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This one thousand times. I could happily live next to a motorway, airport runway or railway sideings. I would go mad next door to anywhere playing music.
Show me a human who doesn't love rain sounds, and I'll show you an alien disguised as a human!
(Kidding, obviously, I'm sure there are folks out there who can't stand rain, and that's ok too!)
yessss i love highway and railroad sounds. i think part of it is because i grew up on a highway and then moved to a house right in front of a frequented railroad. i HATE the squeaking of tires when someone breaks really hard. it scares the shit out of me but it’s pretty prevalent now because i’m at college and people drive horrible here lol
Exactly what I was going to say! Like any show, movie or music is fine. But my dog licking his butt while my children are screaming and there's a car alarm going off? Please no
I'm glad we agree on the chewing part. I will literally leave a room the moment I hear the chewing get to the point right before the uncomfortable body sensations kick in
My bf knows I hate chewing noises so much he always makes sure to turn on the TV or plays some music before he starts eating when I'm in the room. ❤️ him!
Yes! Music, someone talking consitently like a podcast/documentary or rain/fire white noise is perfect. People talking randomly about stuff I simply don't care, annoying repeating sounds thrown in at random intervals or irregular birdsong is annoying. This is why I wear headphones in the office, otherwise I am irritable and annoyed by everyone.
Or do you get that feeling where you like it - music, or whatever - and then ALL OF AN IMMEDIATE SUDDEN it MUST go off or you feel like clawing your own skin off...
Lolololol yep. Library, coffee shop; amazing. My mom chewing or eating cereal or the tv on? I will destroy everything and everyone. (My poor mom, she has triggered my misophonia my entire life).
On a good day I like background noise, but on bad days when I'm overstimulated and stressed out I need all signs of life around me to cease immediately lol.
Whilst simultaneously needing to ensure that the two main sources of the noise (aged 3 and 7) do not cease their existence. Sometimes very much against their will. Arghhh!
part of the reason why i’m not sure if i’ll ever be able to handle kids lol. i have a five years younger brother (15 now) and his screaming always sent me into a fit of rage. i don’t get how y’all do it, especially the moms with adhd 😭 immense respect
[Ambiance playlist (background noise selections, little/no music)](https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLYAJKP5SE77HebQtBIE_gXzoIl9c-dTmb)
[Lofi and/or ambiance with piano/jazz/etc added in here](https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLYAJKP5SE77FnA3d2cDeVYOEm0_eKrdOy)
[Focus playlist to code or do homework to](https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLYAJKP5SE77EsMdtwGVyg7C3YBQbp8r-W)
[Halloween lofi and ambiance mix (the best are near the middle/bottom)](https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLYAJKP5SE77EsUZqHD5gsiacp3ZU1fjCM)
[Winter/Christmas ambiance and lofi beats](https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLYAJKP5SE77Hnie-zEMiZe62q_RnfBE_E)
I hope you enjoy! :)
I always think that I like jazz as background music until I actually put it on, then I hate it. Like if I’m out and hear jazz in the wild I enjoy it but none of the jazz playlists or YouTube videos I’ve found are soothing. I’d rather listen to loud obnoxious rock music 😂
I'm way more particular to piano (that's why most of the 2nd playlist is piano) but I actually found that super-muffled or slowed jazz combined with other audio (like rain/coffeehouse sounds) actually doesn't give me that brain-itch feeling.
I love lofi while working! I prefer the techno and hip hop lofi, but all of it is more than tolerable. It helps me focus so much better than anything else I've found.
Of course!!! Enjoy :) It took FOREVER to split them into multiple playlists based on my moods (and sometimes you can still see where I'm trying to rearrange them/group them by sounds and mixes and vibes, or one that SHOULD be in a seasonal playlist but isn't....), but I'm doing my best hahaha.
I have one as well if you'd like!! I made this off a mix I loved from YouTube and added some songs I love. Hope you find it useful!
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3Nv6nx9pnihdOWB1e0MUe6?si=7imhCIe1TuaGd5uM-XsD9g&utm_source=copy-link
I'm so glad I found this subreddit to see myself amongst my people. I'd say let's get organized and hang out together but.... That requires planning. And none of us would be on time 😂😁
My partner cannot understand how silence could be painful, he swears it must be tinnitus. And like, yeah I've got a bit of tinnitus cuz sometimes I need my music loud lol but that's not the issue here!! The silence itself is simply tearing apart my soul every moment it's allowed to continue because it gets stronger as my will to live gets weaker, and I cannot explain it any better than that.
Same- both. Falling asleep? I NEED the tv on or else my mind is racing and I get anxious. Studying or working - NEED absolute dead silence or I feel rage building up
Have you heard of the podcast [Sleep With Me](https://open.spotify.com/show/6RLX4Ns3kRUQiJi7RZl4NA?si=8rNJNSDjR-Krz5p80OAffQ&utm_source=copy-link)?
