My Favorite Misophonia Coping Tools

1/19/2013

Please excuse the delay in this latest blog update. For the past week, I've been feverishly trying to wrap things up at work and prepare for a writer's conference, where I am right now. Given the time zone difference, my body woke me up early, so I decided to enjoy the scenic ocean view and the sounds of the waves crashing upon the shore while playing a little blog catch-up... (More to come about this conference in subsequent posts.)

Today I wanted share some of my favorite tools for helping to deal with my misophonia trig gers. For a while, I thought I had lost one of them, but found it right before I left on my trip... My Jabra Rhythm noise cancelling headphones! (See the black headphones next to a set of my earplugs in the photo to the left.) What's funny is that I originally purchased those headphones from a Verizon Wireless store near where I work because I damaged one of the wires in my old cell phone hands-free set, which I used all the time to have phone conversations with my very close, but physically long distance, friends. I told the salesperson that I needed a good new set of headphones because I frequently damage the wires on all my past headphones (I haven't found a Bluetooth wireless set that feels comfortable to me yet and has good sound.) He suggested the Jabra Rhythm because of it's noise cancelling capabilities. I love it for so much more (and not just because I seem to recall they didn't cost much more than $35 at the time...)

The device has three sizes of paper thin rubber sheaths to put on top of the speaker portion so the person can use the one that fits most comfortably in their ear. The solid portion is barely bigger than that metal screen disk at the top earpiece in the picture. (There's actually an air cavity between that disk and the outer rubber surface, so it squishes down to less than half of the diameter of one of those earplugs. They are the most comfortable earbuds I've *EVER* found and the salesperson wasn't kidding when he said they were noise-cancelling. I wear them at work all the time to block out the multitudes of misophonia triggers surrounding me and I swear... I don't hear anything outside my music! Sometimes even when my phone rings - which is only a couple of inches away from my computer monitor. (That only happens when I listen to a song very loudly because the triggers at that moment were loud or frequent.) It also has great sound clarity for my cell phone conversations too. Even the people on the other end say they can hear me very clearly through the earbud microphone.

So, when I misplaced those headphones, I tried to use one of my old, non-microphoned, earbuds from an old music-only device. It made me realized how spoiled I've been with those little Jabra gems... I couldn't get the old, solid plastic, music-only earbuds to sit right in my ears. They were extremely uncomfortable and kept slipping out too. They didn't even block any of the trigger sounds at work, probably because they didn't sit well in my ears to begin with. Let's just say that those first few weeks of the New Year were very frustrating ones to me. I even went back to my foam ear plugs (the version in the photo is the only type that I like for it's comfort and noise cancelling ability) because if I can't have music as my background "white noise," no sound at all is better than having to deal with the open office triggers surrounding me.

Right before I left for this conference though, I started to clean my car out a bit so there'd be nothi. I was thrilled to find my little Jabra headset in the shadows right underneath the front edge of my driver's seat. It must've fallen out of my purse pocket. What a relief to find them again. It sure made the long hours on the plane much more enjoyable.

30 Comments

Catherine Barber

3/10/2013 09:12:43 pm

These earphones sound unusually effective if you really can't even hear your own telephone a foot away! Can one get these in England, U K ?

My particular triggers / sensitivities are impact-type sounds (not necessarily loud ones), ie things like doors (car, fridge, any) or lids being shut too hard; the sounds of other peoples' living impacting through walls etc; things like papers being slapped down or allowed to drop; people rapping their fingers on surfaces.... list is endless but those are the main and most frequently-occurring ones.

I don't seem to have the same triggers as most misophonics but I certainly share their anger-startle reactions. I get a physical-type sensation too like I've been hit on the side of my head and/or punched in the stomach - then afterwards I feel completely 'drained' - is this the same as going into shock, I wonder?

Emlyn Altman link

3/11/2013 09:01:50 am

Hi, Catherine. Yes, out of all the headsets I've ever worn (various earbud brands and my Sennheiser "Princess Leia" outside the ear headset), these earbuds are amazing at blocking outside sounds especially since they are rated as "noise cancelling" earbuds. I'm not exaggerating when I say that my coworkers have to wave their arms or throw a crumpled up piece of paper at me to get my attention while wearing them. I'm oblivious to any surrounding noise when I wear them (even my phone that's directly in front of my mouse hand.)

