tuning out noise is a skill that your brain has to learn, and that’s why the health organizations recommend it limiting your time on noise cancelling headphones.
Is it different for people with autism?
The other commenter already responded to this point, but I wanted to stress the difficulty we have with this. I’d argue that differences in filtering out stimuli is a key component of autism - not just for sounds, but for all variety of inputs. Lights, tactile sensations, tastes and smells, they can seem “dialed up to 11” (or turned down to 1) for a lot of us. No two autistic people are the same, however, and my sensory experiences can be drastically different from another’s. It’s all about how the stimuli is handled in the brain.
Typically, human brains filter out a lot of information. Take the example of “can you feel the chair you’re sitting in?” Now that you’re thinking about it, you probably can. But before it was mentioned, were you aware? Did you feel the way the wood, plastic, or cushion pushed against your body? For an autistic individual, they may be acutely aware of those sensations before having them pointed out. How about your clothes? Are you wearing long sleeves, feeling the fabric against your arms? Some of us feel it constantly, to the point that some of us avoid long sleeves because of it. Or socks? I think I feel my feet sandwiched into socks moreso than most people do. Fuzzy socks aren’t fun for me - they’re distracting.
The experience can change based on other factors. Most days I can tolerate sunlight, though I prefer to wear my sunglasses. Rarely, there are days where light gives me such bad headaches that I need to wear sunglasses inside and/or turn lights off. Stress, general health, energy levels, and more can impact such experiences.
As to recommendations for one’s health, you might consider us the canaries in the coal mine. If we find an environment too overwhelming, it might be taxing your brain too - you just don’t feel it as immediately as we might.
The other commenter already responded to this point, but I wanted to stress the difficulty we have with this. I’d argue that differences in filtering out stimuli is a key component of autism - not just for sounds, but for all variety of inputs. Lights, tactile sensations, tastes and smells, they can seem “dialed up to 11” (or turned down to 1) for a lot of us. No two autistic people are the same, however, and my sensory experiences can be drastically different from another’s. It’s all about how the stimuli is handled in the brain.
Typically, human brains filter out a lot of information. Take the example of “can you feel the chair you’re sitting in?” Now that you’re thinking about it, you probably can. But before it was mentioned, were you aware? Did you feel the way the wood, plastic, or cushion pushed against your body? For an autistic individual, they may be acutely aware of those sensations before having them pointed out. How about your clothes? Are you wearing long sleeves, feeling the fabric against your arms? Some of us feel it constantly, to the point that some of us avoid long sleeves because of it. Or socks? I think I feel my feet sandwiched into socks moreso than most people do. Fuzzy socks aren’t fun for me - they’re distracting.
The experience can change based on other factors. Most days I can tolerate sunlight, though I prefer to wear my sunglasses. Rarely, there are days where light gives me such bad headaches that I need to wear sunglasses inside and/or turn lights off. Stress, general health, energy levels, and more can impact such experiences.
As to recommendations for one’s health, you might consider us the canaries in the coal mine. If we find an environment too overwhelming, it might be taxing your brain too - you just don’t feel it as immediately as we might.
Thank you for writing this all down. I think I can understand it a lot better now. <3