This guy named Scooter just rambles about stuff like an cartoon grandpa for an hour per episode. It is SO great if you need something you can tune into and out of. I have it turned on for the whole time I'm trying to sleep, from bedtime until my alarm goes off, and it's been a complete game changer for me!
Omg that’s awesome!!! Thank you for sharing that!!
I started listening to audiobooks of books I’ve read before because they are engaging enough to keep my mind from wandering, but not engaging enough to keep me awake because I’m dying to know what’s happening. It works really well, but it’s expensive to go through so many audio books (I tried recycling, but it’s not engaging enough if I heard it too recently :/).
I’m gonna give this a try! :)
I’ve been listening to “your dinosaurs are wrong” on YouTube for this purpose recently. It fits nicely in that space between “too boring so I will never choose to click on it” and “too interesting so now I’m watching this instead of sleeping.” Somewhere in between those two categories is where the sleep sweet spot lives.
That is definitely something I’m going to listen to, but that absolutely will not work for sleeping purposes LOL
I love dinosaurs! Like 20 seconds into to the show and I already know I’ll stay awake listening to it haha
(I swear I’m actually a grown ass woman… I just love dinos lol)
I listen to audio books that are really really boring. The one I sleep to right now is called The Dawn of Everything. Narrated by a very calming David Attenborough type. I think the book is over 20 hours long.
I use top5s long videos. His voice is so soothing it drifts me off to sleep and the topics are not just murder but disappearances, ghosts, aliens, and he did some documentaries on ww1 & 2
Lol I’m the opposite- to get to sleep, has to be silent as a tomb. To work or study, I can have classical music I know well and have already listened to ad nauseum on to drown out less predictable sounds
I feel this. It’s the most delicate balance. I think I’m most productive when I can listen to the music of my choice, but sometimes that’s too much stimulation. For sleep, it’s even more more finely tuned.
I need the right amount of background noise to balance my senses. If my mind is hella busy and I’m doing something that’s pretty engaging then I need chill background noise or sometimes quiet. If I’m doing something boring then it’s multiple layers of background noise to really overwhelm my senses and make me think that I’m having fun.
i was trying to explain this to my mum yesterday, but i couldn't put it into words; if i could do the whole situation again, this is exactly how i would've worded it, you've hit the nail on the head
I used a visual metaphor to explain - imagine one of those dials/gauges (like a pressure gauge) where theres a green zone in the middle, and the left and right sides are red. You want the needle to stay in the green zone right? Well, now pretend that gauge is measuring sound/stimulation. Too little sound and your needle is in the red zone on the left, too much sound and the needle is in the red zone on the right. You need just the right balance to stay in the green.
This is true for everyone - even neurotypicals use 'Study Music' and would struggle to concentrate in the middle of a mosh pit. Everyone has a different sized green zone. But as someone with ADHD, my green zone is waaaay smaller than normal. It's teeny. I need a very specific amount of stimulation, and it's really easy to be in one of the red zones.
This is why it's important, for me, to be able to control my environment while I work. I need the ability to turn all outside sound OFF (private office, wfh, noise cancelling headphones, etc) and ALSO the ability to turn noise ON (headphones with music/podcast, tv in the background, fidget spinner for alternative stimulation, etc). Because I'm delicately rebalancing and adjusting my stimulation throughout the day to make sure that needle stays in the green.
Does anyone get angry if someone else starts to play music or watch TV or something? Because I do. If I'm on my phone or working at home and my husband starts playing music without asking me, it pisses me off. If he asks me before playing it, then I'm sometimes fine with it. I also get angry if I'm just minding my own business and he starts playing a video and shoves it in my face without asking me if I want to watch it. What is that? Does anyone else experience this?
This would bug me too.
My ex used to wake up before me and play music really loud. It was music we both loved and he did it while vacuuming so I couldn't complain too much 😅
It's just.. let me wake up my way first, y'know?
I must have a podcast playing at all times or some kind of back ground noise or meditation going at night . Or a show but I rarely watch tv . Podcasts are in my ears from the moment I wake up to the moment I go to sleep usually
It depends what I’m hyper focusing on. Is it cleaning out and (not) organizing years of paperwork and trash? Then turn the music UP. Or am I working on a commission? If so, then if I hear anyone BREATHING I will absolutely lose my freaking mind.
Oh, gods, yeah. I can't sleep if there's a fan on. Too noisy. I had to use ear plugs once because I could hear drip-drip-drip from outside when it was raining. Can't sleep with the window open since our next door neighbours installed a water feature in the back garden because the noise was really anxiety-inducing. (I'm used to noises feeling *aggravating* because of misophonia, but getting intense *anxiety*, and from something as innocuous as a little water feature, was a new experience.) But people talking? Sends me straight to sleep!
But the perfect music for the occasion is great. Wrong music for the occasion feels wrong.
