I used to wear them pretty much every waking moment, but recently I have become very suspicious of their effect on me.

I don't necessarily think it has a negative affect on my hearing, but I feel in general that it brings down my outward awareness as a whole. It's a very isolating experience, being in noise-canceling, and I think normalizing being in that zone conditions my mind to become very insular and broadly ignorant of my surroundings. As I start wearing them less, this noticeably diminishes.

And speaking specifically to my personal situation, I feel it directly aggravates my anxiety through this mechanism.