Sensory Issues

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Do people here get senory problems from other people? If they make too much noise or talk non-stop?

Wouldn't be much of an autistic person if I didn't

Very much so for me too.

Oh yes, yes. Very much so.

I have had disrupted sleep due to impact and migratory noise by neighbours in two dozen different places I lived throughout my adulthood. I believe the resulting stress and sleep deprivation caused my OCD to progress, and indeed one psychiatrist thought this was the case too.

I read that "sensory hypersensitivity" is typical for autists, and my "noise hypersensitivity" makes me think that undiagnosed autism is behind my OCD and other oddities.

I've just discovered Tamaya's big topic "Upstairs neighbour noise", and I already know exactly what that's all about, though I've still to read through it (176 posts!).

It's not just noise. Strong smells bother me. Especially when trying to fall asleep - cooking smells, cigarette smoke, fire smoke, car fumes, strong perfumes. Also, certain clothing textures, or not enough clothing cover.

Maybe you mean when people do disturbing things that put you off what you are doing? I recall decades ago using a computer in a computer room at university. Someone sat at the computer next to me, and started eating a packet of crisps while bashing the keyboard hard. They would rustle the packet furiously, suck their fingers loudly, and clatter the keys with wet fingers (ew!). The noise and the stink just froze my mind up for the half hour he was there.

Is that what you mean? These disturbances just freeze you up?

Precontemplative.

Coughing, sneezing and walking about in the room above can set off my sensory issues but it might be misophonia. People chewing doesn't bother me though, in fact I can't hear it. I don't have very good hearing but I can get sensitive to noises others can hear but don't get sensitive to. I hate it. I also get easily distracted by babies screaming in the supermarket.

At my previous job, there was this lady who had some kind of respiratory issues or something and she sniffed, hacked, coughed, snorted constantly during every single shift. I did my best to use noise-blocking headphones and listen to music/podcasts/audiobooks to block out the sound while working, but that wasn't even enough. And then when I'd get put on phones and I had to take off my noise-blocking headphones to switch to the headset with no noise-blocking it would make the already stressful situation of being put on phones (which I never considered part of my routine job shift. It was random, couldn't be predicted) explode even more and led to a couple of meltdowns.

She also would, of course, do that in the restroom. Thankfully, there was another women's restroom in another section of the building that I'd go to if I was walking toward the closest one and I could hear her sniffing, hacking and snorting in there. But the times I was already in there and she walked in I about went through a meltdown in the bathroom (but at least I was in the stall and no one could see me going through it, right?)

So, yes, I think needless to say I can very much have this issue. lol