Calling all Quietophobics

Discussion in 'Off Topic Area' started by Sever, Jan 29, 2007.

  1. Sever

    Sever Valued Member

    Does silence freak anyone else out?
    I’ve been noticing this a lot more lately – I just feel on edge if there’s no noise around me, especially at night. Normally, when I go to sleep, I’ve got a lot of little sounds around me. My bedroom’s filled with pretty much every electronic gadget I can think of, and they all make a little noise, from the gentle whirr of the PC’s fan (I tend to leave it on while I sleep) to the almost inaudible hum that things like the TV, DVD, DVDR, PS2, the stereo and all the other crap I’ve got make when they’re plugged in, and the little green and red lights criss-cross the room. I suppose I find the sounds comforting, especially since the girlie moved out (she snores like a warthog!). I can’t face walking or getting a train anywhere without my MP3 player, I can’t drive without music and as I type this, I’ve got the TV on, music playing from the PC and my neighbours are screaming at each other :rolleyes:
    Last night there was a power cut and it took me forever to get to sleep, and thinking about it now, I think I was really quite on edge from the silence. I ended up having three beers and listening to Godspeed You Black Emperor on my MP3 player until I dozed off and I woke up at about 3am, just in time to see everything switch itself back on 20 seconds later. I slept a lot better with everything making its little sounds
    So am I a freak (not that there’s much doubt of that, but over this particular issue)? Are any of you lot like this? Any ideas what causes it? Sign of the times or just me being a noisaholic/ quietophobic weirdo?
    And yes, I know my carbon footprint must be huge :p
     
  2. Mei Hua

    Mei Hua Banned Banned

    I love quiet, have been around way too much that wasn't quiet, I enjoy peaceful silence on the rare occasions I get it.
     
  3. Cathain

    Cathain Lily Lau Gar

    My girlfriend is very much like you.
    She has to go to sleep with the TV on. A friend also could only get to sleep with the hi-fi turned up loud and playing away.

    Me myself, I'm the opposite. I need my darkness and slience to drift off to sleep.
    Continuous humming or whirring (such as fans) don't bother me too much.
    But music or background TV would stop me from sleeping......unless I was as drunk as last night :)

    I think it's probably due to over-stimulation.
    With all the gadgets, TV, PC, music, etc. Your brain has become used to this artificially high level of stimulation and kinda reset itself to accomodate. So when you remove all these distractions, it doesn't know what the hell has happened to it & the silence becomes deafening.
    I think you should ease up on the mp3 players and that. Give your brain and ears a rest for a while ;)
     
  4. acrux

    acrux vi et animo

    I perfer not so much noise.

    I have stupid neighbours who listen to DOOF (if that's the word for it) music. The music with so much bass it vibrates everything & even travels sub-sonically so that it travels very long way.

    I don't mind noise, but like the old song says "SILENCE IS GOLDEN"
     
    Last edited: Jan 29, 2007
  5. boards

    boards Its all in the reflexes!

    I often go to sleep with the radio on quiet. When I was younger I used live right over the beach so I would hear the waves in my room. When I moved into the country it took me a long time to get used to not hearing the water, which is why I started putting on the radio.
     
  6. Lily

    Lily Valued Member

    Sever, it does sound a little strange to me (I won't call you a freak :D). You're an adult that feels uncomfortable when its quiet?

    You need to learn to enjoy the moments when auditory stimulus is cut down or absent. You'll realise that even then, its never truly quiet.
     
  7. Moosey

    Moosey invariably, a moose Supporter

    I'm with you on that one mate! F'ing bass-heads - it really winds me up because it's low frequency sound that you can't just stick a pillow over your head and ignore. They're happy to turn it down if you ask but that means dragging yourself out of bed at 4am and going to talk to them when you just want to go back to sleep! :woo: :woo: :woo: :woo: :woo:
     
  8. DaShizNit

    DaShizNit Banned Banned

    I love noise

    Personally, I can accept certain levels of noise but I can not work without noise at all. When I am alone in a room I always leave the TV on or turn on the Air conditioning or put some music on speakers even though I use headphones 90% of the time. Feels really weird without any noise.
     
  9. Su lin

    Su lin Gone away

    I love quiet but I can't remember what it's like to have it after having tinnitus for about 2 years now and would give almost anything to make it go away. The only way I can block it out is listening to music on my ipod.
    I don't think youre a freak Sever,well,not that much of one anyway,we all have our "things" that give us comfort. :)
     
  10. Sgt_Major

    Sgt_Major Ex Global Mod Supporter

    wall + fist + "Shut that crap OFF!" = turn it down too - no need to remove your slumbering frame from the mattress.
     
  11. Chimpcheng

    Chimpcheng Yup... Giant cow head... Supporter

    Ah man, Looby *hugs*

    My dad has/had Tinnitus and it drove him <expletive deleted> mad, he has one of those machines that makes wave noises or something which is supposed to help.

    I don't suffer from it per se, but there has been the old time where there's that awful "tuning" noise that lasts a few minutes. It's extremely distracting even for those few moments, so I can't imagine living with it every day.
     
  12. Su lin

    Su lin Gone away

    Aw thanks Chimp. The worst thing is that GPs cant/wont do anything about it,I even saw an ent specialist and she says everything is fine.I also saw a Maxillofacial specialist as I thought it may be a Tempomadibular issue. jaw problems that cause nerve problems and the noise,but she just told me to stop biting my nails.
    I need to try acupuncture maybe,and maybe its time to visit the GP again but this time to cry,as that may work. At least to try and get one of those machines,although to be honest the nhs wont pay for one.
     
  13. Pacificshore

    Pacificshore Hit n RUN!

    I love the quiet most of the time, but sure do enjoy listening to the ocean crash against the shore as I sleep when vacationing on a tropical island :)
     
  14. Mitch

    Mitch Lord Mitch of MAP Admin

    Some folks are part of the MTV generation. They can't accept silence because it might give them a moment to be themselves and actually focus on the empty shell inside their existence.

    Silence is when you get to be yourself; think, decide and grow.

    Noise is when you get to react.

    Both have their place, but lacking the first is shortchanging your life, soul, and sanity.

    Mitch
     
  15. acrux

    acrux vi et animo

    They won't hear it, only think the banging is part of the bassline, stupid hippies.
     
  16. Mitch

    Mitch Lord Mitch of MAP Admin

    Hippies don't have basslines, the lowest frequency they can hear is Joni Mitchell, and they share her with bats and dogs.

    Mitch
     
  17. Sever

    Sever Valued Member

    I very much doubt that I dislike the quiet because I'm afraid of the giant spiritual void inside me or am afraid of being myself
    Like others have said, I think I'm just too used to being surrounded by noise and when it's not there it sets my brain off as something being different as well as highlighting how quiet the place is now I've got it to myself. I do kinda need the MP3 player on the train since it drowns out the chavs on their way to their college, but I've been driving without the stereo on and unplugging everything when I go to sleep. It still feels a little on the weird side, but I'm getting better
     
    Last edited: Jan 31, 2007
  18. Binary Zombie

    Binary Zombie Cyberspace Zombie

    Nice!

    And that's my 2¢.
     
  19. acrux

    acrux vi et animo

    I just use hippy as I general insult just like Cartman does.

    Usually I don't discriminate, I just hate everyone.

    Sometimes I tolerate some people more than others, just depending on long it takes to get what I want off them. (just joking or am I)

    Stupid hippies
     
    Last edited: Jan 31, 2007

Share This Page