Noise sensitivity - why has this started now?

Up until now, noise did not appear to bother me. Now, I am becoming more upset/triggered/bothered by noise. At work (teacher) I am fine, but at home, with two young and often noisy children, I am constantly on edge with noise. Today the noise almost pushed me into meltdown, but lying flat on the floor helped.

What makes this more baffling for me is I love spending spending time listening to loud music through headphones, which I am doing as I type!

Noises I actively dislike are motorbikes passing by, cars backfiring, high pitched noises, multiple conversations happing at once, to name but a few.

I never used to be like this. I am contemplating some earplugs, like Loops, to shut out the sound.

Parents
  • My sound sensitivity started at age 16ish but got worse slowly I'm now 35 and instead of just sound hutting my ears in echo rooms I now dislike too many noises at once I now have to be in the right environment for loud music ... my tinnitus and loss of left ear hearing made it even worse 

Reply
  • My sound sensitivity started at age 16ish but got worse slowly I'm now 35 and instead of just sound hutting my ears in echo rooms I now dislike too many noises at once I now have to be in the right environment for loud music ... my tinnitus and loss of left ear hearing made it even worse 

Children
  • I have a theory that loud music, which for me is often very bass driven, shuts out everything else, which is a sensory seeking thing for me. Its the unpredictable nature of "other noises" I am struggling with. Eating sounds are starting to others me too.