I'm so glad I found this thread. I, too, have a high sensitivity to sound. I have anxiety as well as tmj and just found out that noise sensitivity is related to both of these issues. I thought it was people being disrespectful when they slammed doors, played loud music, etc. but that didn't explain why I can't tolerate the background music at shopping malls, stores, restaurants, etc. Noise is everywhere and it's difficult to get away from it. I started thinking of why people don't like silence anymore. I like to read and you can't even go to the library and find it quiet there anymore so I do think society has something to do with a lot of it but, if you have anxiety like I do, I believe it aggravates the condition. I've used earplugs but suffered from ear infections so am afraid to keep using them. I've resorted to using a fan which does help a lot. I don't like earphones with music or sound effects because they only contribute to the problem. I've read about people on this thread using noise cancelling headphones so tomorrow I'm going to go to the store and get them and, hopefully, it will help me sleep better at night. Thank you for this forum and for the posters with all their advice. It's nice to know I'm not alone, and I've gotten a lot of great ideas to help me with this issue.