> Easily distracted by noise (hypersensitive to external sounds like birds, cars, construction, etc.)
I suffer from misophonia in a way that is similar to this. There are certain high, mid-high sounds that cause a painfully disorienting "touch" sensation for me, along with the usual suspects like chewing. I hear sonic animal repellents that most people out of their teen years don't.
> Noise cancellation headphones to eliminate distracting sounds
I was skeptical about these in the past. I received a pair as a Christmas present and they've been literally life-changing, especially in COVID World with the kids at home. They're Bose and probably cost more than I would spend on myself, but they are priceless to me now.
> Relying on technology to silence the world’s background noises can make it harder for the brain to filter them out on its own, neurologists and behavioral scientists say. People who regularly wear noise-canceling headphones might be more easily distracted by sounds of typing and chatter on days they’re not wearing buds.
> Even with my noise-canceling headphones, I can never escape the feeling of movement and noise around me.
If you are anything like me, the root cause may not be the noise and movement. It may instead be the anticipation that the noise and movement is someone who is about to pull you out of your flow. Even if it doesn't happen that often, the psychological jolt that occurs every time it does is enough to make my mind resist concentrating when potential distractions are around. Noise-canceling headphones do nothing against a tap on the shoulder.
Not to mention that for some people, noise-cancelling headphones are nausea-inducing. I had this after a single day of using Bose's headphones, despite not getting nauseous from other common things (reading in a car, roller coasters, etc.).
Have you tried noise cancelling headphones? I know several people with sensory overload problems and they tell me noise cancelling headphones are transformative.
> Until recently, the models most notorious for eardrum suck have been Bose over-ear noise-canceling headphones, such as the QC25s and QC35 IIs. Yet as anyone who’s taken a commercial airline flight in the last decade can attest, these models are immensely popular. Clearly, some people either don’t experience eardrum suck, or do experience it but aren’t bothered by it.
I can explain that. Bose doesn't sell regular headphones. Noise-canceling headphones are the only option. So you use "noise-canceling headphones", but you don't turn on the noise canceling because of the uncomfortable pressure on your ears.
>Headphones with Bose-style active noise cancellation are an ineffective gimmick.
They are actually very effective, both for airplane style noise, but also for street noise, people talking in an office, and music playing.
Haven't tried Bose themselves, but active noise cancellation on Parrot Zik's works well, and all reviews say Bose's is even better.
Plus, if you also play your own music on top, you can't really hear anything -- to the point of it being dangerous if you're walking in the street, crossing roads, etc.
> I have intermittently also used cheap construction hearing protection and found those to be just as effective
I use both (Bose QC35ii and 3M Peltor X5A) and I find the Bose is better in two ways: ear comfort and it doesn't trigger my tinnitus. It seems the Bose lets in just enough ambient sound that my brain doesn't go into a tinnitus-crescendo-loop.
Also, of course, the construction headphones don't play bluetooth audio.
If you're the sort of person who thrives in a quiet atmosphere or is really sensitive to sound, I can't recommend Bose QC-15 noise canceling headphones enough. They've totally transformed my life and I still lament for the days of productivity I lost while living in ignorance of their existence.
Even when I'm not listening to music, they take the edge off of the all the sound and noise around me so that even conversations happening within earshot aren't distracting, even though I could tune in and understand what people are saying if I wanted to. It's pretty amazing.
I recently bought a pair of Sony active noice cancelling headphones and spend a lot of time in the house wearing them in noice calcelling mode without playing any music.
I find it takes away large amounts of anxiety and stress - and as much as you don't notice the silence quite that much, the second you switch them off it's surreal how noisy reality actually is.
Saying that, before I got them I was doing a lot of DIY round the house and would occasionally catch myself wearing ear defenders even hours later without realising, so it coukd just be me that's overly sensitive.
>> So that I can work without having to blast music through $300 noise-canceling headphones (which itself impairs focus, but is the lesser of all evils)?
I have seen people mention noise-cancelling headphones in the context of noise and open offices. Don't anyone use noise cancelling ear muffs? I am sure listening to music 6-8 hours a day is not good for your ears.
As someone with ADHD, the background noise of real life is really distracting to me. I need noise cancellation headphones which play no sound to really deeply focus.
I suffer from misophonia in a way that is similar to this. There are certain high, mid-high sounds that cause a painfully disorienting "touch" sensation for me, along with the usual suspects like chewing. I hear sonic animal repellents that most people out of their teen years don't.
> Noise cancellation headphones to eliminate distracting sounds
I was skeptical about these in the past. I received a pair as a Christmas present and they've been literally life-changing, especially in COVID World with the kids at home. They're Bose and probably cost more than I would spend on myself, but they are priceless to me now.
reply