Noises drive me crazy - Soft Sound Sensitivity Syndrome

[johnnycakes]

Inspired by El D's OCD thread...

There are many noises that drive me crazy.
Most people have a cringing reaction to fingernails on a blackboard. I have a much longer list of noises that cause me to react the same way.

The noises that bother me the most are mouth-related noises. I cannot stand to hear people eat or chew or slurp.
It causes me to become very angry. I get quiet and cannot concentrate on anything except the offending sound.

There is a woman at my work who chews gum all day every day.
I can hear her chewing, clicking this gum. It's not loud popping, just soft clicking noise. I have fantsies of approaching her and cussing her out, of reaching into her mouth, pulling the gum out and mashing it into her hair.

I cannot concentrate. I cannot work. I must put on my headphones and turn up my music very loud if I have any hope of getting anything done in the office.

This problem has ruined many dinners for me. If I can hear the people eating, slurping, SCRAPING THEIR FORKS AGAINST THEIR TEETH...I shut down. I will not talk. I cannot hold a conversation. I just feel angry. But I cannot say anything to the "offenders", because I know it is my problem, and 95% of the population would have to change the way they eat to make me feel at ease.

After searching the intarweb, I have found that I am not alone (although I have never met another person in "real life" who suffers from this).

Here is an exact description of what I have. (http://www.tinnitus-audiology.com/softsound.html)

This is perfectly worded:
[ QUOTE ]
Emotional reactions are closely related to this syndrome: victims may cry, yell, strike out, retreat, scream, withdraw, abuse others verbally or physically, in an effort to remove the negative stimulation. One patient described these very soft sounds as akin to 'fingernails on a million blackboards'. There is an irresistable urge to remove oneself.

[/ QUOTE ]
I never cry or yell or strike, but I always have strong visual fantasies of doing so.

Here is a brief list of noises that I cannot be around:
Chewing
Swallowing
Drinking, slurping
Teeth on metal (forks, spoons)
Any lip smaking.
Brushes (Such as sweeping the floor. Brushing my teeth every day is nearly impossible).
Sniffing (Blow your [censored] nose people!)
Finger nail biting.

Anybody else?

[Jeebus]

Wow! I thought i was alone. The worst part for me is trying to sleep. If someone is snoring or breathing realy heavy I am stuck awake. Odd Bird chirps do the same thing to me. I always figured it was just OCD.

[LetYouDown]

[ QUOTE ]
After searching the intarweb, I have found that I am not alone (although I have never met another person in "real life" who suffers from this).

[/ QUOTE ]
Umm...I know a LOT of people who "suffer" from this. It irritates the crap out of me as well. Why is everything a syndrome now? Seriously...it's getting out of control.

[dcasper70]

I had the same issues, but I got one of those noise machines. You know the kind, they emit sounds of waves or a brook or static.

The static or white noise option, set at very low volume, masks an amazing amount of background noise, and is very easy to become used to. I have trouble sleeping without it now.

[Jeebus]

i use an air purifier. It takes care of the noise and keeps my room smelling fresh and clean.

[miajag81]

[ QUOTE ]
Wow! I thought i was alone. The worst part for me is trying to sleep. If someone is snoring or breathing realy heavy I am stuck awake. Odd Bird chirps do the same thing to me. I always figured it was just OCD.

[/ QUOTE ]

Earplugs.

[JDErickson]

Metal on teeth is enough to drive me insane.

[pearljam]

My GF has the exact same problem, if I want to eat something crunchy like cereal I have to leave the room, and even if im eating something that doesnt make noise god forbid if the fork scrapes against my teeth.

[Blarg]

I'm noise sensitive too, a little. Mouth noises are disgusting to me, unless it's a mouth working on my anatomy. Especially if you can hear the wet gloppy gurgling of someone eating, it puts me off my food. I don't think I'm all that unusual that way though; most people seem at least a little put off by mouth sonds, and turned off while eating if they hear it.

I think part of it is that my folks raised me to be very polite and have good manners at the table. I grew up feeling that trying to have good manners wasn't a burden, but something you could feel good about. It made you more bearable and welcome at the table. I don't know where the 7th fork goes or anything like that; just simple good manners like not making big snot sucking sounds while people are eating, not smacking your lips, gurgling, slurping your soup or from your glass, chewing with your mouth open, shoveling food in your face, banging your silverware around, gasping, burping, picking your teeth, picking your nose, biting your silverware pr knocking your teeth with it so it clanks, flossing, clipping toenails, milking goats, beating confessions out of prisoners, etc.

