Help for sound sensitivity

I care for someone with severe ME who is very sound sensitive. They are using ear plugs and some Bose noise cancelling headphones but that is not helping enough. Please has anybody any advice, e.g. are noise defenders good, are they better than noise cancelling headphones. Any help or advice gratefully received.

 

I struggle with this too, and do use earplugs and Bose earphones. But ear defenders are still the most helpful for me. I don't need continuous protection, but always keep the defenders on me just in case, as they are so easy to quickly put on. They have also enabled me to spend time with windows open and outside when previously I couldn't.

I own these ones: 3M Peltor X1 Ear Defenders Dark green

And these: 3M Peltor Optime III Earmuffs with Headband, 35 dB, Red

The second pair (red) block out more noise but the pressure on my jaw causes too much pain for me to wear for more than 20mins here and there, so rarely get used.

Peltor also do a lime green pair that aren't as bulky as the red ones but block out more noise than the dark green, but I don't own them so can't comment on comfort. 3M Peltor X4 Lime Green Ear Defenders

Hope this helps, I'd definitely recommend adding a pair to their arsenal of things to use.

Edit: I should add, ear defenders are different to noise cancelling headphones in what they can block out. They are much better for sudden noises (bangs, plates clattering etc). And I'd probably say more effective overall too. I've only recently got the Bose earphones and they're great but definitely not enough for me to be able to stop using the ear defenders.

 

I, too, am using Peltor. I find the X5A very effective but, like Gecko mentioned, they do put a lot of pressure on the jaw and they are quite bulky too. I have another pair of Peltor as well: CE95, much less bulky and with less pressure, but they are not as effective so it's best to use them in combination with earplugs (depending on what kind of noise it is, and how loud).

ETA: I can't use noise cancelling headphones like Bose or Soul. I guess it's because of the electricity? It makes my scalp burn as if on fire, where the headband goes across the top of the head

 

I’ve never been able to tolerate noice cancelling headphones for more than a few minutes, they make my ears itch and my head go all buzzy like it’s crawling with ants

Luckily I’m not overly sound sensitive so I manage with molded earplugs most of the time. Used ear defenders on top back when it was more of a problem.

Edited for spelling

 

Thank you all very much for your replies, it's very helpful.

 

In case you come back to this thread - thanks for all who contributed here. I just moved house to a noisier neighbourhood and need some ear or defenders. Wasn't sure which to get - will try Peltor.

 

For anyone looking for earplugs I really recommend flare isolate. The minis are even fine for side sleeping. Although they now do special sleeping earplugs which I haven’t tried but I imagine would be even more comfortable.

 

Just got my peltor optimum III ear defenders. They seem to be really effective but haven't worn them yet for long periods. They are HUGE! I was just wondering how I would sleep in them as I side sleep. So, I will definitely look for the earplugs that you recommended, Diluted-biscuit. Thanks so much for that!

 

Flare Snoozers are the newer ones they say are more comfortable for sleeping. I have the aluminium isolate minis though as I bought mine before the snoozers came out. I have no clue if the titanium is worth the extra price.

 

Thanks Diluted-biscuit. The flare snoozers are pricey. I guess because they come from Australia (I am in the UK). But will keep them in mind.

 

They are expensive, especially for the titanium ones. You also have to replace the foam tips a few times a year but I guess how often would depend how much you use them. Just worth bearing in mind if foam plugs aren’t working well enough though.

 

Do the green ones cause any pressure on the jaw? I have this problem with my current ear defenders.

 

Hi @Sarah94, yes they do cause a little pressure, not sure you'd be able to find a pair that don't, but it's significantly less than other pairs I've tried out.

 

I use noise cancelling in-ear headphones as can’t tolerate the actual headphones going over my ear and head it’s too painful. The in ear ones are good for me

ETA (tbh they don’t really block out all noise. But I can’t tolerate anything going over my ears so haven’t tried ear defenders properly. But they don’t block out sudden noise which is what makes life so difficult

 

Merged thread

Hi, I'm a new member.
Someone mentioned on a FB group that there is an excellent thread on hear re earplugs- please can someone direct me to it?
I've tried a range of ear plugs and ear defenders in the past -I'm noise hyper sensitive-but have found it impossible to find anything that blocks out a constant electrical humming noise coming from my loft. It is a certain pitch/ frequency that seams to get through everything. Any suggestions please very welcome.
Thanks very much

 

I find https://www.loopearplugs.com/ very helpful.

 

Welcome, @Megsyjenks.

Have you got a solar PV installation on your roof by any chance? I had an annoying buzz coming from the loft when I first moved here, which really bothered me at night. Eventually I accumulated up enough leg function to get myself up there, and found that 85% of the noise was being made by a slightly loose metal door on the electrical inspection cabinet, which was vibrating. I stuffed a small wedge of kitchen towel between the door and the cabinet frame to stop it, and I can now only hear the slight buzz the unit makes if I'm actually in the loft.

It's probably something different altogether, but I thought it was worth mentioning—it drove me nuts for months.

 

Hi @Megsyjenks welcome to S4

I feel for you, sound sensitivity is the bane of my life & that type of humming sound is a flippin nightmare.
As Kitty mentioned it may be because its vibrating - sound that carries farthest is usually because its travelling through the ceiling/walls (ie making the masonry vibrate slightly, rather than airborne. So it might be worth trying to investigate exactly what it is thats causing it & whether it can be sorted out at source instead, although you may have tried it.

I use Hearos foam ear plugs (with the pointed tip cut off) to sleep in but they are pretty useless for low frequency sound!

However i have found Noise cancelling headphones to be best at cancelling this type of low hum sound, even the cheaper ones. They were invented for airplane pilots/passengers so are in their element at this kind of thing. But not ideal for sleeping in I'm afraid.

I bought Quiet On sleep earbuds, but i dont find them any better than foam plugs for what i need. @lunarainbows am i right in remembering you got them too? How have you found them?

 

I echo @JemPD - I found noise cancelling, in particular Bose noise cancelling (I have the Bose noise cancelling in-ear earbuds but some people prefer the Bose nose cancelling headphones) to definitely be the best for those kinds of sounds. It’s really good for repetitive sounds that come from electrical items. So I would definitely recommend them. The Bose are quite pricey, but the product is amazing and I think bose are meant to be the best for noise cancelling tech.

Yea I’ve got the QuietOn earplugs - I’ve used the older version in hospital and found them helpful. They are noise cancelling earphones specifically made to use when sleeping - they are definitely not as good as Bose in terms of noise cancelling, but they are definitely less bulky. (I also got the latest version which they say can be slept on even for side sleepers but haven’t tried it on my side properly).