I checked the Jabra website and it looks like they only ship within the US. However, another reader responded to my blog entry from last week (when I wrote about one of my earbuds died after over a year and a half of heavy use and being crammed into my purse's side pocket) and sent me a link to an Amazon.com listing of the same headphones. (http://www.amazon.com/Jabra-RHYTHM-Corded-Stereo-Headset/dp/B0042X8PB2) They look exactly like what I have and Amazon does ship to the UK! (http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html/?nodeId=596194) Let me know if you wind up buying them.

I actually can relate to many of your triggers particularly "fidgiting" actions (both visual and audible). One of my coworkers to this day remembers that his drumming sounds bother me, after I lightly pushed his hand down while he was in the middle of a phone call. His finger/pen tapping on his desk was driving me crazy! (He's also one of the people who would flag me down when I was plugged into my earbuds.)

As far as your physical reaction, I may not be a doctor but perhaps one way to think about what you're experiencing is similar to the adrenaline rush I experience when I'm on a deadline push or other stressful situations. Part of our responses is the anxiety and tension created by the triggers which gets our adrenaline going - like other "fight or flight" responses. After the "danger" of the trigger is gone, we don't have the surge of adrenaline anymore and our bodies just crash from exhaustion. Just a thought.

I wonder if that's why people with misophonia are so stressed and frustrated. Our bodies are constantly dealing with bursts of adrenaline energy in response to triggers and so we're always on edge and in the brief moments that we aren't being bombarded by triggers, we're exhausted. The constant up and down of intense energy bursts over a sustained period of time can't be healthy for us...

Thank you for your comment. It's definitely inspired me to look at the physical aspects of misophonia with a new perspective.

Catherine Barber

3/11/2013 06:56:28 pm

Many thanks Emlyn for your lovely reply! And thanks for all the info you gave me re the Jabra headphones - I might well look in to the Amazon link and see how much they cost and find out more, and will put this in my Favourites.

Yes that's definitely on that all this up and down of nervous energy bursts within us - along with constant hypervigilance - is completely draining us so I, for one, feel constantly fatigued and foggy-headed.

If you wished, do feel free to use my Link or anything I say, in any articles you might write up. I'd love to have my seemingly-unique triggers in the open.

Bonnie

3/22/2013 08:18:30 pm

Assuming these as the same ones, you can get them on Amazon UK too: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Jabra-Rhythm-Corded-Stereo-Headset/dp/B00439DUYC/ - I'm also in the UK and considering purchasing these after reading the recommendation here! Perhaps Emlyn can confirm whether these are the same ones?

Emlyn Altman link

3/23/2013 03:38:10 am

Hi, Bonnie. As far as I can tell, those do look like the same headphones as what I have. There are very minor differences from my pair, such as the microphone being on the bottom of the rectangle instead of at the top or the location of the Jabra logo on the earpiece, but I tend to notice small details like that. I'm sure they're the same product, just packaged for the UK.

I did notice another item on that same page for less money but it shows the same cylindrical packaging that mine had when I bought it. (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Jabra-Headset-compatible-Motorola-Blackberry/dp/B0042X8PB2/ref=pd_sim_ce_1/276-8008352-3070259) If you want to save a little money when testing the earbuds, and if they work with the device you plan to use, I'd say try those out.

One thing I should mention, that I thought about when posting a comment about the earbuds on the misophonia.info discussion board, I tend to listen to loud music (usually 80's) when I wear them. I'm not sure if they'd completely isolate the ears from triggers if a person were to use quieter sounds instead. I wanted to be upfront about that because I think what sounds you listen to can be just as important as the devices themselves. If the triggers are much louder than the earbud sounds, I'm not sure how effective they'd be.

That being said, I still love these earbuds. I just pride myself as being honest and tend to overthink things when providing information to others. If you do buy them, please let me know what you think.

