How do you guys cope with this and does it eventually go away?
short answer:
Aknowledge that your body is right in noticing that there's a nasty noise here. Then teach your body that it's not a threatening noise. Teach it to notice the sound but not be alarmed by it.
easily said than done, I know. But it's effective.
long answer:
Hi Gingergrrl43,
noise sensitivity is awful, especially with the deep bass sounds. I'm sorry you suffer from this
when there's nothing to be done about the noise this is what helps me: I talk to my body. Aknowledge that there's some awfull sound going on. But that that's just something that's happening. That it's not something that is threatening. I try to actively relax my body tension and keep breathing, even though that awful noise feel like a threat. It is not.
I go so far as to investigate (or think up) the source of the sounds and show my body the positive sides of it. In my case there are cooling trucks parked close by, with slow rumbling ThermoKing systems, all through the night. Making my wooden walls and my bones resonate and tremble. Awful.
One day I went and visited the site. I met some of the drivers. Learned how proud they are of their job, driving goods throughout the continent. Talked about how they can sleep with their trucks stomping away.
Now when I lay in my bed, trembling, I think of them. How they love their job. How people love frozen foods in the supermarket. The noise has become less threatening. It's still there and I cannot sleep, but my body tension about it is less.
Hope this helps.
I do the same for all noise I hear now. But still it's weird how easily people make a lot of noise when they're working. :s And blast the inventor of the two-stroke engine!
Also: I need some quiet time each day. Ear plugs. And ear mufflers. Head under water in the tub. I then listen to my heart beat or the blood rustling. But I need that quiet time. To reset. To remember me. (does this make sense?)