I hate noise!

[movementforthebetter]

I'm in this club, too. Sudden and unexpected loud sounds are a terrible trigger into full on fight/flight/freeze mode with major adrenaline and many minutes to calm down. I figure this is because of my parents' loud fights growing up. Also my dad used to blast music I hated, so it was always something.

I didn't always need quiet but as I've gotten older I have gone into years-long spells where I can't even listen to music I know and love. I'm triggered at home all the time (live under a major flight path) even after moving to a so-called quiet neighborhood. I'm such a light sleeper that almost any sound wakes me, sometimes several times a night. At my last workplace it was an open-concept cubicle farm which turned out to be unmanageable without headphones and classical music. I blink uncontrollably at the sound of hammering. I didn't realize how extreme its impact was until someone else noticed me going blink blink blink blink blink as another hammered and laughed at me. My bf laughed at me too, recently. I want to find it funny but it's too disruptive these days.

I am in EMDR and really hoping it will help but I might need exposure therapy or something else. Now that I think about it I am probably triggered by it almost every day. I was scared badly last night by the lid of a canning jar popping, and the other day by a fork clanging against a knife.

[Wife#2]

Wow, who knew, but it makes sense that noises can be triggers. 

Loud noises of any kind, but if they're sudden and then done, I'm ok. I can breathe.

But, if they keep going, and I can feel the sound waves in any way in my body, I'm done. I'm nauseous and ready to leave. It was an adventure being in a marching band considering that was a big trigger for me (parades always made me feel sick to my stomach). But, the strange part was, if I was IN the parade, I could only hear the players near me and I was concentrating on something (my instrument, the song being played) and I was marching - which seemed to help my stomach - I was fine!

Loud TV's or movies or stereos really get to me. I know that goes back to my severely autistic sister and her love of blaring the tv or stereo sound to the point of blowing up speakers. As much as the thump/thump soothed her, it hurt me.

My husband still doesn't understand this. He'll be doing something noisy in the living room (bad enough) and then turn up the TV so he can still hear that OVER his noisy activity. My headache begins instantly. Every effort to leave the room is met with him wondering if I'm OK, what I'm doing and when am I coming back to the living room. Really? With all that noise? I can't do it.

I gave in last night about the loud tv and noisy activity. I stayed and tried to be social. I ended up hitting mute more than he cared for. I'm paying still today with a splitting headache and my tinnitus absolutely throbbing in my ears. I had already intended to talk to him, but seeing this thread makes me know I really MUST talk with him. It's not just me. I'm not being ... whatever, I don't even think it's controlling or too sensitive or anything to remind him that loud makes me nervous, sick to my stomach and headachy. I don't think I'm asking too much for him to take that into another room, so I'm not chased out of the living room by it.

New thought - I married a man (also undx c-PTSD) who is soothed by loud, just like my sister was soothed by loud. Hmm....

[felloutofthesky]

Sudden loud noises put me in an instant state of fight or flight. I have a terrible roommate who slams doors all the time and it makes me furious. Even the sound of unlocking a car, if it's a louder beep, makes my heart stop. Babies crying stresses me out, I guess because I can't hear anything else. I absolutely hate loud noises, especially sudden ones.