Emlyn

Bonnie

3/23/2013 10:06:24 pm

Thanks Emlyn! That's really helpful. I've added them to my Amazon wishlist for future reference. :)

Catherine Barber

3/11/2013 08:16:40 pm

http://www.jabra.com/Products/Bluetooth/JABRA_SPORT/Jabra_SPORT

Hello again! Whilst looking on the Jabra site I saw these headphones - which I wondered if they'd particularly suit me as I wear wax earplugs as well, so actual in-ear buds might be a problem with me. These 'Sport' ones have a neckband and over-ear bits which might help them stay 'in' me better!
I wasn't particularly looking for anything to use with a phone so ones with a mike aren't so much of interest - I just wanted the noise-cancelling ability whilst out and about (like in our noisy clattery supermarket!) and not having to wear anything too conspicuous.

I'll now go and look into the ones you've given a link for above.

Emlyn Altman link

3/11/2013 11:34:11 pm

I'm glad my posts have been helpful, Catherine. We misophonians need to stick together. :-D

I personally have never been a fan of headphones that sit on top of the ear, especially Bluetooth versions, but that's just me. I never found any that sat comfortably or gave me the sound I wanted like an in-ear bud; but, whatever works best for me may not be what you need. It's just a personal preference.

One thing I did notice about those Jabra Sport headphones you asked about: From the specs at the bottom of the page it looks like the built-in mic has noise canceling abilities but I don't see anything that says that the speakers are noise canceling. (I guess the idea is that if you're speaking in a windy area, that the person on the other end of the phone won't hear the wind blowing.) I'd suggest if you really want to go with something like those, make sure that the devices have noise canceling capabilities within the speakers.

I may have originally bought my Jabra Rhythm earbuds for use with a cell phone but in the past year, I can probably count on one hand (maybe two) the number of times I actually used the mic feature. For $35, I don't mind having earbuds with a mic that I don't use if it means they block triggers and have sound quality as well as mine do. I don't even like using the headphones that came with my iPod Suffle or other music-only headphones anymore because I've become so accustomed to the feel and sound of my Jabra Rhythm ones. I'm a creature of habit. Once I find something I like, I stick with it as long as I can.

In fact, when the one earbud died a week and a half ago while I was trying to work on my memoir at a coffee shop, I wore one earbud and put an earplug in my other ear. There was no comparison. I heard more of my surroundings with the ear that had the earplug than the ear with the Jabra earbud. That moment proved to me without a doubt at how good those earbuds were, and I will always go back to them as long as Jabra makes them.

Let me know what you wind up getting. I'm always curious to find other solutions that are successful at battling triggers.

Catherine Barber

3/12/2013 05:07:13 am

Thanks so much Emlyn for going to all that trouble of looking into the Jabra Sports headphones - I'll have a further look in to whether these have the noise-cancelling within the actual speakers: which would be the bits that go in the ears of course!

If I get anything I'll certainly let you know. At the moment I use an MP3 player with a continuous sound of heavy rain falling on water, and behind-the-neck portable 'phones which I have sort of 'sitting' on top of my earplugs. The neckband is quite tight and keep the 'phones in place.

Ideally of course in-ear buds would be the most effective..... but then I'd have to keep taking my wax 'plugs in and out, which is kind of yukky and just another thing to worry about. But I'm always on the look-out for new solutions.

Whatismisophonia

5/31/2013 05:28:27 pm

"...I frequently damage the wires on all my past headphones."

How do you do that? I ask because I get triggered often times by my earbud wires rubbing against my shirt and I end up yanking the bastards off my head. Is that the deal with you or am I just more !#@$ed in the head than most people with miso? E-mail me if you'd prefer.

Emlyn Altman link

6/1/2013 04:03:52 am

No, you're not !#@$ed up more than other people with misophonia. I've got a LOT of tactile triggers too. In fact, one of my most frequent tactile triggers is when a strand of my own hair falls out and lands on my bare skin. I keep my hair very long to give me natural "blinders" whenever I'm exposed to visual triggers. Unfortunately, I've got so much hair, strands frequently fall out throughout the day (whether naturally, or just getting caught on something). When that happens, I feel the light touch of the hairs on my arm and it drives me crazy until I can get them off.

