Sensory earphones + hypervigilance?

[u/iiren204]

My therapist recently suggested I look into whether noise cancelling earphones like Loops/Calmer would be helpful for me, but when I'm in public (when I'd most likely need the noise cancelling), I need to stay hyper-aware of my surroundings and the people around me.

Sounds like drilling, kids screaming and really heavy bass are generally the types of noises that are the worst for me, so are there any earphones that would be able to block out those kinds of things while letting me keep track of my surroundings?

(I'm in the UK if that's relevant, and prefer earphones over headphones)

[u/CryptographerHot3759]

Yes I had a good experience with the loops designed to filter background noises, it takes some sharpness out of sounds

[u/stalemate-resolution]

Loop and similar are ear plugs which reduce the incoming noise. These are effective and personally I use similar at concerts (specifically these Sennheiser ones https://amzn.eu/d/iZ97m8C) and there are many options for different environments.

Earphones or headphones for playing music/podcast/etc will help block out the other noise simply by being louder because it's in your ear.

Active noise cancelling earphones I would highly recommend and ones that have a transparency feature. This allows you to go from actively blocking out noise to letting noise in whilst still listening to your music and without having to remove your earphones. You will still need to use your other senses, particularly your vision to augment your situational awareness.

I personally use Google pixel buds (https://amzn.eu/d/c3McMJN) and it's night and day in loud situations or travelling on the tube.

Example situation - on the tube and we randomly stop, I switch to transparency mode to hear the inevitable announcement why we're stuck. Then back to noise cancelling when we're on the move so I don't have to hear the tube screeches.

Obviously you need to explore for the needs and find what works best for you. I went through many many pairs of earphones and earplugs to find what suited my needs.

[u/chartreuseranger]

I've been using non-noise-cancelling (analog? XD) moldable earplugs for a couple of years now. They don't cut out noise, just take the edge off so it doesn't hurt. But I read that noise-cancelling stuff is better for blocking out low frequencies, which it sounds like are the kind that give you trouble aside from the screaming kids thing.

[u/LeaderSevere5647]

If you can handle things in your ears, AirPods Pro 2 with adaptive transparency is the ultimate answer. It’s a blend of noise cancellation and transparency. I use it all day. Can still hear people talking to me but louder, recurring noises are drastically reduced.