Covering My Ears?

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I've noticed lately that I've begun covering my ears when I'm studying and reading (in class and at home). I don't think I've ever done this before. It just seemed to come out of nowhere. Should I be worried about this, or is it okay? How can I stop (or at least minimize) the urge to do it? It looks bad as a 16 year old in class to be doing this. What can I do?

Thank you!

I don't know if this is related, but my NT son with autistic traits covers his ears when his preschool teacher talks to him. I suspect this is due to his sensitivity to criticism, real or implied. I told his teacher to ask how he was doing rather than asking if he needed help. I believe this is an autistic trait we're dealing with.

I'm 22 and I've just started to cover my ears when things are too loud/noisy for me. Mainly when my mom's yelling at me or others (though that's rare, since I'm the only one in the house) and when airplanes fly overhead/people rip the engines of their boats for no reason whatsoever (I live near the airport and right on a cove).

In early spring of this year, I've also started to notice weird ringing noises in one ear, but not the other. It almost felt like an amplifier effect, but there weren't any around. Do you notice any ringing or pain when you get the urge to cover your ears?

If it keeps bothering you/or you feel that something isn't right, I'd suggest making an appointment to see your doctor and possibly having your hearing checked. Though, I'm sure its nothing since its pretty common in children/teens to cover their ears when they have Autism/AS.

Maybe you should try putting earphones in your ears and turning music on when studying. Or, better yet and nobody would question you, try ear plugs (can be purchased at any drug store) and you can slip them into each ear and nobody should know (for when your in class).

Good luck!

Covering ears, this was actually in the movie Adam where he was being told that he should probably be moving out of his apartment. I thought this was more of a classic autistic trait, but I suppose it depends on the person and how sensitive they are to loud noise/voices or arguing.

How long is your hair? Maybe you could get away with ear buds or something. Or at least ear plugs. I dunno.

I don't usually cover my ears, i jam my fingers into them.. When something really annoyingly loud and high-pitched happens, i do it a lot.. But not when it's relatively quiet. Especially if whatever it is keeps going and going. I can tolerate a little bit, but when something like a fire alarm goes for more than a few second then enough is enough. Maybe you just think better without the noise bothering you.

I cover my ears when things are too bright. Somehow it seems too "loud" for me.

Tone of voices do it for me. I'll always cover them with my hands when a certain pitch is hit (usually female voices).

Eh, who cares what you look like to others; I'm 28 and people can fudge off if they judge me negatively for doing such.

i cover my ears alot but it has to deal with noise, or if im getting upset or feel about to be sick, i usually cover my ears and my eyes a lot more and rock more. However with ur situation it sounds like unintentionally not realizign some noises may be botherng u while studying or somehting, try wearing headphones see if that helps? or it might be a technique u picked up to help ya study and has nothing to do with anything jus feels good? either way its nothing something seriously to be worried about

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Being Normal Is Vastly Overrated

I cover my ears while reading. I always put the book on the desk and put rested my elbows while covering my ears. I always thought it looked natural for someone intently studying. Did this make me look wierd in high school? If it did no one ever told me. lol

I don't cover my ears, but I have very sensitive hearing. If someone is talking to loudly, it hurts my ears, and if I turn the vaccum on, it seems too loud, and I have just noticed that the past few days.

Music does help me focus when I feel like I need to cover my ears. If I have my headphones on, I turn the volume up to drown out anything going on around me. I just can't focus when things (aside from music I actually enjoy) are noisy when I am trying to do work or study or read.

I guess it's nothing too bad. I just don't want to look "strange" in class and have people ask the ever-so-popular questions, "Are you okay," or "What's up with you?"

Put some cotton wool in your ears. No one can see it, and it keeps out excess noise.

Covering my ears with my hands doesn't help as much as pressing my traguses. I don't like the feeling of having my ears covered(although it's better than noise, usually) and putting things inside my ears(like earbuds or ear plugs) makes the insides of my ears sore.

I have ear protectors which I wear at work because things and the people in the building make so much noise. If I wear them too long my head feels like it is being squished.

Music doesn't help me focus. It reduces my ability to focus. I especially can't focus when there is any background noise(like a fan in the side of my room or a coke machine in the room across the hall from my office). When I want to focus I turn off music and fans and electric things and try to remove as many sounds as possible.

I like my bedroom because it is more quiet than almost everywhere else.

I also "jam" my fingers into my ears when I hear annoying sounds. I've noticed since I was a kid that I would cover my ears and/or sometimes shout out to muffle the sound of metal scraping or glass hitting against each other. I literally hurts if someone scraps their teeth against a fork. Even thinking about the idea of putting metal to my teeth makes me cringe.
I realize that I probably look absolutely ridiculous running out of a room, making absurd sounds with my fingers plug into my ear canal.

I wear hearing protectors (industrial ear muffs) when running the vacuum cleaner.

Most public toilets are too loud and I hold my hands over my ears when I foot-flush them (which is one reason I usually go pee in a stall instead of a urinal... I can close the door behind me and cover my ears without anyone seeing me )

Rooms with several talking people get me antsy because I cannot shut out all the voices/conversations (which is a reason I don't like going out to dinner in large noisy restaurants, going to bars, or parties).

I use earplugs at the movies and at concerts.