Anyway, perhaps since I wear thick cotton shirts or maybe because I feel my long hair resting against my neck/shoulders, I don't really notice the "umbilical cords" unless they get caught on something. For me, the bigger two issues when it came to selecting earphone devices was comfort and sound quality. The Jabra Rhythm earbuds are the most comfortable earbuds I've ever worn. I don't notice them at all. It may be due to the paper thin, rubber sheath that creates an air pocket around the speaker that makes it so comfortable, not to mention it creates a nice seal in the ear to block out surrounding sounds.

Up until I found the Rhythm headphones, I felt that other corded earbuds didn't fit well within my ear. The hard plastic shapes weren't comfortable and after a period of time, wound up hurting so badly that I had to stop wearing them. They also didn't block out surrounding sounds, so I had to blast my music to block them out, which annoyed the people around me because they heard the buzzing coming from them.

I've tried a lot of bluetooth devices to try and eliminate the "umbilical cord" tether, but I wound up returning every single one. Either they didn't fit comfortably, they didn't stay on my ear well (they felt like they were going to fall off - especially if I tried wearing them with glasses), or the sound quality was terrible. Granted, the last time I tried on a bluetooth earpiece was several years ago, so I'm sure technology has improved quite a bit since then. I guess I'm just pretty loyal to products and services that work for me. (Heck, regardless of where I've lived over the years - Boston, Philly, DC, and now the Midwest - I still go to the same hairdresser in NJ because he does such an amazing job!)

Do you use bluetooth earbuds that you like? I'm always open to try new coping tools if other people have had success with them.

-Emlyn

Whatismisophonia

7/15/2013 05:16:00 pm

Just FYI, your earbuds are “noise isolating”, with a “noise cancelling” mic. Sony and a few other brands make actual noise cancelling earbuds as well as on-ear and over-the-ear headphones which have a separate speaker facing the back end of the headphones. Noise cancellation, or “active” noise cancellation (same thing) typically involves a microphone which reads noise outside of the headphones. An onboard computer chip analyzes the data and sends signals to the speakers as to which frequencies it needs to reproduce in order to cancel out incoming ambient noise. This technology is held back by two factors: the creation of a very small computer chip able to handle the vast complicated nature of the frequencies it is attempting to interpret, and speaker location relative to the eardrum. The second problem I just mentioned is an issue because of frequency size: Low frequencies have long wave-lengths and high frequencies have very short wavelengths. In order to effectively cancel out high frequencies, the noise canceling speaker would have to be so far down into the ear canal that it would sit directly adjacent to the eardrum, which is currently not technically feasible. As such, most active noise canceling headphones are able only to reduce medium to low frequency sounds within a relatively small bandwidth, and do nothing for higher frequencies. On-ear and over-the-ear noise canceling headphones have the chip and mic built directly into the headphones themselves, though the earbud types do not have enough room in the headphones themselves for this; instead, the mic and chip is built into a little box along the wire which also typically includes a slot for a AAA battery to power the separate noise cancelling speakers which are always located right behind the music produding speakers on all types of noise cancelling headphones.

Whatismisophonia

7/15/2013 05:18:44 pm

No, I have not used any bluetooth headphones. That technology has two main problems: Battery size and capacity, and good reception between the speakers and the bluetooth piece which pluges into the music player.

