Noise Cancelling Headphones for ADHD and autism: a must-have!

One of the biggest challenges of having to deal with ADHD, for me, is the fact that we quickly become overstimulated. We are hyper sensitive to noise. The same goes for people who suffer from autism. The fridge only needs to buzz for a little too long, and I run around the house screaming, feeling completely frustrated, pressing my ears. This happened until I discovered a FANTASTIC device, which I'm going to tell you more about in this article. Noise Cancelling Headphones are a must-have for children and adults with ADHD and autism.

ADHD, autism and overstimulation

Everyone gets overstimulated from time to time. Because in today's society we are overloaded by stimuli. Where the hunter-gatherer spent hours looking for food, we now walk through a busy supermarket and spend a large part of our time in offices.

Cities in particular offer an overkill of incentives; smells, colors, sounds, people, cars, advertisements… but if you suffer from ADHD, HSP or autism, you know that even the sound of the laptop or the fridge can be too much. This is exactly why – being a Wandering Mind – noise cancelling headphones makes our life so much better.

What is overstimulation?

The root of the problem of overstimulation in ADHD, autism and HSP is found in the brain, and it should not be underestimated. Overstimulation occurs when we receive more input from our environment – ​​from our senses – than our brain can process.

For example, overstimulation occurs in a busy room where multiple conversations are being held, in a room with bright light or at a busy party. But someone with ADHD or autism can become overstimulated even at home, when the television has been on for too long or when a household appliance makes annoying sounds.

Overstimulation is serious, especially for someone with ADHD or autism. Don't underestimate it, because it can even make us sick. Continuous overstimulation was one of the causes of me getting burned out. If only I had discovered those noise cancelling headphones sooner… 😉

The best gift to our Wandering Mind, it's worth the money

Okay, enough information about incentives, I don't want to overstimulate you with information ;-).

Hopefully you have some cash in your bank account, because this fantastic device I'm going to tell you about isn't cheap. I myself had to swallow when I saw that my favorite type of noise-canceling headphones cost almost 400 dollars. There are also budget variants, unfortunately I myself have not had such a good experience with an unknown brand from China. They broke pretty quickly, now I've thrown them away.

But buying noise cancelling headphones, when you suffer from ADHD or autism, is worth every penny.

This makes people with ADHD and autism so happy!

If suffering from ADHD or autism, the noise cancelling headphones will make your life so much better. When listening to your favorite music, or while just being quiet, the noise cancelling headphones block the noises from outside. I didn't know what was happening when I first used them, while living in a city. My eyes were completely twinkling, and I felt my nervous system calming down straight away. The outside world was just very far away. Even the sound of screaming children disappeared.

Whether we listen to music, nature sounds, ambient sounds or nothing at all… the noise cancelling headphones give us calm and peace.

My experience with noise cancelling headphones & adult ADHD

I'm diagnosed with ADD and the noise cancelling headphones and earplugs (yes, I have both;)) have made my life so much easier! It allows me to walk through a crowded supermarket without running out screaming. In fact, I come home rested after a visit to the store. Trains, trams and buses are suddenly safe territory. Where I used to get off the train exhausted and drained, I now enjoy the rides and the rest of my day. Walking down the street during rush hour, while everyone is picking up their children from school, suddenly goes fine (although I have to be careful when crossing the street). I can even go shopping without completely getting overwhelmed by noises!

Overstimulated by all the noise cancelling headphone options?

When I first Googled noise cancelling headphones, I was a little panicked. There are so many options! To my knowledge, Bose's Noise Canceling headphones were the first to work with this technology. This brand offers a regular and a wireless variant.

There are budget options too. Unfortunately I don't have good experiences with this myself. My first noise cancelling headphones were an unknown brand from China, but the quality was very disappointing and half a year after buying them, they broke.

Do you want to buy noise cancelling headphones? Save yourself hours of research, because that will overstimulate you. A good dose of common sense (choice based on your budget and what you have in mind) works wonders.

I myself use the JBL noise canceling headphones and the AirPods Pro, with noise cancelling feature. I am very happy with both, one in winter, the other in summer.

Noise canceling headphones for kids

Are you looking for noise cancelling headphones for your children? You might want to choose headphones that have volume limitation. This way, your child can safely listen to music, play online games and watch movies without the risk of ear damage.