom with the door shut and only a lamp on & one of those fuzzy soft blankets and didn’t move. Doc says I may have to increase the Lyrica to over the 450 a day I’m taking already. I had hoped these sensations would to away after having a quadruple discectomy. It did help alot. But with SLE and FMS I don’t even think chocolate will help. Thank you for posting. It makes me feel better knowing someone else understands.
It makes sense that we would get “abnormal” reactions to sounds if our nervous systems are not normal. I summed it up years ago by concluding that I cannot deal well with any stress or stressors – particularly something that triggers even a mild adrenaline rush. The adrenaline causes instant migraine, weakness, sick feeling…and that can wipe me out for the rest of the day or more. I also cannot use dental injections containing epinephrine (an adrenaline relative). I also live in an apartment with neighbors who come home at 12:30AM and I cannot sleep because I anticipate them coming and making noise. I have to use a fan or sound machine to distract me as well as ear plugs to try to counteract the effect of their return. I also have a noisy motor underneath the apartment that buzzes constantly and makes me want to take my long handle ax and chop thru the floor to destroy it. Noises that other people make, especially if I dont like them, are particularly intolerable. Sounds psychological doesn’t it? I guess if I wasn’t hypersensitive it wouldn’t such an issue. I hope this makes someone else feel better somehow. Maybe some college student could do their thesis on it.
This is why the Lyrica commercials rub me SO wrong. FMS is SO, SO, SO, much more then just the “muscle pain” that the pretty girls in the commercials demonstrate. I may be a bit prejudice since I went legally blind (could not see the BIG “E” on the eye chart, nor drive, read, etc.) on it ~ to the extent I ended up with one of the few Neuro-Opthamologist (brain scan and all) to get a diagnoses. Found this site to try to find something to print out for my 13-yr-old Son about how noise HURTS. And it’s a hurt hard to describe ~ kind of like an electric shock to your entire system. Being both a retired (due to disability) Social-Psych Professor and Chef ~~~ How do you explain to someone it’s painful to go to a restaurant – a store??? They think you’re crazy… Have lost Husband, all 4 siblings, one of three children (and the two sons are faithful but think I’m nutso nonetheless) and best friend of 45 years – and all other friends. I’ve got no one. I realize it’s a hard disease to comprehend unless you have it ~ but WHY would I give up an accomplished, successful life to just sit here and “make this up?????” (along with 10 million other Americans) Very, very lonely most of the time ~ but this thing has yet to destroy my brain and my optimism. Thank GOD/the Universe ~ for that at least. Said recently on a forum that it is funny; It seems the most caring people are those that contract this disease. I know ~ not funny at all, ey?? I’m ten years into it. Only gets worse. The link below is to the best compilation of symptoms I’ve found ~ though it does not cover the vomiting and diarrhea I get…among others. You are welcome to find me on Facebook under Jean March Thompson Taylor. Welcome contact as I live in the Woods on top of a Mountain and the internet is pretty much my only socialization
http://altmedangel.com/fibromya.htm
i can not stand the noise of dishes on a draining board or cups clinking together,i can not let anything pass that annoys me anymore i have to deal with it or it justs gives me so much grief.i thought it was just me so i keep this thread for me wife to read.
Reading everyone’s comments has brought tears to my eyes. The hardest part has been the isolation this has caused. I used to be friendly and outgoing….and no one understanding…I don’t even understand it.
I have been fighting noise, light and people bumping into me for years. The pain I can manage most of the time without drugs. However, when the migrains mix with the physical pain of fibermyalgia I think I’m going to go crazy with pain. My children do not understand why I want to stay at home. Or why when my daughter get’s off work and I’ve had my little grandaughter all day I just want to be where it’s quite by myself. The over load is to much when I have more than two people talking to me. I cannot have a radio or TV on if someone is talking or there is other noise around me. Compound that with light I end up in the hospital for days. My eyes blood vesle’s break, I get a bloody nose and my ear’s blead. I have mild to medium brain bleeds and I get brusing all over me. I just never made the conection of migrains, bleeds, bruicing, bloody noses…ect to fibermyalgia. I to find that no drug really helps. The best thing is just to hold steel after I rub asper cream on and pray for death. It normally takes three to four days for my body to settle down. Thank you everyone for this sight. I would never have realized that everything might be related.
I have had a severe issue with noise for as long as I can remember. Noise bothers me so much that I started to wear ear plugs 24/7 about 15 years ago. My hearing is so sensitive that I can hear people talking down the hall outside my apartment even with the ear plugs in. I can hear a person speaking to me in a normal voice if I have them in (like hearing a cashier talk to me). The ear plugs are industrial strength, the kind used in a factory or assembly line.
At it’s worst, this noise sensitivity bothers me enough to have to leave the area or make the noise stop. It’s like being suddenly startled and staying in that state. If someone touched me I’d feel like I was going to jump out of my own skin. It would be completely intolerable and I’d react very badly.
It is a relief to see that I’m not alone in this! I always thought it was some kind of weird quirk I had. Or that it was somehow psychological lol
This article is a God send. I have firbromyalgia affecting most of the joints in my body, most of the time, along with other classic symtems. It can be dibilitating at times. I have PTSD and anxiety, I kept trying to connect my sensory sensitivity to these conditions. I never thought of connecting sensory sensitivity to fybromyalgia. This article is exactly what happens to me. A response to a mild stimulus instead of fading, feeds back on it’self amplifying untill it is truely unbearable and I have to flee the source.