Reduce sensitivity to noise?

[PeskyPeater]

For my entire life, I've been very sensitive to noise. Not just loud noise, but noise in general. I thrive in quiet environments, but in noisy environments I get anxious and, if the noise is bothersome enough, I can have panic attacks. Lately, I've noticed my hearing seems to be getting better... I'm not sure if this is because of an increased metabolism or what, but noises I didn't notice before are now bothering me. For example, I have a white-noise machine in my bedroom which used to block out all outside noise, but now I can hear outside noise even with the white-noise machine on.

So my question is: is there anything I can do or take to decrease my sensitivity to noise? I have autistic traits, but I've never been formally diagnosed.

Also, I've been supplementing BCAAs + phenylalanine to reduce serotonin, along with beta alanine. My mood has improved significantly since doing so, but I'm wondering if serotonin plays a role in hearing. Or maybe histamine does? My other senses seem unaffected.

its the increased turnover of brain serotonin that increases the 'acoustic starle reflex', is what the profs call it. So a generalised sensitivity to sound is likely the same issue.

increasing liver function with coffee or decafe helps to improve tryptophan / serotonin metabolism. chlorogenic acid decreases the turnover of serotonin, reducing a state of stress.

 

[PeskyPeater]

I've also increased my collagen/gelatin intake, which I believe is helping, as well.

Yeah, gelatine is rich in glycine which affects serotonin levels in the brain

 

[PeskyPeater]

Modulation of gut microbiota by chlorogenic acid pretreatment on rats with adrenocorticotropic hormone induced depression-like behavior - PubMed

depression increases turnover of brain serotonin, chlorogenic acid from coffee is "anti-depressant" and improve microbiome diversity. So improving gut function could improves sensitivity to noises.

Abstract​

Gut microbiota dysbiosis has been implicated as a vital element in the development or exacerbation of mental disorders, such as major depressive disorder (MDD). Based on the current interest in the gut-brain axis, we investigate the effects of chlorogenic acid (CGA) on gut microbiota in a rat model of MDD. Depression was induced by the adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH, 100 μg per rat) in male Wistar rats, which were intervened with using saline or CGA (500 mg kg-1). Behavioral changes and serum parameters were assessed and fecal samples were analyzed by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Our studies demonstrated that CGA pretreatment ameliorated depression-like behavior (SPT, FST, TST, and OFT) and serum biochemical levels (5-HT, DA, IL-6, and TNF-α) in ACTH-induced depression rats. In addition, CGA ameliorated the decrease in fecal microbiota diversity in ACTH-treated rats. In particular, at the genus level, the changes in the relative abundance of some key bacteria such as Desulfovibrionales, Desulfovibrio, Klebsiella, Burkholderiales, and Bifidobacterium were modulated by CGA pretreatment. These results indicated that CGA could modify the gut microbial community structure, which may contribute to its antidepressant effects.