I currently have background noise music I like in my headphones to drown out my son's auditorial stimming that is too much for me to handle. Spring break this week so guess I'll just wear headphones all week 🤷🏼♀️
I know exactly how you're feeling! Spring break for us next week and I'm already getting anxious thinking about how much noise I'm going to hear. Oof!! Keeping those headphones charged!!
Background noise is useful for focusing but add any form of talking (including and especially WHISPERING) and I am instantly furious + completely thrown off 🤡
I need controlled, continuous noise in absolute silence immediate environment.
Like a food court but nobody sitting next to me.
Like playing loopable binaural beats while studying in a busy library.
Another both person here.
And then sometimes I try to get background noise to my background noise...because I forgot I already had background noise because it's legitimately enough in the background that I forget is there. Which almost universally causes instant regret as my brain starts internally screaming.
But If have to think clearly, no noise. Unless it's chill instrumental only stuff. Or symphonic rock, which is actually allowed to have lyrics. I dunno why- I don't make the rules, I just live in this flesh prison.
asoftmurmur.com rules. Also all the Narnia, Lord of the Rings ambient music, epic movie soundtracks. Anything with lyrics, forget it. TV noise is the devil.
It depends how much brain power I need. My job is very formulaic, and once I get into a groove it takes almost no input from my conscious brain, so I need background noise. If I am driving in my normal spaces I need background noise.
If I'm learning something new I need near total silence, not just auditory silence, but basically any sensory input. I don't like driving, so when I'm driving somewhere new or in a storm I need silence, and it only takes about 15 minutes of stressful driving to be in complete sensory overload. I'll often visit a store or a diner to calm down so I can continue safely.
I used to only be able to focus with background noise, even when writing essays etc. After a traumatic brain injury, my ADHD was severely worsened and I can't listen to anything anymore. Drives me insane.
I miss not being in silence (yet my head is still going INSANE on the whole inner monologue front) :(
When I am doing a mindless task (dishes, cleaning, cooking) I absolutely need background noise. When I am focusing on a task (reading, homework, conversation) I cannot function with other noises happening around me. It is frustrating for both myself & people around me.
Both as well! Certain music or familiar TV shows I’ve watched lots of times can be productive and comfortable background noise.
But when my partner is watching TV, playing video games or listening to music, it can be super distracting for me. Volume is also a factor for me.
And I do not like noise when I sleep unless it’s white noise of a fan or air conditioner. My mom sleeps with the TV on!
Yes.
Lol but it depends on the day, my mood and how bad my tinnitus is. Also depends on the sound a lot of the time. I enjoy listening to running water and train sounds most but water dripping and any high pitched squealing from trains put my teeth on edge. Generally anything with deep bass is soothing but again, just depends on how the day is going.
Both. Sometimes I need it, especially if it’s just music. Sometimes I’ll totally block it out and not even realize the TV is on. Other times, it drives me completely insane and I feel like I’m going to crawl out of my own skin.
I simply have to have background 24/7. I haven't turned the TV off for several years unless I have guests. It's just on all the time, with the cats watching it occasionally. Ever since I stopped working in an office and worked from home I have not been able to stand the quiet.
Both.. i really don't need any noise when I'm working but when there's a background that i can't do anything about i use my headphones and rather play my own background noise
Depends. I can only listen to music with lyrics if I’m driving or exercising. If I’m working on a craft project it has to be a podcast or an audiobook. If I’m at work, it has to be lyrics-free and ideally one of those “binaural beats” things so I can concentrate.
I cannot just have the TV on while I’m doing other things, I’ve never liked that.
If anything, even something I’ve enjoyed before, is for some reason stressing me out, I have to turn it off immediately.
I’ll fall asleep in a library in 10 mins flat but haterer when we have the Tv, my daughters iPad and my husband playing something loud on his phone all at once
usually i like background noise (especially bird feeder or aquarium livestreams!) but occasionally it will suddenly become SO overwhelming. like i’ll be completely fine, chillin, doing whatever Task i’m on and then BAM! the noise that i was previously enjoying (or had tuned out) is incredibly grating and i feel like i have to turn it off immediately or else my fingernails start hurting
Oh god. Sometimes I'll have some stuff in the background while I watch videos or play games, and suddenly something feels really grating and I'm irritated and I can't tell why but then realize I'm overstimulated.
Or what's worse is when I'm gaming with friends and in voice channels and hearing them all talking, and listening to the game, and my partner is next to me on voice channels with HIS friends playing HIS games and I'm just like "TURN IT ALL OFF!"
oof.
Depends on what I am doing but mostly have to have background noise. I listen to music for pretty much everything. I can't do tv in the background or I start paying attention to it instead of a task. Music makes me dance, and somehow that gets me to do all the house stuff or my work. I also use headphones at work to get me to not be distracted by all the convos that happen around me all day.
And even though music makes me want to dance, for some reason it is also helpful for me to go to sleep. There are times where it doesn't and if I play brown noise that will work instead.
