(Part 2) Best products from r/misophonia

Thanks. As you know, it's a difficult thing that is hard to get across. I know exactly what you mean. I'm sorry you had to go through that.

Unfortunately this is more an issue with our building construction than our neighbors themselves. We've already transferred apartments in the same building thinking it was the upstairs neighbors. I've never had upstairs neighbors so I had no idea I would have this reaction! I have other misophonia triggers but this one is constantly in my life.

IDK if you have used noise cancelling headphones but they focus on bass sounds and low frequency sounds like air conditioners. They work perfectly for the bass part of the footsteps, however those sounds are sometimes masking the root sound. So if someone drops something upstairs, I won't hear the bass but I will hear the object hitting, if that makes sense. For that reason I tend not to wear them to sleep. They have a way of clarifying certain sounds that will pull me right out of sleep. During the day though they are perfect. The bass is my trigger so it masks that.

I have two pairs of noise cancelling headphones. Both cheap ones. The best ones are supposedly the Sony WH1000XM3. I have Taotronics over ear headphones and earbuds. Of the two, the earbuds work the best, especially with foam ear tips. The trick is to insert them like earplugs by pulling up on your ear with the opposite hand before inserting. In all, noise cancelling headphones have saved my life, though they may not work for everyone because they are designed to allow human voices and sounds to carry through.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07NMBW67D/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07256V96Q/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07L5LPSQT/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I have these! I haven't noticed soreness, but it's possible that has to do with the shape of my ears.

Something like this might give you a chance to try another kind, too.

FWIW, I also recommend making sure you're using them correctly-- I wasn't. I watched a handful of videos on youtube, and it made a world of difference. It takes a moment, but it's worth it.

Good luck!

My friend has a noise maker marketed for babies and children. It is awesome. My friends and I are sprawled all over Texas, so we meet up in different cities sometimes and stay in hotels, and I always dreaded sharing a room because any little noise bugs me when I sleep so I'd just shell out the money for my own room. Now that she has this thing, I always stay with her. It's got settings for beach, thunderstorm, fan, some other shit...we always go with thunderstorm. I can sleep peacefully in a room with her and her now 4 y/o (and they both make weird noises in their sleep) because of that machine.

I know it's a lot of backstory! But I messaged her and will hopefully hear back in the morning about the make and model of the machine so I can let you know. I think it's at least worth you looking into!

Personally, I have an AC unit at home that's in the window right above my spot in bed that I keep the fan blowing on at all times; in my last apt I kept the vent fan in my connected bathroom on all the time, too. If I ever have to move again and neither of these things are viable options, I WILL go buy one of those noise makers.

Anyway! I promise I'll get back to you on the machine she uses ;)

*I'm back. It's this thing!
http://www.amazon.com/Ecotones-Sound-Sleep-Machine-ASM1002/dp/B002SMJQT4/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1421502289&sr=8-3&keywords=White+noise+machines

And I now realize you asked about apps and I linked you to a $100 machine. Sorry haha. BUT! Once again, it's awesome imo

I'm in my early thirties. My misophonia is the defining factor in my relationship with my Dad and has been since I was a young teenager. I definitely get how awful it can be.

I can offer a few suggestions. Try to always have background music at mealtimes. Just put on a CD or something. I can say for myself it buffers the intensity of my misophonia reactions a bit because at least I have something else to focus on. I just tell my parents I like to have music on at mealtimes and kept putting some on, so now they just accept it as a habit when I am around.

make friends with earplugs and earbuds and always have both with you. Invest in some good noise cancelling earbuds. Get into wearing hoodies as well. I will often put in at least one earplug to dull the sound and wear my hood up so people can't tell I'm wearing an earplug. I know that probably sounds super weird and anti-social but if it's that or deal with misophonia noises I'll put my hood up.

When you have to eat around them rest your head on the hand you aren't using to eat with and subtly plug one hear. At least you only hear half the noise that way. It requires having that elbow on the table so you can elevate that hand next to your ear without it looking totally awkward, but your in your early twenties now so the time for parents being able to tell you how to eat has passed.

best thing is probably to try and get her to take misophonia seriously as a condition. I found a documentary about misophonia at http://www.quietpleasefilm.com/ , I haven't watched it yet so I can't speak to it's quality but just the fact that someone produced a documentary gives a little weight and legitimacy to misophonia as a condition I think. I'm going to try watching it with my family as see if they will take me more seriously.

