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How can I cope with loud booms?

Utini

Utini

Well-Known Member
Where I live, there are constant surprise fireworks. This always triggers my anxiety and most times I have panic attacks. The part of me that knows it's probably fireworks goes away and I lose control.

Sometimes when I'm sleeping I will wake up to phantom booms. I can tell it's not real but the sound is there, it's real enough.

I also have an obese neighbor that startles me when she stomps on her floor upstairs. At this time, moving is out of the question. I have also asked the town hall if they could announce these fireworks because I feel bad for the people with PTSD as well.

What I do for now is curl up with my heavy blanket. I have loraz on hand but it takes so long to kick in.
 
I wonder if the loud booms you wake up to are that 'Exploding head syndrome'? They are like phantom booms. I feel for you in your housing situation.
 
Pats said:
I wonder if the loud booms you wake up to are that 'Exploding head syndrome'? They are like phantom booms.
Click to expand...


Yipes.
That is a new one to me.

Exploding head syndrome (EHS) is a condition in which a person experiences unreal noises that are loud and of short duration when falling asleep or waking up. The noise may be frightening, typically occurs only occasionally, and is non serious in nature. A flash of light may also occur. Pain is typically absent.
Exploding head syndrome - Wikipedia

https://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/exploding-head-syndrome#1
 
Sudden loud noises like fireworks put me into panic attacks when I was younger.
Through my teen years at least. Somehow time made it less anxiety provoking until
I was finally able to watch fireworks displays up close.

Lightening is far the worst to me.
The sudden crack when it is close still gets to me.
In a block house with hurricane windows it isn't so bad now.
But, until five years ago I lived in a mobile home by the bay for many years.
Oh, gosh. I would find a place as far away from the windows as possible and just get
a stool and sit there with my fingers in my ears until the storm passed.

You might try ear plugs or head phones when the fireworks start going off.
Not knowing when they are starting makes it difficult to expect.
 
during day, noise cancelling headphones

i don't want to make any publicity, but a well known audio brand has now made earbuds that are comfortable to sleep in, and that play a low level white noise (or other sound) which diffuses outside noise, having the relative 'certainty' that i won't hear outside noise calms me down, helps me to fall asleep less stressed, my overall sleep is better since i've started using them

but it is personal though, i don't know what other people's experience have been
 
Thunderstorms and sudden loud noises cause me anxiety, too. I was terrified as a kid, there used to be an air cannon near my house that went off sporadically to scare birds away from the crops, and I was petrified of it. Fireworks were never so bad because I was at a distance and could anticipate them. I like the lights in the sky from a distance.
 
When little I would cry and try to hide from the sound; as an adult, I have gone into meltdowns due to the sound and just do my best to ride it all out.

Could you use ear defenders?
 
Utini said:
Where I live, there are constant surprise fireworks. This always triggers my anxiety and most times I have panic attacks. The part of me that knows it's probably fireworks goes away and I lose control.

Sometimes when I'm sleeping I will wake up to phantom booms. I can tell it's not real but the sound is there, it's real enough.

I also have an obese neighbor that startles me when she stomps on her floor upstairs. At this time, moving is out of the question. I have also asked the town hall if they could announce these fireworks because I feel bad for the people with PTSD as well.

What I do for now is curl up with my heavy blanket. I have loraz on hand but it takes so long to kick in.
Click to expand...
don't waste your time with ear defenders ,my mother was a solicitor (like an attorney )and she had a client who operated hydraulic drill ,he was given a defenders but he said they were no good .I can imagine he's right.
I think the only thing to do is get noise cancelling headphones and put ear plugs in your ears ,have the television on as loud as you can bear or the radio and try mindfulness ,focus on an image ,if you pray ,whoever you pray to ,that is supposed to help.
 
I don’t like sudden noises either,things like thunderstorms scare me and also my bedroom door squeaks loud when it’s open so I get startled each time my husband opens it,also I hate popping sounds like balloons and as for fireworks while I do like looking at them I don’t like getting too close up due the noise but I like them from a safe distance.
 
Just do what I do, if you have one, just turn your hearing aid off.

And then obviously turn it back on when the noise has gone.
 
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