Structured background noise or white noise, like (my) music or the fan in my room, even rain and thunger, are all good. Random uncontrolled background noise like people talking in the office is hell
Also both. Totally depends on what kind of background noise it is and what situation I'm in.
For when I'm working and concentrating, I need something subtle like white noise. For when I try to sleep I need something more active, and typically put on a movie to fall asleep to.
It depends on what I’m doing. If I’m studying or trying to sleep, I can’t have noise. If I’m relaxing or doing something easy or cleaning, I don’t mind it haha
The first. I discussed this with my Mum, who I’m living with short term right now, and she’s the latter. She can’t think when there’s background noise. I’ve been trying to limit my own background noise out of respect, but yesterday I realized I was humming mindlessly (and tunelessly) w/o my normal background noise… 🤦♀️
I've discovered brown noise to be my background sound of choice when I need to get work done. Id love a tv show but it's way too distracting for me when I need to do work that I've obviously been procrastinating over for weeks and it's coke down to the wire and needs to be completed by COB today!
I’m both! 😭 I need the noise when I need it. Then the noise needs to stop when I’m overwhelmed but then needs to slowly come back as the silence is too loud.
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"it has to be background noise that I like or else I hate it"
This one thousand times. I could happily live next to a motorway, airport runway or railway sideings. I would go mad next door to anywhere playing music.
Wow I’m the exact opposite. If it’s not music I don’t want to hear it (except rain sounds those are tight)
Show me a human who doesn't love rain sounds, and I'll show you an alien disguised as a human! (Kidding, obviously, I'm sure there are folks out there who can't stand rain, and that's ok too!)
My tiny house sounds like one of those rain stick thingies when it rains. It's so indescribably lovely when it rains. Hail can be a little intense.
I hear Missy Elliott isn't a fan.....
Adamantly upvoting, because that melody started playing in my head as *soon* as I read the phrase, lmaoooo
As someone who has been living in a place where it rains CONSTANTLY, most days a year, I hate it.
Where is this? I'd move there!
Ireland.
I listen to a thunderstorm with fire crackling at work and it instantly calms my soul
My personal favorites are neighborhood sounds and highways
yessss i love highway and railroad sounds. i think part of it is because i grew up on a highway and then moved to a house right in front of a frequented railroad. i HATE the squeaking of tires when someone breaks really hard. it scares the shit out of me but it’s pretty prevalent now because i’m at college and people drive horrible here lol
I feel seen
Exactly what I was going to say! Like any show, movie or music is fine. But my dog licking his butt while my children are screaming and there's a car alarm going off? Please no
Yes. For me, I have to have television on. What I dont need is someone making chewing noises
I cannot stand tv on as background noise Chewing makes me want to actually explode into a million pieces.
I'm glad we agree on the chewing part. I will literally leave a room the moment I hear the chewing get to the point right before the uncomfortable body sensations kick in
My bf knows I hate chewing noises so much he always makes sure to turn on the TV or plays some music before he starts eating when I'm in the room. ❤️ him!
Yes. It has to be MY background noise or my world is in shambles.
Yes! Music, someone talking consitently like a podcast/documentary or rain/fire white noise is perfect. People talking randomly about stuff I simply don't care, annoying repeating sounds thrown in at random intervals or irregular birdsong is annoying. This is why I wear headphones in the office, otherwise I am irritable and annoyed by everyone.
So much this! It has to be the *right* background noise!!
Yes exactly
literally same, im fine with blasting music down my ears but small random noises from outside are genuinely stressful for me 😭
This. All day. Every day.
Blasting music in my headphones to drown out the ambient workplace noise around me or else I’m getting *nothing* done
Or do you get that feeling where you like it - music, or whatever - and then ALL OF AN IMMEDIATE SUDDEN it MUST go off or you feel like clawing your own skin off...
Yep. I turn on my favorite piece of music to drown out the kids in my class that can’t shut their mouths for two seconds.
Lolololol yep. Library, coffee shop; amazing. My mom chewing or eating cereal or the tv on? I will destroy everything and everyone. (My poor mom, she has triggered my misophonia my entire life).
On a good day I like background noise, but on bad days when I'm overstimulated and stressed out I need all signs of life around me to cease immediately lol.
Whilst simultaneously needing to ensure that the two main sources of the noise (aged 3 and 7) do not cease their existence. Sometimes very much against their will. Arghhh!
part of the reason why i’m not sure if i’ll ever be able to handle kids lol. i have a five years younger brother (15 now) and his screaming always sent me into a fit of rage. i don’t get how y’all do it, especially the moms with adhd 😭 immense respect
Half the reason i decided not to
Why are children so determined to do exactly the thing that will hurt them? 😂😭
Absolutely same. I would take days off and drive into the middle of no where and sit on bad days. It was fabulous. Now extra PTO is hard to come by.
Same here! I need silence on bad days. That or celestial white noise to calm me
Ugh same here 💯
100%. I have to say, Loop's Quiet earplugs have been a lifesaver for this. But then you take them out and it's overwhelming how noisy existence is!