There are a couple books about misophonia

• https://www.amazon.com/Full-Sound-Fury-Suffering-Misophonia/dp/1517018706/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1493267760&sr=8-1&keywords=full+of+sound+and+fury
  
• https://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Overcoming-Misophonia-Conditioned-Aversive/dp/0692494820/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1493267792&sr=8-2&keywords=understanding+and+overcoming+misophonia
  
  In my opinion they both had useful things in them.
  
  
  
  

I'm convinced we suffer a chemical brain imbalance, In my case I don't think psychologist could help with misophonia. Little is known about it and they will immediatly say you are self diagnosing. Someone made a change.org petition on this channel, perhaps on the future someone would pay attention to us.

I would love to have an ultrasonic dog trainer, but they are not sold on my country. Take them a look. They're supposed to be used by pet owners. The issue is most commercial units have a fixed frequency, if that doesn't work you cant try another that matches that dog.

http://www.amazon.com/PetSafe-Ultrasonic-Remote-Trainer-Dogs/dp/B000A7GZB6

There's a natural antidepressent called St John's-wort (Hippericum perforatum), they say it's strong, it didn't work on me, and takes long to start working. Passion flower leaves may help on anxiety. But of course all depend's on money.

http://www.vitaminshoppe.com/search?search=st.%20john%27s%20wort

http://www.vitaminshoppe.com/search?search=passion%20flower

Take a look at this if you like. I haven't got a vet friend yet to try it.

http://www.ted.com/talks/rebecca_brachman_could_a_drug_prevent_depression_and_ptsd#t-1091912

When I'm out in public, I use JVC marshmallow ear buds. They are very portable and reasonably cheap. Since they are made of foam, they tend to shape to your ear canal and block out noise pretty effectively.

For non-music ear plugs, I also have Hearos hi fi ear plugs, that tend to help block out more prominent ambient noise, but they don't get rid of everything. They are also great for going to concerts; they lower the volume of the music, but you still hear everything as intended (rather than as muted and muddy, like most foam ear plugs will do).

When I'm at home, I use Shure 840s. Most people in my house don't trigger me, so it's not a big issue there, but those things still have excellent noise isolation, even though they are not active noise-cancelling headphones. I absolutely love them for listening to music.

I have a Dohm. Seems kinda pricey for something so simple, but I find it works well. Totally worth it. :)

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Marpac-Dohm-Speed-Sound-Conditioner/dp/B006Z9V1LM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1415807478&sr=8-1&keywords=white+noise+machine

The sound is produced by a small fan, but it doesn't rattle. It's a constant sound. No loops. The sound is easily adjusted, and can get pretty loud. The lower setting is normally enough for me.

I've had mine for a few months now. Been using it every night to help me sleep, and during the day if I need to block sounds. MUCH better than a fan. Ugh... I kicked over and broke my last one within a month of getting it because of the rattling.

My fiance has Misophonia. She sits at the table with me now. Growing up, her family would eat in one room and she would eat alone. I didn't enjoy that.


Things your partner can do:

• Wear ear plugs - this by far has worked the best for us. She can still hear me talk through them.
  
• Meal plan- Have your partner put together a list of food to eat for dinner during the week. You may not know all the foods that irritate him, but he does.
  
  If this doesn't sound realistic, you can just have him make a list of foods that especially irritate him, then avoid making them. Things like Potato Chips are banned from our meal plan.
  
  
  Things you can do:
  
  
• Play Background noise - If you don't enjoy music, maybe get a white noise app on your phone or a machine. We have a google home that we tell to play music whenever we eat.
  
• Sit next to each other, not across: This way they will not see you chewing, and will irritate them less
  
• Don't get upset - Possibly the most important one. They can't control their response to the stimuli. It's a neurological disorder much like autism and the best strategy to deal with it is to remain calm and react patiently. They can't control their anger but we can control our response.
  
  Hope that helps!

What app are you using for pink noise? I've been using SimplyNoise which does pink, white, and brown noise and I like it but sometimes it crashes on my tablet.

