Is this some sort of sensory issue?

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I've pretty much always been very aware of my breathing. I don't think about it all the time but I do think about it quite a lot. I'm just very aware of it. Right now for example. I find it really annoying and I really don't like it. One of the most annoying noises I know is the sound of people breathing loudly. Freaks me out. Wearing earphones in between songs when I listen to music freaks me out. Hearing myself breathe when using earplugs freaks me out (I've gotten quite used to it nowadays though). I don't know why but the sound of people (including myself) breathing loudly makes me feel all panicky. Also, I don't know why but I really don't like breathing loudly in front of other people (when out of breath when walking outside or just when sitting next to someone on the bus for example). Since I hate that sound I think I sort of assume everyone else hates it too.

Are these things (being "overly aware" of one's breathing and feeling panicky when hearing someone breathe loudly) some sort of sensory issue? Can anyone relate to this?

It sounds like an obsession issue, but may also be at least partly a sensory issue, if your hearing is overly sensitive to sound. Are you sensitive to other sounds--that is, do you hear other sounds too loudly also?

The only sound/breathing problem I've had is when I've taken Acetominophen (Tylenol). It interferes with my automatic breathing reflex when I'm trying to sleep, so I can't take it. It doesn't do a thing for headaches or pain for me anyway, so not taking it is no loss for me.

I also occasionally hear myself snoring in my sleep, but that's not too unusual for someone with sleep apnea. I've even heard myself talking aloud in my sleep, as part of a dream I'm having, but then that usually wakes me up. Because of my sleep apnea I do snore a lot. My dreams often incorporate the noise in the form of cars, planes, boats, or machinery noises. It's unpleasant when that happens, because in the dreams, I'm usually driving too fast, and trying unsuccessfully to slow down or stop.

I've also incorporated other real life stuff into my dreams. On some occasions I've dreamt that I had to go to the bathroom, went into my own or a public rest room, and then started to "go" in the dream, only to wake up wetting the bed.

Once I dreamed I was clutching my sheet to slow myself from a fall out of bed. I woke up half way to the floor, clutching the sheet to slow my fall to the floor.

Do think about if you also hear other stuff too loud. Also, it may be possible to "desensitize" you to the sound. A doctor can help you with that.

It could be a sensory issue. You can have trouble filtering out both external sensory information and internal sensations and sounds.

i am going to say this confidently. ive been reading about habituation lately. you can find my post about it on this discussion forum. i think it is primarily a sensory issue, which becomes more of a rumination and then more of a reality.

i relate to this a lot, but i will share only one example of why i relate and it involves the floaters in my eyes. i have quite a few of them and i dont seem to be able to ignore them. when i went to eye doctors, they simply did not understand and i either figured that they were getting much worse everyday and the doctors were wrong about my retinal detachment or i was crazy. turns out neither. do i experience them more when i think about them over and over and get stressed out about them? yes. do i eventually wind up thinking i will go blind or something? of course. is this all because of anxiety or obsession? no. i simply do not habituate to them as am NT would.

okay, i lied, i do want to share some more relatable things with you.

i cant stop being aware of my facial expressions or the accent my voice is using or how my actions and word choices might be reflective of my thoughts and motivations. i cant seem to get used to how the inside of my throat feels.

i hope this was helpful. you're on the right track with the music to drown out the sound. have you tried white noise? i find that if i do not think about the floaters in my eyes for an hour or two using dark shades and a dim room, they actually lessen because i have stopped being stimulated by them.

What do you mean by "obsession issue"? I'd say I'm sensitive to other sounds as well. I get very tired/angry/panicky when it's noisy. Noises distract me and make my brain feel like it wants to shut down after a while.



It's not like I need to listen to music all the time to drown out the sound of me breathing. I have no problem with silence. I like silence. It's the worst when I'm on the bus, walking (basically when around other people) and when I wear earphones or earplugs.

I have floaters in my eyes too by the way. Probably not as bad as yours. I only see them when I look at the sky or something bright. I also have some sort of "visual snow". For as long as I remember I've been thinking things like "is it raining outside?" when looking at a tree when looking out the window for example. Lately I've realised it's not rain, but visual snow. Do you have visual snow as well?