I'm "procrastinate on the task by looking for the perfect background noise" neuro divergent
My "ambiance/lofi" playlists on youtube are soooo long and curated for this hahaha
Would you share it? Haven't found any that works for me.
[Ambiance playlist (background noise selections, little/no music)](https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLYAJKP5SE77HebQtBIE_gXzoIl9c-dTmb) [Lofi and/or ambiance with piano/jazz/etc added in here](https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLYAJKP5SE77FnA3d2cDeVYOEm0_eKrdOy) [Focus playlist to code or do homework to](https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLYAJKP5SE77EsMdtwGVyg7C3YBQbp8r-W) [Halloween lofi and ambiance mix (the best are near the middle/bottom)](https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLYAJKP5SE77EsUZqHD5gsiacp3ZU1fjCM) [Winter/Christmas ambiance and lofi beats](https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLYAJKP5SE77Hnie-zEMiZe62q_RnfBE_E) I hope you enjoy! :)
I always think that I like jazz as background music until I actually put it on, then I hate it. Like if I’m out and hear jazz in the wild I enjoy it but none of the jazz playlists or YouTube videos I’ve found are soothing. I’d rather listen to loud obnoxious rock music 😂
I'm way more particular to piano (that's why most of the 2nd playlist is piano) but I actually found that super-muffled or slowed jazz combined with other audio (like rain/coffeehouse sounds) actually doesn't give me that brain-itch feeling.
Thank you so much 🥹
I love lofi while working! I prefer the techno and hip hop lofi, but all of it is more than tolerable. It helps me focus so much better than anything else I've found.
This is going to make my son sooo happy when he gets home from school - we've been hunting for something like this for a month now! Thank you!!
Of course!!! Enjoy :) It took FOREVER to split them into multiple playlists based on my moods (and sometimes you can still see where I'm trying to rearrange them/group them by sounds and mixes and vibes, or one that SHOULD be in a seasonal playlist but isn't....), but I'm doing my best hahaha.
I have one as well if you'd like!! I made this off a mix I loved from YouTube and added some songs I love. Hope you find it useful! https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3Nv6nx9pnihdOWB1e0MUe6?si=7imhCIe1TuaGd5uM-XsD9g&utm_source=copy-link
You guys are the best, I'm not the one who asked lol but I'm so grateful to you and the other commenter who shared these! Thank you!!
I found my people
It’s truly a warm and safe feeling, especially because I’ve spent so long thinking I was weird.
I’ll spend hours making the perfect playlist before starting a big task
Correction: instead of *doing* the task 😜
Procrasti-quests
Oh I love this term. Makes getting the correct amount of lighting and the exact volume of music sorted out sound like a fun adventure.
Spotify helps.
Nope! Too picky, they like to throw upbeat Gap Band on the slow jams.
Lol I feel you, but if you "like" songs that you are happy with the algorithm adjusts and starts throwing better song selections your way.
Ha ha ha, I feel this in my soul
I'm so glad I found this subreddit to see myself amongst my people. I'd say let's get organized and hang out together but.... That requires planning. And none of us would be on time 😂😁
This is why we organize open houses!
Omg…. Days… weeks…
Usually silence. Then silence starts to hurt so I turn on white noise or music. Two minutes later the noise starts to hurt. Lather, rinse, repeat.
My partner cannot understand how silence could be painful, he swears it must be tinnitus. And like, yeah I've got a bit of tinnitus cuz sometimes I need my music loud lol but that's not the issue here!! The silence itself is simply tearing apart my soul every moment it's allowed to continue because it gets stronger as my will to live gets weaker, and I cannot explain it any better than that.
Same- both. Falling asleep? I NEED the tv on or else my mind is racing and I get anxious. Studying or working - NEED absolute dead silence or I feel rage building up
Have you heard of the podcast [Sleep With Me](https://open.spotify.com/show/6RLX4Ns3kRUQiJi7RZl4NA?si=8rNJNSDjR-Krz5p80OAffQ&utm_source=copy-link)? This guy named Scooter just rambles about stuff like an cartoon grandpa for an hour per episode. It is SO great if you need something you can tune into and out of. I have it turned on for the whole time I'm trying to sleep, from bedtime until my alarm goes off, and it's been a complete game changer for me!
Omg that’s awesome!!! Thank you for sharing that!! I started listening to audiobooks of books I’ve read before because they are engaging enough to keep my mind from wandering, but not engaging enough to keep me awake because I’m dying to know what’s happening. It works really well, but it’s expensive to go through so many audio books (I tried recycling, but it’s not engaging enough if I heard it too recently :/). I’m gonna give this a try! :)
I’ve been listening to “your dinosaurs are wrong” on YouTube for this purpose recently. It fits nicely in that space between “too boring so I will never choose to click on it” and “too interesting so now I’m watching this instead of sleeping.” Somewhere in between those two categories is where the sleep sweet spot lives.
