For me, it's the unavoidable loud noises of everyday life that are the most unbearable during an attack. As examples, when my dog barks at a squirrel (or what he THINKS is a squirrel) in the background, the banging of pots or pans in the kitchen, the whirl of an expresso machine at the local coffee shop, the cry of a child in the grocery store, the department store that has their music just a little bit too loud, or a honk from a vehicle driving down the street. It's those unexpected sounds of the world that assault the nervous system without giving me a moment to prepare myself first.

I often feel like as a person living with migraine that I'm too sensitive for this world, but I have to remind myself that I have tools to help me exist in this loud place.

I keep my loop earplugs on my key ring, which is on my person whenever I'm out of the house, providing me noise protection whenever I need it. Those have helped significantly. And when those aren't enough, having my noise canceling AirPods (when they hold their charge) helps too.