Whatismisophonia

7/15/2013 06:00:09 pm

also, I used sony noise cancelling earbuds for a long time http://store.sony.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10551&storeId=10151&langId=-1&productId=8198552921666308822
they are the best I've used, though the noise cancelling was sub par; i didn't even have it turned on most of the time. Also, they never stayed in my ear very well.
Since the cord on those have now broken, I'm now using klipsch right now http://www.klipsch.com/image-s4-black-in-ear-headphones
I bought them because 1: I'm not bothering with noise cancelling earbuds anymore untill the tech improves, 2: They are supposed to have really good sound, and 3: They are supposed to have really good isolation and comfort due to how they fit into the ear and because of the oval shape of the plastic eartips whereas other headphones only have round eartips. My review: They fit much further into the ear than any other earbud I have used, and they stay put. They also isolate better than any other earbuds Iv'e use, however, they do get uncomfortable after a while because of the fact that almost the entire headphone actually fits into the outer ear canal. The correct size of earpiece for me causes the sharper edges of the hard parts of the headphones to press against the inside of my ear opening. The smaller earpieces won't do this, but they don't isolate nearly as well. What I'm going to do is make custom molded earbuds. You can go to an audiologist to get this done, http://news.cnet.com/8301-13645_3-57454025-47/are-headphones-that-are-custom-molded-to-your-ears-worth-it/ however you can also do it yourself by buying a custom molded earplug kit and pressing the headphones speakers into it before it hardens inside the ear. After that, you drill through the earmold where it goes into the ear canal all the way to the speaker opening so that you will have a path for the music to travel through to the eardrum. http://www.howtogeek.com/57481/how-to-make-custom-silicone-ear-molds-for-your-in-ear-monitors/

Whatismisophonia

7/15/2013 06:02:31 pm

I'm now using klipsch right now http://www.klipsch.com/image-s4-black-in-ear-headphones I bought them because 1: I'm not bothering with noise cancelling earbuds anymore untill the tech improves, 2: They are supposed to have really good sound, and 3: They are supposed to have really good isolation and comfort due to how they fit into the ear and because of the oval shape of the plastic eartips whereas other headphones only have round eartips. My review: They fit much further into the ear than any other earbud I have used, and they stay put. They also isolate better than any other earbuds Iv'e use, however, they do get uncomfortable after a while because of the fact that almost the entire headphone actually fits into the outer ear canal. The correct size of earpiece for me causes the sharper edges of the hard parts of the headphones to press against the inside of my ear opening. The smaller earpieces won't do this, but they don't isolate nearly as well. What I'm going to do is make custom molded earbuds. You can go to an audiologist to get this done, http://news.cnet.com/8301-13645_3-57454025-47/are-headphones-that-are-custom-molded-to-your-ears-worth-it/ however you can also do it yourself by buying a custom molded earplug kit and pressing the headphones speakers into it before it hardens inside the ear. After that, you drill through the earmold where it goes into the ear canal all the way to the speaker opening so that you will have a path for the music to travel through to the eardrum. http://www.howtogeek.com/57481/how-to-make-custom-silicone-ear-molds-for-your-in-ear-monitors/

Emlyn Altman link

7/15/2013 10:00:02 pm

Thank you for the correction and the additional information, Whatismisophonia. I guess I've always thought of them as sound "cancelling" because for me, I honestly don't hear anything outside them when I wear them. I do want to use the proper terminology though so I appreciate your feedback.

I'll have to check out your suggestions. I'm on a business trip right now and last night had a big scare when I thought I lost my earbuds. (The last time I tried to get another pair, I wound up buying the last pair - which are the ones I thought I lost.) I wound up finding them in the pocket of a pair of jeans I wore the day before, but it's nice to have a backup plan if I do need to find an alternative earbud/headphone device. Thanks!

Whatismisophonia

7/22/2013 12:22:02 pm

so... yeah, don't do the custom molded ear thing; I mean it is comfortable and everything, but it really doesn't isolate as well as the silicone earbud tips do. Also, I've taken the klipsch back, and I'm currently looking around for better headphones.

Emlyn Altman link

7/23/2013 09:44:30 am

Thanks for letting me know. It's a shame that the custom molded earpieces and the klipsch didn't help with the sound/triggers enough. They seemed so promising...

I'm not sure if you saw my 7/18 blog post but after losing my earbuds again (I thought for good), I took what you wrote above as an opportunity to get official sound-cancelling earphones. Although I was optimistic that they'd help, and maybe even be better than what I had been using, I quickly learned that the devices I bought weren't nearly as good as my sound isolating earbuds. (Of course, I didn't discover that they weren't effective until I was up in the air, and there was no location where I could return them after I landed. Drat!)