I always thought of certain limits on bad manners as natural, but it has become less common. Now when I see bad manners, I tend to think of them as either intentional and therefore disrespectful, or proof of idiocy, boorishness, or being raised poorly. Bad, slurpy, grunty table manners gross me out and offend me. Though I know many people just were not raised not to feed like pigs at a trough, I tend to view my own upbringing as closer to a sort of fair level of table manners and that of others as drastically worse. So I find what others think is normal to be distasteful and aggravating.

If I'm in a restaurant, I will move my table if someone sits down after me and starts in on the grunting, gasping, and lick smacking while eating. I can't enjoy my meal listening to that. If I have to get a doggy bag, I'll do it. I can almost never tune it out.

Same if I'm talking to someone who always shows the food bouncing around in his mouth in various stages of digestion. I can't look at that person, and even get pissed off. Usually I tell them, "I can't look at you when you do that."

Back on the subject of regular noise, I always sleep with a fan on at night, for white noise. Most of my life it's been a floor fan, but I found a really smooth, non-squeaky desktop fan box fan I use now. I use it even if it's a cold night.

[HopeydaFish]

I can't go to fairly busy movies because of what you described. If I can't sit far enough away from people that I can't hear their random noises, I can't watch the movie. Hearing someone crinkling plastic while they dig into a bag of candy drives me insane the most. If someone is constantly sniffling (like from allergies or a cold), or feels the need to whisper to his/her friends, I totally lose focus on the movie because I get so tense. I can only go to popular movies during non-busy screenings (like a weekday afternoon), or I have to wait until the movie is almost out of theatres and the crowds have thinned out to see it. It sucks.

[Bradyams]

One noise that really pisses me off is the sound of a TV turned on, but the volume turned off. For instance if someone was watching a DVD, and they simply took the DVD out, but didn't turn the TV off, but the screen was black -- As soon as I walk in the room I can instantly tell the TV is on. It's that really high pitched ringing sound, and it gives me a headache, plus pisses me off that my roommates can't remember to turn off the TV.

[Blarg]

The smell of tabasco sauce on that fake butter they put on popcorn makes my stomach queasy like I'm going to puke. That ruins a movie for me.

Lots of people seem to like it that way, but it literally makes me start to feel sick.

Haha, I do this too. Immediately upon entry into a room I know if the TV is on. I wonder how common this is. I don't think my hearing is any better than normal but it's like I get a vibe and I know the TV is on. This was really annoying when I hung out at my GF's house a lot, her dad would never turn the TV power off, just the "TV" button or whatever, so the red power light would remain on as well as the TV. UGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG! We told him like 4 times that he kept leaving it on and he never did anything about it ie: Simply TURN IT OFF! Finally he got all mad at my GF and asked her "WHY DOES THIS BOTHER YOU SO MUCH!? WHO CARES!?"

Groan. And I'm just the boyfriend so I can't say anything. Whatever.

[mslif]

The sound of someone sipping on hot coffee or hot soup making that slurping sound and then loudly exhaling just drives me nuts. /images/graemlins/frown.gif

[Blarg]

Her dad sounds like a pain. Surely he can find better things to make some lame stand about. He should just friggin turn it off and shut up instead of being a dick.

LOL. You're good. You're real good.

Everybody is a pain in some way. But you are right, I don't see why he would get huffy-puffy with his only child about simply turning the TV off.

[LetYouDown]

[ QUOTE ]
I don't think my hearing is any better than normal but it's like I get a vibe and I know the TV is on

[/ QUOTE ]
It isn't. I don't anyone who DOESN'T know when the TV is on but volume is off.

Interesting, because everytime I sense this around others, they look at me like I'm crazy. It may have a lot to do with the fact that I'm wearing a jockstrap on the outside of my business slacks.

[Bradyams]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I don't think my hearing is any better than normal but it's like I get a vibe and I know the TV is on

[/ QUOTE ]
It isn't. I don't anyone who DOESN'T know when the TV is on but volume is off.

[/ QUOTE ]

My roommates don't hear it. Everytime I mention it, they look at me funny, and tell me I have the hearing of a dog.

[peachy]

its all about habituation.....most of u seem to be on the sensitization end of it which can be brought over to the habituation end with enough exposure/conditioning

[ptmusic]

OMG,

thanks for posting this. I actually went to a therapist for this a while back, which helped a little. But the therapist didn't name it SSSS. It totally makes sense. I've always thought I was completely weird and alone on this.

That's not to say I'm exactly like you freaks, either! Metal on teeth and brushing sounds don't bother me. But other people eating - I get angry, tense, and I usually leave the room.

