Can't handle total silence

[Hylian]

Is anyone else not really able to handle total silence?

I've never been able to handle hearing nothing but total silence. It gives me a headache from having to listen to my tinnitus, and it makes me have the intense urge to vocal stim. It also gives me anxiety and makes it hard to sleep. I usually have to have a fan or something on so I have some sort of quiet background noise.

 

[SusanLR]

I can't sleep in total silence or total darkness.
A fan, soft sleep music or nature sounds on a disc is the only way I can sleep.
Yes, tinnitus is too loud when totally quiet.

I like just a little ambient soft night light too. It seems calming.

 

[Outdated]

I'm exactly the opposite, I miss the total silence and the total darkness of the remote forests. So quiet that I'd get annoyed if it was disturbed by the sound of a car on the main road 7 Km away.

I enjoy being up and awake during the very early hours of the morning now because it's the only time the city gets even close to being silent, and I can still hear a faint background hum.

 

[Aspychata]

Yes, l can use the TV low for background noise, and l feel less alone. Complete darkness for a petite female can seem frightening so l prefer a nite light.

 

[Outdated]

I woke up in the forest late one night because I heard a strange bird call that I didn't recognise. Then I heard it again, I held my breath so that I could listen more clearly, and that's when I realised it was one of my nostrils whistling.

 

[Raggamuffin]

I hear my tinnitus when there's complete silence.

Ed

 

[Slime_Punk]

Total stillness, darkness and silence can be a bit unnerving for me as well. I can do it, but I'd rather not.

 

[Suzanne]

Me! I have to play music at all times, when awake. Silence causes anxiety to the extent that I could go crazy and often say: silence is NOT golden for me.

I do not suffer as you do, with the cause, but when I did one night, it was thanks to music that helped me relax, otherwise, ironically enough, I can deal with total silence when going to bed.

 

[Mr. Stevens]

I used to play music from the moment I got up until I went to bed. I still enjoy music a lot, but also enjoy time with ear plugs in. I usually brush my teeth after dinner, then put in the ear plugs. I have some tinnitus, but can focus on my thoughts enough to ignore it. I like the quiet time to reflect on how I feel about life.

 

[Storm Hess]

No...I love total silence. Being a musician, you'd think that I'd be ok with noise. Well, I do my best writing in my head with no instrument. Outside noise destroys that ability and becomes overwhelming to me. I love the silence.

 

[Owliet]

I always need to have some form of sound around me.

 

[Neonatal RRT]

Is anyone else not really able to handle total silence?

I've never been able to handle hearing nothing but total silence. It gives me a headache from having to listen to my tinnitus, and it makes me have the intense urge to vocal stim. It also gives me anxiety and makes it hard to sleep. I usually have to have a fan or something on so I have some sort of quiet background noise.

Exactly my situation as well.

Tinnitus and hyperacusis in autism spectrum disorders with emphasis on high functioning individuals diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome

To evaluate the prevalence of tinnitus and hyperacusis in individuals with Asperger's Syndrome (AS).A home-developed case-history survey and three ite…

www.sciencedirect.com

 

[Hylian]

I can sleep just fine in total darkness, and I actually can't sleep if it's not totally dark. I have to have no light and some sort of ambient noise if I want to actually feel rested.

 

[Mr. Stevens]

I can sleep just fine in total darkness, and I actually can't sleep if it's not totally dark. I have to have no light and some sort of ambient noise if I want to actually feel rested.

I need pretty even light. With my eyes closed, I'll probably notice if the window space is a little lighter than the room.

 

[Rodafina]

Do noise canceling headphones with just the noise canceling feature on do anything for tinnitus?

EDIT: not trying to make suggestions, just curious. It sounds like a very frustrating condition.

 

[MadFit]

I tend to get tinnitus when i have the cold, but i did not realise this is something closely related with autism for others? Interesting!

 

[Judge]

I too prefer to sleep with some kind of ambient sound. Usually rainfall, with my clock radio which has multiple sounds via MP3 looped files that it can play. Though at times I wonder if that is how I got tinnitus in my right ear.

 

[Hylian]

I have never tried sound canceling headphones for tinnitus. I also got my tinnitus from having near-constant ear infections throughout my life, so it's come with hearing damage that I've acquired.

 

[Judge]

I have never tried sound canceling headphones for tinnitus. I also got my tinnitus from having near-constant ear infections throughout my life, so it's come with hearing damage that I've acquired.

Can't comment on how they may or may not work with tinnitus, but for simply reducing external noise I've always been highly impressed with the Bose "Quiet Comfort" line of noise-reducing headphones. Though the main downside to them remains the price. Sony also claims to have such a superior product, though I've never actually tried them.

 

[330]

No...I love total silence. Being a musician, you'd think that I'd be ok with noise. Well, I do my best writing in my head with no instrument. Outside noise destroys that ability and becomes overwhelming to me. I love the silence.

I am the same .I desire silence all the time. All my writing of music is done in my mind first. Even playing in bands gives me headaches sometimes because all the horrible overtone frequencies.