Thanks again for sharing your experiences. Please let me know if you do find a better set of headphones.

Bill Kauffman

2/23/2014 04:09:43 am

Thank you for your site! While the last blog post is a little dated, I will look into some good suggestions regarding sound canceling devices. Our interests in the arts are very similar and I'm a big fan of "arts for others sake" programs. Anyway, it's a nice thing you have done with this Butterfly Whisper blog. I have a daughter with an extremely rare disease (LCH). I can see how demographics and popularity of a disease or illness can affect low interest levels for cures or understanding of it. P.S. I live right next to "Grounds for Sculpture" in NJ. It's my favorite place in the whole world.

Emlyn

2/24/2014 08:11:22 am

Hi, Bill. Thanks for your feedback. I'm so sorry to hear about your daughter. That must be very difficult. Do you have the misophonia, or does your daughter have it on top of the LCH?

I actually have written subsequent posts about different coping tools since this one, but I still like those earbuds a lot. (If you use the search engine at the top right of the page, you might be able to find them using terms like "earbud") I wrote one on 10/17/13 called "Masking triggers during sleep," in response to another reader's question and listed many other devices I found. (You should be able to get to that post using the archive links under my bio.) Now that I'm back in the States again, after the misophonia fMRI tests in London, I should be able to upload the photos of the coping devices that some of the other people I met at the UK Misophonia MeetUp use. Perhaps I need to think about adding another page to this site with potential coping aids that people could explore...

I can't believe that I lived in NJ for a good part of my life, as well as in Philly for another chunk, have been a sculptor for over three decades and never heard of Grounds for Sculpture!!!!! Holy cow. Hopefully, I'll be back in that neck of the woods soon so I can check it out. I can see why it'd be your favorite place. From what I can see on their website, I'm sure I'd spend a LOT of time there too.

Best,

Emlyn

Cathy

8/20/2014 10:56:21 pm

I've read most of the comments above but still am a little unsure of what to buy for my son. In a completely quiet room during a test, he needs to be able to slip earbuds in if someone starts sniffing. He won't have music being piped in, so they REALLY have to cancel this high-pitched sound. From what I've read, the technology isn't quite there. Anyone have luck with this yet? Ear plugs do absolutely nothing for him..........

Emlyn link

9/6/2014 10:09:30 am

Hi, Cathy. I'm sorry for the delay in getting back to you. Between the cross-country move and family health issues, I've been very distracted from the SenseHaven website.

As far as what might help your son, it's really depends on the individual. What might help me or someone else might not work for him. I remember taking my professional licensing exam in a university building and before the test even started, there were band students practicing just outside the window of the classroom. Luckily, the proctor allowed me to wear my earplugs so I was okay. I know you said that earplugs don't work for him but just know that not all earplugs are alike. The slick rubber and wax types don't work at all for me, but the porous foam cylinder ones with a NRR (noise reduction rating) of 33 or higher do great for me.

Also, it's very important that any ear device is inserted properly or they won't work well. I find I have to roll the earplugs quite tightly and pull my earlobe down when inserting them for them to go in far enough and then expand to where they're most effective. Every now and then it will take more than one try to get them in snugly.

Putting the earplug option aside though, will your son's school allow him to wear earbuds that can be plugged into an iPod, instead of music being piped into the entire room? I wasn't sure if there'd be any concern that a device that produces sound could be perceived as a potential cheating device, but if they would allow him to wear earbuds, that has helped me the most while at work. He could either listen to brown/pink/or whatever "color" static would block out trigger sounds or perhaps music that serves as background noise that wouldn't be distracting to him. (Believe it or not, I've listened to certain hard rock albums so much, I don't even notice them anymore.) The earbuds I use are so effective, I've had coworkers talking right next to me and yet I'm completely oblivious to them until they tap me on the shoulder or wave a hand in front of my eyes.