Sometimes I just tell people "don't eat with your mouth open" or "don't talk with your mouth full". Needless to say, barking orders doesn't help relationships with adults. And when someone is eating with mouth closed, I have to just deal with it myself. My wife often takes her food to another room when she wants to eat. Slurping, gulping, even loud swallowing drives me apeshit.

But I have found that I'm not too bothered when I'm eating something equally "loud" (crunchy, squishy) as another person, as long as the other person keeps his damn mouth shut.

Besides eating, I get bothered by quiet noises in very quiet places. If I'm in a lecture, and someone is whispering nearby, or someone is clicking their g-d pen a lot, I am stuck and it's awful.

The solution I learned in therapy that works a bit is to do everything you can to relax your entire body for a 5 count. Every single muscle should go limp if possible. Don't worry about focusing on the professor or whatever you should be focusing on. After the 5 count, tell yourself (silently) to "focus" on whatever you should be focusing on.

As for sleeping, I can't take it when a dog is barking down the street, or someone is playing music next door. Quiet is worse than loud! Ear plugs do work for me as a last resort.

-ptmusic

[theben]

im with this

[HopeydaFish]

[ QUOTE ]
its all about habituation.....most of u seem to be on the sensitization end of it which can be brought over to the habituation end with enough exposure/conditioning

[/ QUOTE ]

Naw, that can't be right. I read new posts from you each and every day and I still haven't been desensitized. /images/graemlins/frown.gif

[Jimbo]

[ QUOTE ]
It's that really high pitched ringing sound, and it gives me a headache, plus pisses me off that my roommates can't remember to turn off the TV.


[/ QUOTE ]

Of course they can remember to turn the TV off. I'm sure you make such a big fuss about this that it is done intentionally. Just like toilet seat lids and toothpaste caps, it is all a passive form of resistance.

[Jimbo]

[ QUOTE ]
Her dad sounds like a pain. Surely he can find better things to make some lame stand about. He should just friggin turn it off and shut up instead of being a dick.

[/ QUOTE ]

This is an unbelievable response!! It is his home, got it? His frigging home. If the little twerps are bothered by this they should go elsewhere. Sheesh!!!!!!!

[PITTM]

man, reading about a "syndrome" and thinking you have it is a syndrome in itself nowadays. the only thing that really bothers me, like it almost makes me [censored] my pants, are ice chunks rubbing against other ice chunks.

rj

[Blarg]

Who gives a damn if it's his house. You think owning your house gives you the right to be a jerk to everyone in it? You're wrong.

There's no "entitlement" in life to be a jerk, and there never will be. Get over it. You will ALWAYS be a jerk for being a jerk.

If you want to be a jerk, it's YOUR problem, not others'. Have the balls to stand up and say you want to be a jerk instead of acting all wounded when really you're just a prick.

Adults can and do compromise. It's one of the main things that makes them adults.

CHILDREN find stupid sh*t to argue about so they can relive their infantile childhood traumas with their own parents and say "You can't tell ME!" This is almost the only response many young people have to any type of conflict in which it is suggested that their behavior is not optimal.

It's one of the ugliest parts of young people's behavior and one of the most tedious ways they waste energy and friendship.

Learn to compromise, especially if it takes ABSOLUTELY NOTHING OUT OF YOU to do so.

Being unwilling to turn off the damn t.v. because of whose house it is, is anti-social on an infantile level. You're supposed to be past being a pointless dick by the time you reach adulthood, not fukin revel in it.

[Blarg]

Really? I like that sound.

[ChipWrecked]

[ QUOTE ]

Anybody else?

[/ QUOTE ]

Lesbian moaning.

It gives me the uncontrollable desire to masturbate.

[stigmata]

Does this problem affect your sex life?

I know what you mean. My roommate sucks his fingers after eating, taps on random [censored] all the time. I just want to break a chair over his head. Gotta go, bout to vomit as he just sprayed Axe all over himself, I [censored] hate Axe.

[NoTalent]

I have never heard a fork against teeth before. /images/graemlins/confused.gif

Drinking noises are very annoying (that sound you hear if you swallow water + air at the same time), and crinkling chip bags are terrible too.

I agree. Had he simply turned the TV off we would have been like "Ok, great, problem solved."

Istead, here I am 5 months later still remembering his play and having people say how di*ked up it was.

I also hate people who say "If I ever do anything annoying, of something that bothers you, just let me know." Yeah right. It's always those people that never seem to understand rudimentary intrapersonal skills. Telling them is about as pointless as having Thanksgiving in Somalia.