Does the smoke alarm cause sensory problems in your house?

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This reminds me of my first night in a previous apartment in Seattle.

I had moved in with my best friend, and while he was out getting groceries (I detest the grocery store, especially ones I've never been to) I was set with the task of cooking rice. The theory was, by the time he was done and came back, the rice would be ready and dinner would move smoothly.

Well, moving everything in that day and dealing with being incredibly overwhelmed by being in a new place, I was tired. I put the rice in a pot, covered it with water, and stuck it on the stove. I then sat down on my bed and started to read, thinking I would pass the time in a relaxing manner.

I didn't expect to fall asleep.

The rice began to burn on the bottom (due to my never turning the heat down since I was waiting for it to boil) and thus my first introduction to the fire alarm: I woke up to a noise so ear-piercing and awful that I had no idea what was going on. I was entirely overwhelmed and it took me a good deal of time to figure out that it was the alarm and that something was smoking. The rice was... let's not talk about it. Not knowing what to do, I threw the pot of rice in the sink, turned off the stove, and managed to open a window before shutting myself in the bathroom and crying, fetal position, on the floor.

It doesn't matter if I'm prepared for them or not, I just don't handle fire alarms with any sort of grace or functionality.

I hate the loud, high-pitched noise they make. I have to go outside, put in earplugs or cover my ears when they go off.

I hate them!

I loathed the monthly test of the fire alarms when I was working. It would leave me out of sorts for the rest of the day.

It wasn't as bad as the smoke alarms we have in our house. They have a high pitched sound, it makes my head feel like it's got a headache, until the sound stops.