Do you have background noise?

DH has the TV on 24/7 for background noise. As soon as he leaves, I turn it off. We sleep in separate bedrooms, because he needs the TV and I need quiet. If it's just DD and me at home, we can just quietly read or she will be on her ipad while I read.

There is nothing that helps. I can always hear it unless the other noise is absolutely super loud -- like when we went to a Queen concert last year. I mostly ignore it except that I find that background noise actually makes me notice it more. It's like there are two+ inputs and my brain is trying to sort out what is a priority. And when nothing I'm hearing is a priority like if I can hear my tinnitus plus a radio playing, then it becomes a battle for my brain to make sense of the inputs, then for my brain to decide to ignore them both. That gets really irritating really fast.  I explained it once to my kids that it's like if you were in a small room with two different radios on at the same time and you had  focus on only one.

Most of the time I have five kids around making plenty of background noise so anything else can feel like an annoyance but in general it doesn't bother me to have background noise. But I don't prefer it. My husband is more like you describe and hates background noise. He would never ever have the TV on while doing something else. He doesn't like music playing as background noise either!

When I am awake and alone, I do not have any sort of music/t.v. going. I am quite happy to have the quiet and my own thoughts. 

Dh likes some kind of background noise, so when he is home the t.v. is usually on. It doesn't bother me, I can tune it out, but when I am alone I don't want it or feel the need for it.

Sleeping is different. I like white noise when I sleep...we both do...and we run a fan year round.

I prefer silence. So no tv or radio on unless I'm actively watching/listening. But I do run a fan at night to mask other sounds that are irritating and intermittent like neighborhood dogs and windchimes.

I kinda have to have background noise. Otherwise, I start to wonder if my hearing aid died. If it's really quiet and I'm home alone and I hear some noise, I get nervous. The background noise is there for my sanity. If I really need to focus on whatever I'm working on, I'll put on music. Otherwise, I usually just find a marathon of reruns that I can handle and have seen 100 times so it's just there to keep me company.

I've found that I cannot sleep with my aid in because the littlest sound keeps me up so whatever white noise, etc my DH likes, it never bothers me because without my aid, I don't hear a thing. My ex used to joke that I was the only one who never complained about his snoring.

Silence exhausts me. It makes my mind go into hyperdrive to compensate for the lack of stimulation. I need something to occupy my mind while I work, otherwise disaster. Occasionally silence is necessary, but most of the time I have something going on in the background. Silence is NOT golden. Especially when I sleep.

Generally speaking, there is already far too much excess noise in my life. Between the kid constantly chattering, the kid's seemingly incessant Clifford or other kid shows on Netflix, the dogs barking at every stupid thing (even the wind or leaves blowing in the yard   ) or their toenails clattering on the tiled floors, or DH and his TV that must be turned on the minute he walks in the door, it's all just much too much. I have a radio and speakers for my iPad in my office to listen to music but I rarely turn either of them on. I have a tv down there too but it's more for DD's entertainment than for me (though I might set it up for streaming music when I have people over for crops in the future).

When I'm home by myself (which is really rare these days) the TV almost never gets turned on unless it's to watch the news. There have been times when DH has been away for a few days that the TV hasn't been turned on once! I don't like noise while I sleep at all.

I don't like having the TV on just for noise. I do like having the radio on though.

I usually do. The kids watch tv before school, and I don't turn it off after they leave. Sometimes I will leave it on whatever channel they had it on, sometimes I will change it to the music station.

And I said usually... today, DD#2 got out of school early and we haven't had the tv on all day. I'm on the computer and she's on the iPad.

When I'm home I spend an awful lot of time on my own so I like music on, very loud music! Sex on Fire is the best song to mop the floor to...ever. I don't like noise when I'm trying to sleep, so no tv allowed in the bedroom.

I can't stand background noise and really don't understand folks who have to have it-isn't there enough noise in today's world as it is? But different strokes for different folks and all that. We are all different and have different needs. I get that.

I love silence. To just relax and rewind. I love music very, very much. I do have that on when I'm driving (always and usually I'm singing along as well) sometimes when I'm scrapping or cleaning.

he TV is only on when I'm actively watching-I can't stand to have that noise on otherwise. Scrapping-no fing way! Way too much distraction and it breaks my creative mood. It's just NOISE then. I do enjoy the TV very much when I am actively sitting down and watching it.

To sleep I prefer silence-no fans or machines. Although living here we do have a lighthouse off shore that makes a lot of noise during foggy nights (Thomas Point Lighthouse out in the Chesapeake) It's actually a soothing sound and we've come to love it. I would really miss it if we'd ever have to move from here.

Debbie in MD.

No. I love quiet. I listen to the radio in the car but never at home. Tv is only on while I'm watching it. I just love the quiet.

i prefer no background noise, but in this house, that's not an option.

There is always a kid talking, cat meowing, noise happening somewhere.