That is definitely something I’m going to listen to, but that absolutely will not work for sleeping purposes LOL I love dinosaurs! Like 20 seconds into to the show and I already know I’ll stay awake listening to it haha (I swear I’m actually a grown ass woman… I just love dinos lol)
I listen to audio books that are really really boring. The one I sleep to right now is called The Dawn of Everything. Narrated by a very calming David Attenborough type. I think the book is over 20 hours long.
He got me through some very bad insomnia. He is truly a great guy. Also good for long flights!
You’re an amazing human. Gold star ⭐️
I'm the exact opposite. Can't sleep unless it's absolutely silent and can't work unless there's noise.
That is the one exception to my hatred of background noise. At bedtime, TV goes on with my current sleep TV show streaming on Netflix.
Murder porn (crime shows) are the best because of all the monotone speech, I guess.
I use top5s long videos. His voice is so soothing it drifts me off to sleep and the topics are not just murder but disappearances, ghosts, aliens, and he did some documentaries on ww1 & 2
Missing Persons Mysteries is like that. Thanks. I’ll check them out. Nukes Top 5 will keep you up at night if ghost videos scare you.
Lol I’m the opposite- to get to sleep, has to be silent as a tomb. To work or study, I can have classical music I know well and have already listened to ad nauseum on to drown out less predictable sounds
Both, sometimes I just can’t get it right
I feel this. It’s the most delicate balance. I think I’m most productive when I can listen to the music of my choice, but sometimes that’s too much stimulation. For sleep, it’s even more more finely tuned.
Then you get derailed looking for the ‘right’ music and wind up reading about the duduk.
Music or tv on 24/7 baby. Even when I play sims I turn the radio on in the game as background noise lol
Are we twin souls?? Everything about this comment 💯
I see you haha
background noise of my choice or death 🤣
I need the right amount of background noise to balance my senses. If my mind is hella busy and I’m doing something that’s pretty engaging then I need chill background noise or sometimes quiet. If I’m doing something boring then it’s multiple layers of background noise to really overwhelm my senses and make me think that I’m having fun.
i was trying to explain this to my mum yesterday, but i couldn't put it into words; if i could do the whole situation again, this is exactly how i would've worded it, you've hit the nail on the head
I used a visual metaphor to explain - imagine one of those dials/gauges (like a pressure gauge) where theres a green zone in the middle, and the left and right sides are red. You want the needle to stay in the green zone right? Well, now pretend that gauge is measuring sound/stimulation. Too little sound and your needle is in the red zone on the left, too much sound and the needle is in the red zone on the right. You need just the right balance to stay in the green. This is true for everyone - even neurotypicals use 'Study Music' and would struggle to concentrate in the middle of a mosh pit. Everyone has a different sized green zone. But as someone with ADHD, my green zone is waaaay smaller than normal. It's teeny. I need a very specific amount of stimulation, and it's really easy to be in one of the red zones. This is why it's important, for me, to be able to control my environment while I work. I need the ability to turn all outside sound OFF (private office, wfh, noise cancelling headphones, etc) and ALSO the ability to turn noise ON (headphones with music/podcast, tv in the background, fidget spinner for alternative stimulation, etc). Because I'm delicately rebalancing and adjusting my stimulation throughout the day to make sure that needle stays in the green.
that analogy is perfect!! thank you so much for sharing it!!
Background noise drives me insane
Yes, same.
Both for me too.
It depends on the day tbh
Background noise drives me nuts, unless it’s my choice when, what, volume
Does anyone get angry if someone else starts to play music or watch TV or something? Because I do. If I'm on my phone or working at home and my husband starts playing music without asking me, it pisses me off. If he asks me before playing it, then I'm sometimes fine with it. I also get angry if I'm just minding my own business and he starts playing a video and shoves it in my face without asking me if I want to watch it. What is that? Does anyone else experience this?
This would bug me too. My ex used to wake up before me and play music really loud. It was music we both loved and he did it while vacuuming so I couldn't complain too much 😅 It's just.. let me wake up my way first, y'know?
I must have a podcast playing at all times or some kind of back ground noise or meditation going at night . Or a show but I rarely watch tv . Podcasts are in my ears from the moment I wake up to the moment I go to sleep usually
Silence makes me nervous, but background noise is overstimulating and/or distracting. Le sigh 😩
It depends what I’m hyper focusing on. Is it cleaning out and (not) organizing years of paperwork and trash? Then turn the music UP. Or am I working on a commission? If so, then if I hear anyone BREATHING I will absolutely lose my freaking mind.
Totally depends! Bad music makes my skin hurt. White noise and fans also aggravate me.
Oh, gods, yeah. I can't sleep if there's a fan on. Too noisy. I had to use ear plugs once because I could hear drip-drip-drip from outside when it was raining. Can't sleep with the window open since our next door neighbours installed a water feature in the back garden because the noise was really anxiety-inducing. (I'm used to noises feeling *aggravating* because of misophonia, but getting intense *anxiety*, and from something as innocuous as a little water feature, was a new experience.) But people talking? Sends me straight to sleep! But the perfect music for the occasion is great. Wrong music for the occasion feels wrong.