If earbuds are not an option, maybe he can use a combination of earplugs AND an over the ear muffling device - like the ones airport workers use. You might also want to check out this July's report on noise-cancelling headphones from PC Magazine, since they have both in-ear and over the ear types. http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2115378,00.asp

Hope that helps. Please let me know if you find something that works for him. I'm sure other sufferers would want to know too.

Dave

6/6/2015 08:03:34 am

I've found that it's easy to go to your local department/grocery store and buy a pair of Skullcandy Ink'd earbuds. They have two different sizes of the little rubber slip, and are pretty good at cancelling sound. I'm currently listening to fairly quiet classical style music, and I can barely hear my mom talking. I'm oblivious to the world when listening to a different, louder genre. They're usually around $20 dollars, and they usually work quite well to block out noise. As with all earbuds, though, you have to be careful with them so they don't break. I'm going to try out a different, cheaper version shortly, called marshmallow. Just thought I'd give some input and try to help out a bit.

Emlyn

6/7/2015 04:47:17 am

Thanks for the feedback, Dave. You'll have to post a follow-up to how you like the marshmallow ones so others can read it.

Usually the problems I've had with earbuds breaking is because I would coil the cord so much that, over time, the wires inside the connection must break off.

Lately, I've been using a pair of LG aptX earbuds where I don't have to wrap lengthy cords like that anymore. The earbuds themselves are magnetic so they snap back into the unit that you wear around your neck. The sound is wonderful and I don't hear anything while listening to them. For more information, go here: http://www.aptx.com/product/lg-tone-bluetoothr-stereo-headset

Thanks for the feedback.

Andrew

11/21/2015 04:27:24 pm

Will these work for:

Chewing?

celophane wrap ?

tapping?

Emlyn

12/2/2015 01:44:38 pm

Hi, Andrew. I think it really depends on the individual sufferer. I personally use both to deal with chewing and tapping triggers. (Cellophane wrap doesn't bother me.)

Currently, the earbuds I use are the LG Apt X series Bluetooth headphones. I wore out all my Jabra ones, so this was my first new replacement set. Love them!!! In fact, they're the first Bluetooth headsets that I haven't returned due to poor sound (masking) quality.

Typically, if I'm trying to focus on work or a task, I'll listen to music over my earbuds. If I need a quick, discrete coping tool - especially in a situation where I have to hear other things (e.g. a conversation), I'll wear the ear plugs, which help mask trigger sounds without completely blocking out all sounds. Again, these two solutions work for me, but it's really a personal preference as to how effective they are for other sufferers.

(Considering I've been told that my hearing is as good as a cat and I'm super sensitive to triggers, I'd like to think that I'm a decent judge of sound masking effectiveness.) ;-)

Stacey Franklin

11/30/2015 03:52:26 pm

Any suggestions for my 15 yr old that goes to high school and needs to hear the teacher but not allowed to wear earbuds

Emlyn

12/2/2015 02:03:32 pm

Hi, Stacey. I find that foam earplugs (light the tan ones in the original post photo above) are great since they muffle trigger sounds but I can still hear conversations. What's nice about earplugs is that they come in a variety of materials and sound absorption levels, so your teen can choose the ones that feel most comfortable and pick the sound masking level that blocks triggers but still allows (him/her?) to hear the teacher. The higher the rating number, the more sound is blocked.

I have links to various earplug webpages on the "Coping Tools" page: http://www.sensehaven.com/potential-coping-tools.html

Hope that helps!

Riley

9/6/2018 10:35:31 am

Hi, I'm Riley, and I recently came across the term misophonia. I have a lot a sensory issues that I have dealt with throughout my life, such as sound, sight, touch, texture. Although, sound has become unbearable to the point where I desperately searched Google for support and understanding. That's where I came across misophonia, and everything checked out. It all started when I was younger - crickets started driving me mad during the summers, to the point I had to get a sound machine and blare white noise wayyy too loud.

The thing people don't understand is that I wasn't merely annoyed by sounds - they drove me up the wall. It filled me with severe anxiety and intense rage, so much to where I want to scream and punch at the thing/person making the noise. It is physically painful for me, and is starting to seriously affect my life.

