Noise sensitive — when sounds hurt more than they should
The ticking clock. The chewing at the next table. The bass through the wall at 11 pm. Others hear it and forget it. You hear it, and it stays. That is not a flaw of character but a nervous system that does not filter sound away.
If a sound is unbearable right now
- 1Cover your ears or put on headphones, even without sound. Ten seconds of quiet is enough as a first step.
- 2Breathe out longer than you breathe in. The body believes the breath that there is no danger.
- 3Fix your gaze on one point. Count five things you can see.
Why noise is different for sensitive people
The ears are the same. What differs is what happens afterwards: the highly sensitive brain rarely files a sound as “unimportant”. So every chew, click and alarm arrives with full attention — as if it were the first thing you had ever heard. After a few hours the nervous system is worn out, even if nothing loud happened.
What helps — from outside
Earplugs that soften frequencies rather than blocking everything: they take the harshness out of noise and let speech through. Noise-cancelling headphones on the train, at the office, in the supermarket. White noise at night when the flat will not go quiet. These are not crutches. They are tools for hearing that takes in more.
What helps — from inside
Sometimes the noise cannot be removed. Then one thing helps: not fighting the sound, but placing attention somewhere else. Feet on the floor. Breath moving in and out at the edge of the nose. Five things you can see. The sound stays — but it no longer has the whole stage.
In the app
Sia: quieter, in two minutes
For the moment when the sound is the whole world. The acute relief in Sia is free. Always.
FAQ
- Is noise sensitivity the same as misophonia?
- No. Misophonia is a strong, often angry reaction to specific sounds — chewing, breathing, clicking. Noise sensitivity in highly sensitive people is broader: it is about the amount and duration of sound, less about single triggers. The two can occur together.
- Do earplugs make hearing more sensitive?
- Worn all day, every day, hearing can adapt to the quiet. Used deliberately — office, train, concert — they are unproblematic and spare the nervous system.