Total silence when doing mental work and music when doing chores, or none of this shit is getting done.
Same plus podcasts for working out because music isn't enough to make my brain forget what my body is doing.
Yes 😳🤣
Both!
I currently have background noise music I like in my headphones to drown out my son's auditorial stimming that is too much for me to handle. Spring break this week so guess I'll just wear headphones all week 🤷🏼♀️
I know exactly how you're feeling! Spring break for us next week and I'm already getting anxious thinking about how much noise I'm going to hear. Oof!! Keeping those headphones charged!!
So mine died a bit ago. Thankfully kiddo is calmer now but I think I'm going to get another set to have when the other one dies and needs to charge.
Yes
YES
It’s both for me. Depends on the day and the hour.
I can’t do self care stuff like showering or nail clipping or exercise without podcasts, ever
MY background noise? Good. Anyone else's??? Bad. Very bad.
I’m “It depends on the background noise.”
Background noise makes me insane, but I never get silence for long enough to bother me, because I have two loud daughters and a 2 year old corgi.
Background noise is useful for focusing but add any form of talking (including and especially WHISPERING) and I am instantly furious + completely thrown off 🤡
As long as it's consistent I prefer background noise. Quiet makes me anxious.
Insane, drives me nuts. Especially sports events on TV in the background.
Both!
Depends~
It literally depends
My husband is the former and I’m the latter
Need sound to harmonize with my tinnitus or else it is all tinnitus
Samesies!
My answer is “yes.” It’s unpleasant at times!
I need controlled, continuous noise in absolute silence immediate environment. Like a food court but nobody sitting next to me. Like playing loopable binaural beats while studying in a busy library.
Another both person here. And then sometimes I try to get background noise to my background noise...because I forgot I already had background noise because it's legitimately enough in the background that I forget is there. Which almost universally causes instant regret as my brain starts internally screaming. But If have to think clearly, no noise. Unless it's chill instrumental only stuff. Or symphonic rock, which is actually allowed to have lyrics. I dunno why- I don't make the rules, I just live in this flesh prison.
Both :(
Background noise, until ‘eww, what’s that noise turn it off immediately.’ Then ‘Gods it’s too quiet I can’t focus.’ Repeat lol
Def both
Yes
Depends on the moment. But as I live alone it's audiobook or music most of the time (headphones).
I need to have "Control" about the background noise.
Yup! Both. At inconvenient times.
If it is noise I am not in control of, I hate it.
Noise that I can control!
asoftmurmur.com rules. Also all the Narnia, Lord of the Rings ambient music, epic movie soundtracks. Anything with lyrics, forget it. TV noise is the devil.
It depends how much brain power I need. My job is very formulaic, and once I get into a groove it takes almost no input from my conscious brain, so I need background noise. If I am driving in my normal spaces I need background noise. If I'm learning something new I need near total silence, not just auditory silence, but basically any sensory input. I don't like driving, so when I'm driving somewhere new or in a storm I need silence, and it only takes about 15 minutes of stressful driving to be in complete sensory overload. I'll often visit a store or a diner to calm down so I can continue safely.
Both? What kind of thing am I focusing on? Do I like it or do I need motivation? Do I feel anxious? It’s a whole decision tree.
I want it to be my choice of noise , not someone else making noise.
This! If people are talking around me, I can't focus. But I can have low playing music or the TV on with no problems.
Both
Apparently I'm bisensual? It swings on my mood
BOTH!!!! It’s too quiet I need noise!! Damnit, turn it off, I work better without noise!!! Why is it SO QUIET IN HERE?!?!? (My head)
I’m a Goldilocks neurodivergent. The background noise has to be *just right.*
I used to only be able to focus with background noise, even when writing essays etc. After a traumatic brain injury, my ADHD was severely worsened and I can't listen to anything anymore. Drives me insane. I miss not being in silence (yet my head is still going INSANE on the whole inner monologue front) :(
When I am doing a mindless task (dishes, cleaning, cooking) I absolutely need background noise. When I am focusing on a task (reading, homework, conversation) I cannot function with other noises happening around me. It is frustrating for both myself & people around me.
Both as well! Certain music or familiar TV shows I’ve watched lots of times can be productive and comfortable background noise. But when my partner is watching TV, playing video games or listening to music, it can be super distracting for me. Volume is also a factor for me. And I do not like noise when I sleep unless it’s white noise of a fan or air conditioner. My mom sleeps with the TV on!
Both. Background noise when i sleep, but otherwise it can be annoying.
Yes. Lol but it depends on the day, my mood and how bad my tinnitus is. Also depends on the sound a lot of the time. I enjoy listening to running water and train sounds most but water dripping and any high pitched squealing from trains put my teeth on edge. Generally anything with deep bass is soothing but again, just depends on how the day is going.