I'm in my final year in high school and I have found some coping mechanisms for misophonia. Most of the time I shove in my headphones and blare music, but whenever I'm in school and people keep making noises (sniffing coughing, making random slurping noises with their mouths, and so much other horrid crap) - I can't wear my head phones. One, it is against the rules and few teachers allow them to be out at all, and I need to catch the lessons. Even with testing too, I'm not sure how I should approach them and ask to test in a room by myself, because our new grade counselor doesn't know any of us or care about us. So, I don't feel comfortable approaching her about it.

It's okay if you've got nothing, but I'd appreciate some advice if you have any. Thank you, get back to me when you can!

Emlyn

9/14/2018 06:57:59 am

Hi, Riley. I can completely relate to your frustration.

Schools are required to accommodate a student's needs - especially if they're health related. It concerns me when you say your counselor doesn't care. If the counselor is new, perhaps be proactive and try going up to her to introduce yourself and calmly/logically explain that you have a sensory sensitivity medical condition which makes it difficult to focus your attention when you're exposed to sensory triggers. Take some copies of articles with you (like the NY Times article about Misophonia or Dr. Sukhbinder Kumar's fMRI research study findings) to share and help the counselor to better understand what you're experiencing with Misophonia. I put many links to articles like those on the SenseHaven.com website. Misophonia it's still not a commonly known condition. (Heck... Most doctors still don't know about it).

You might also want to get a copy of the DVD documentary called "Quiet Please" to help people you know to understand what you're going through. It's got dozens of sufferers describing their experiences with Misophonia.

Is there someone at the school (a nurse, another teacher, the principal, etc) that knows you well and with whom you do feel comfortable talking? If you don't feel comfortable going to the counselor alone, maybe one of the faculty members with whom you do feel comfortable talking can go with you and help convey to the counselor what you're experiencing.

Try to think of other solutions to show that you want to work together with them to come up with a solution to help you without going against school policies. I don't know if they'd allow for you to be in a room completely by yourself for exams, but maybe together you can figure something else that will work.

You mentioned that it's against the rules to wear headphones but do you think it would be allowable to wear foam earplugs? I often wear earplugs to muffle triggers but still allow me to hear what people are saying. Since they're discrete and not a method of potential cheating (since no sound is transmitted into the ear), perhaps that would be an acceptable compromise?

Years ago, and believe it or not before I knew about Misophonia, I had to take a professional exam at a college campus and there was some marching band (or some other disturbance) playing outside the exam room window. Before the exam started though, I spoke to the proctor and explained about my sound sensitivity. I asked permission to wear the foam earplugs that I always kept on me, and she said it was okay. Sometimes just asking the question can work. The trick is to do it calmly, not when you're being affected by a trigger, so that they might be more receptive to hearing your situation.

It may even help to use analogies for them to better understand what you're experiencing. People tend to be more sympathetic if they can relate to the experience. Ask if they know what it feels like to hear nails going down a chalkboard (most people cringe when they hear that question) or even what it's like to have a mosquito buzzing by your ear and you can't swat it away b/c it keeps coming back... That's the type of physical annoyance, frustration, and distraction that a Misophonia sufferer experiences when triggered by sounds that may be more innocuous to other people. (Those articles and the DVD movie have lots of people recounting that type of analogy).

Hopefully some of this information may be helpful. Please feel free to contact me again directly through the contact page on the website if you have other questions. I'd be very interested in hearing how it goes.

Hang in there. You can get through this!

-Emlyn

About the Author

Emlyn Altman has been suffering with misophonia for over 35 years, even though she only found out about the actual medical condition much more recently. As frustrating as the condition has been over the years, her heightened sensitivities across all the senses considerably influenced her talents within the visual fine arts (particularly sculpture), music (singing, piano, and many other instruments), writing, and culinary backgrounds, as well as professional achievements as an architectural lighting designer. Her goal in developing this website is to promote more awareness about misophonia and help other sufferers as well.

The "Butterfly's Whisper" Blog

My Favorite Misophonia Coping Tools

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