Noise Paradox: I can't sleep if its too quiet!

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I hate loud sudden noises. I don't like loud people yelling or talking loud- makes me jump out of my skin

But I cannot sleep when its too quiet. It drives me crazy! The sound silence is deafening. In order to sleep I have to have my fan running, my tv on, my radio on, and the light on. Anyone else this way? Its quite a contradiction, but this is how I sleep. I get too distracted if its too quiet.

I've lived in NYC all my life. I sleep better when I am able to hear subtle traffic noises.

When I'm in the country, I sleep better to the rhythm of the various sounds of Nature.

Me too, I was thinking it was because even though I don't like a lot of noise, I am so used to having to put up with sounds while I sleep (I live in a rural area) . My dad also has the same thing so maybe it's caused some trait in the brain that is hereditary, but more likely I learned it from him. I also don't like absolute darkness when I'm alone in a room or if I may as well be.(camp, school trips......) I really have a hard time sleeping in unfamiliar places the first night especially if I'm alone.(hotels are fine usually because my family is there but it can get a little too quiet) . Sometimes when alone the first night in a new place I'll have a panic attack. I find that it can be useful to go to bed with the tv on since its both light but not too much as i dont like bright lights either and sound that I can pick the volume of. I don't like the sounds of most fans though they can be kinda creepy, but some are nice. I wish I had more suggestions.

The quieter the better for me.

At home, it is quiet enough that I can hear people driving by on a highway half a mile away (not much traffic so tolerable), irrigation engines running all night, and the noise of an industrial plant eight miles away. There's also frogs (when we have water in the creek and pond), occasional coyotes, owls, cattle, horses, and the water well.

I have a metal roof. The sound of rain and hail drive me nuts. And I really hate nearby lightning strikes.

None of this keeps me from sleeping, but it may be enough that I become aware of it without fully waking up. In the extreme, it can wake me up, too.

i have found that the brownish noise from a big box fan usefully masks a whole range of other noises.

mp3 player through bedside speakers goes all night every night for years now.

I've even got a battery powered setup for travel.

how do all you total quiet lovers tune out the intrusive sounds of your hearts going thumpathumpa? the sound of blood rushing through my head and ear capillaries keeps me awake unless I mask it with brown noise.

I tend to be a bit prone to tinnutus but have gotten used to tuning it out when I'm falling asleep.

When I was a kid I lived near a railroad track crossing and got used to tuning the train out - takes practice I guess.

Marry someone who snores and have lots of dogs that you let sleep in the bed.

Eastern meditation - was taught it by a chinese psychiatrist when I was 19 and going thru a really bad time. It's helped a lot with sensory input overload. It does take a lot of practice to get half-wise good at it but it's like riding a bike - you never forget how to do it once you learn and going to your Zen place becomes somewhat second nature.

You just explained me in every word. No, really you did. I'm like this and always have to have something going. If I'm at a hotel, my parents will be with me, and I'll have to have something playing on my computer. Otherwise, my bedtime routine is the same as yours (the OP). I don't really get distracted or anything though.

I either like complete silence or a constant sound like traffic. I hate sounds like snoring or crickets.

i can stand the sound of traffic, train horns bellowing in the distance (these are the best) or silent ceiling fans. anything else is a bother.

crickets and snoring are terrible, don't get how anyone with severe snoring can let themselves sleep, but hearing someone else breathe lightly and the occasional deep breath makes me feel so comfortable.

i have to share a room with my younger sister. she sleeps 2 hours earlier than me on weekdays and she plays music on her phone to lull herself. i can't stand that, by the time i prepare for bed (actually, couch) she's asleep and the music is still playing. so i have to turn it off or mute it.