And I agree about pink noise + earphones blocking everything. I use these earbuds: http://smile.amazon.com/JVC-HAFR36B-Marshmallow-Discontinued-Manufacturer/dp/B005FDOGK2

The marshmallow tips are nice because they're comfortable and also 'fill' your ears. So they're like a combination of earphones and earplugs. The sound quality isn't that great but if you're just using them for noise, they're okay. They even have a couple cheaper sets on amazon too.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EZ4OTF4/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_t1_sVYVCbTGVJSCF

These are the best sound blockers I've found for sleeping. I tried ear plugs but kept getting ear infections. They have a cheaper version that isn't wireless but it might get tangled if you move around while you sleep.

Your husband needs to get his snoring checked out and sleep on the couch until it's resolved. Your sleep is so important right now - sorry, but it's more important than his. Good luck!!

Okay so suddenly I can't find it on the Walmart website ... maybe they've discontinued the product or maybe it's gone through another brand name change (used to be called Massey, the last 2 I bought were the same exact thing under the Mainstays label) and I don't recognize it, but this is the one: https://www.amazon.com/MAINSTAYS-inch-High-Velocity-Fan/dp/B0039W2OEG. If you can order something similar to that, or find something that looks like that in-store, it has a good chance of being the one I get. :)

Unfortunately noise canceling will not do you much good. Noise canceling is good for repetitive noise like engines. Random noise like talking it does not help much with.

What you need is good isolation. The best combo I can recommend is :
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Etymotic-MC5-In-Ear-Earphones-Black/dp/B003S3RFIQ/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1505847743&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=Etymotic+Research+MK5

with https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mpow-Defenders-Comfortable-Folding-Padded-Construction/dp/B01KBZDB4K/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1505847867&sr=8-2&keywords=Noise+Reduction+Safety+Ear+muffs

over the top.

I can sympathize. I use the original Jaybird Bluebud X bluetooth earbuds with Comply T500 tips. Combine that with white noise from your favorite noise generator and you won't be able to hear a thing. My coworkers have learned that if I have my earbuds in I simply won't hear them unless they tap me on the shoulder. It is FANTASTIC. Yes they are expensive but the price is worth your sanity. Hope it helps.

Links:

1. Choose your earbuds, any of the X or X2s should work: https://smile.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=jaybird+bluebuds+x
   
   
2. Replace the rubber tips with these: http://smile.amazon.com/Comply-Foam-Earphone-Tips-Isolation/dp/B004HKIAHE?ie=UTF8&keywords=comply%20t500&qid=1465498990&ref_=sr_1_2&sr=8-2

I don't know if the tactile (texture) triggers could be classified as misophonia, but it certainly sounds like sensory defensiveness to me. An interesting book about that topic is Too Loud, Too Bright, Too Fast, Too Tight.

Hey, Sound_rage:

Firs of all, I'm sure that your trigger sounds extend to many beyond people. Is it anything repetitive or annoying that gets you? For me personally, I know that it's ANY piercing, stochastic noise.

Anti-anxiety medicine hasn't done much for me. I've tried a bit of gabapentin for restless legs syndrome, which also kind of helps if I'm triggered at night, but Valium or Ativan didn't do too much for me in a particularly triggering setting (3+ hour meetings with no option to leave with Mach 5 snifflers).

I'd suggest earmuffs over headphones in the short-term: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01DFAK64G/ref=sr_ph_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1481220598&sr=sr-1&keywords=earmuffs These are AMAZING, and I didn't study in a public place really ever before I found them.

Also, I'd maybe suggest giving kava kava (a pacific root-based anxiolytic) a try. It is a little hard to get into because it tastes terrible and is very difficult to dose, but I'd really recommend putting in the time to give it a shot if you're also generally anxious. It lets you study at the same time because it doesn't really dull the mind too much - how great! Here's a good starter brand: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00A7ANUKU/ref=sr_ph_1_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1481220924&sr=sr-1&keywords=kava

Also check out r/kava for this

And best of luck!!!!!

Check this book out...Do the LOOK INSIDE..

Her credentials don't seem up to par with the claimed results of this books. This one seems more credible