5 Noise Cancelling Headphones for Autism

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Good article, my brother uses Sony headphones and he is happy.

I would absolutely suggest the cheap construction/gun-range earmuffs. Mine have a NRR (noise-reduction rating) of 32dB, which seems to be the max. Work like a charm, and I can bring the total up to 35dB I think if I wear them on top my 30dB earplugs (don't add linearly of course)!

Avoidance strategy works in the short term. Yes we are more sensitive but these tools can make the issue worse in the long term.

It isnt that I'm against the concept. I just think that you have to understand that your starting point may be different from neurotypical norms but you can adapt. You can always get better at having uncomfortable situations and you can get worse. Avoidance is useful for short term relief but you should be cognizant of the long term impact.

I agree to a point. My noise sensitivity got worse when I wore my noise-cancelling headphones almost 24/7. It was necessary though, because I had horrible living conditions at the time, as it got better it was easier to be without them. But I think it's a good tool to have always with you just in case and especially if you have to work or go to school and out of the house. I currently do not as I am recovering from burnout so I have it a bit easier; I can choose more quiet times to go out.

I take days off using headphones completely when I have better days. In my opinion they are good to time on days when other senses aren't much annoyed (so for me that would be cloudy days and days when my skin sensitivity is at a low and I have slept well for example) and when there's time and space to recover if you accidentally get a bit overwhelmed.

I have the Sony WH-1000XM2 and I do love them but I have snapped both of the arms so they are now glued and taped together and kind of wonky and not comfortable to wear anymore so I need to save up for a new pair. I think I will next buy the WH-1000XM3 2nd hand since I can't really swing for the WH-1000XM4. The Siri feature is pretty annoying but otherwise they are very comfortable and I especially enjoy the ambient mode which can help with adjusting to outside sounds because surprising and loud noices all go through the filter but you can still hear traffic and so on so its safe to wear outside.

I recently purchased the sony wh1000-xm4s for $500. they were worth every penny, I can't function without them. they're basically my hearing aid, they allow u to pause the noise cancelling feature by covering one ear muff, this feature singles out voices but continues to block other sounds in case someone needs to talk to you but its too much work to keep taking your headphones off or expose yourself to overwhelming ambient noise over and over. that by far is my favorite feature, amongst many many others.

I've tried several and haven't found any that come close to Sony. I not necessarily a big fan of Sony as a company but their headphones are excellent. I have both the xm3 and xm4. 4 are better but 3 are still pretty damned good.

I use 3m peltor x5a they are ginormous so I don't wear them in public but I wear them all day at home

I have sony "noise cancelling" headphones, they dont work super well

I'm a musician, so I'm picky about sound quality, sensitive for high sounds and have tinnitus. Also wearing glasses, so don't like over ear headphones, but in ears are often uncomfortable or too big (small female). Additional I hate the dull sound from inside of my head when I wear ears mufflers (hope you understand what I mean?!).
Any recommendations?

I've become reliant on NC headphones and earplugs because of living under a noisy chaotic family. It's easy to imagine living with your ears shielded every second you're at home, as it sounds like no big deal, but believe me, it is. And I read in a health book that overuse of NC headphones and/or earplugs can cause damage to the ears. But what choice do I have? Ignoring their horrible noise isn't a choice for me. Understanding how noisy kids are also doesn't stop my noise sensitivity. We lived here way before them, they chose to have all these kids, why should I have to just sit there and listen to such horrific banging noises every day in my home that I pay £800 a month rent for. Nobody listens. Nobody understands. It's not fair.

In what way? It's not like you're blasting something loud straight into them as was the concerns with headphones generally, or indeed any loud noise. In fact, one of the benefits of NC I've not yet seen specifically mentioned in this thread is as it lowers background noise interference, it permits you to listen at a quieter level than you otherwise might, which if you were going to be using headphones anyway can only be a good thing.

Overuse of anything isn't a great idea but your body generally tells you when you're overdoing something; the trouble today as well is literally everything will have someone telling you it's bad for you.