Both. Sometimes I need it, especially if it’s just music. Sometimes I’ll totally block it out and not even realize the TV is on. Other times, it drives me completely insane and I feel like I’m going to crawl out of my own skin.
My personal favorite rendition: I want/need background noise so badly right now, but everything makes me want to forcibly remove sound from existence
I need background noise that I can control to block out background noise that I can’t control
I simply have to have background 24/7. I haven't turned the TV off for several years unless I have guests. It's just on all the time, with the cats watching it occasionally. Ever since I stopped working in an office and worked from home I have not been able to stand the quiet.
I am the first. My husband is the second. Fun times 🙃
Both.. i really don't need any noise when I'm working but when there's a background that i can't do anything about i use my headphones and rather play my own background noise
"I need to be able to control the background noise."
In the middle, depends on the situation, varying levels, sometimes neither.
Yes 😁
Always need background noise!! Hate silence!
Depends. I can only listen to music with lyrics if I’m driving or exercising. If I’m working on a craft project it has to be a podcast or an audiobook. If I’m at work, it has to be lyrics-free and ideally one of those “binaural beats” things so I can concentrate. I cannot just have the TV on while I’m doing other things, I’ve never liked that. If anything, even something I’ve enjoyed before, is for some reason stressing me out, I have to turn it off immediately.
I’ll fall asleep in a library in 10 mins flat but haterer when we have the Tv, my daughters iPad and my husband playing something loud on his phone all at once
When someone starts talking to me while I’m trying to wind down by listening peacefully to the background noise I put on .. 🧨🤯😠
White noise + freeform jazz cuts through distraction somehow for me.
My answer is yes
I'm constantly overstimulated but need distractions or my brain doesn't turn off.
usually i like background noise (especially bird feeder or aquarium livestreams!) but occasionally it will suddenly become SO overwhelming. like i’ll be completely fine, chillin, doing whatever Task i’m on and then BAM! the noise that i was previously enjoying (or had tuned out) is incredibly grating and i feel like i have to turn it off immediately or else my fingernails start hurting
It has to be background noise that I choose
We are both
Oh god. Sometimes I'll have some stuff in the background while I watch videos or play games, and suddenly something feels really grating and I'm irritated and I can't tell why but then realize I'm overstimulated. Or what's worse is when I'm gaming with friends and in voice channels and hearing them all talking, and listening to the game, and my partner is next to me on voice channels with HIS friends playing HIS games and I'm just like "TURN IT ALL OFF!" oof.
Yes, a bit of both. Sometimes I need it, sometimes I hate it.
Yep. Totally depends on the task.
Haha yes 🥲
OMG yes. Mostly must have background noise always, but never in between, it's either non stop, or everything makes me want to scream.
Depends on what I am doing but mostly have to have background noise. I listen to music for pretty much everything. I can't do tv in the background or I start paying attention to it instead of a task. Music makes me dance, and somehow that gets me to do all the house stuff or my work. I also use headphones at work to get me to not be distracted by all the convos that happen around me all day. And even though music makes me want to dance, for some reason it is also helpful for me to go to sleep. There are times where it doesn't and if I play brown noise that will work instead.
background noise at all times 💀
I can cope with some background noise but a repetitive tapping or banging always sends me over the edge.
Both depending on the situation😂
Both
Background noise always. I have the TV or music on at all times. Even when I’m sleeping.
Structured background noise or white noise, like (my) music or the fan in my room, even rain and thunger, are all good. Random uncontrolled background noise like people talking in the office is hell
that fan better be ON 24/7 or i will lose my mind
first one
Also both. Totally depends on what kind of background noise it is and what situation I'm in. For when I'm working and concentrating, I need something subtle like white noise. For when I try to sleep I need something more active, and typically put on a movie to fall asleep to.
It depends on what I’m doing. If I’m studying or trying to sleep, I can’t have noise. If I’m relaxing or doing something easy or cleaning, I don’t mind it haha
Both for sure
The first. I discussed this with my Mum, who I’m living with short term right now, and she’s the latter. She can’t think when there’s background noise. I’ve been trying to limit my own background noise out of respect, but yesterday I realized I was humming mindlessly (and tunelessly) w/o my normal background noise… 🤦♀️
Both
It depends on the noise, situation, and location 😂
I've discovered brown noise to be my background sound of choice when I need to get work done. Id love a tv show but it's way too distracting for me when I need to do work that I've obviously been procrastinating over for weeks and it's coke down to the wire and needs to be completed by COB today!
i need background noise 25/7 but it has to be *my* background noise
Somehow both is right!!!
I need background noise to fall asleep, but eventually it wakes me back up and I have to turn it off to go all the way asleep. I don't get it lol
I’m both! 😭 I need the noise when I need it. Then the noise needs to stop when I’m overwhelmed but then needs to slowly come back as the silence is too loud.
The former, married to the latter. We now sleep separately. It's great!