Hyperacusis Sound Sensitivity
4 min read
Hyperacusis Sound Sensitivity
Hyperacusis opens a new perspective on hearing. Imagine the sounds of everyday life amplified, making simple noises into powerful ones.Hyperacusis is a highly misunderstood condition that transforms everyday sounds into overwhelming experiences for some people. Crickets singing at night or the rustle of a newspaper may unexpectedly feel intense and uncomfortable. While hyperacusis is rare and only affects 1 in 50,000 people, this heightened sensitivity to sound can have a profound impact on social interactions and daily activities.
Let’s uncover the nature of hyperacusis. In this article, we’ll explore how specialized care and a personalized approach can help manage this condition, allowing each person to rediscover the nuanced joys of life.
What Is Hyperacusis?
Hyperacusis is a hearing condition where many common sounds become uncomfortably loud. This sensitivity means that someone with hyperacusis may react strongly to noises that others find normal. Sounds like a car engine or even a conversation might feel overpowering and intolerable.Those with this condition often find it hard to tolerate noise, which can stress them out or even cause physical pain. Unlike people with typical hearing who manage sounds up to 120 decibels, those with hyperacusis struggle with sounds over 90 decibels. Due to sound overload, some patients experience symptoms like ear pain, crying spells, and panic attacks. They may also feel fullness in their ears, hear ringing (known as tinnitus), and suffer elevated levels of emotional distress.
These reactions can be very upsetting. Patients may dread hearing the noises that cause their symptoms, causing an apprehension to live their lives out of fear of triggering another episode. By having a better understanding of hyperacusis, we can appreciate the unique way in which those affected perceive sound and offer them necessary support.
Types of Hyperacusis
Hyperacusis manifests in two types: cochlear and vestibular. Cochlear hyperacusis is the most common type that commonly results in ear pain and an intolerance to everyday sounds. Vestibular hyperacusis leads to feelings such as dizziness, imbalance, and nausea with certain noises. Both types can commonly lead to elevated levels of stress, anxiety, depression, and social isolation.
What Are the Causes of Hyperacusis?
Hyperacusis can stem from various factors related to the auditory nervous system. It’s important to note that people with this condition might not have hearing loss, as hyperacusis doesn’t have any relation to their hearing threshold. Some of the most common causes of hyperacusis include:
- Brain & Head injuries
- Chronic ear infections
- Depression
- Ear surgery complications
- Ménière’s disease
- Migraines
- Prolonged exposure to loud noise
- Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
- Sudden blasts of high-decibel sounds
- Temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJ)
- Tinnitus
- Williams Syndrome
If You Have Hyperacusis, You Have Treatment Options
Although a cure for hyperacusis is not yet available, there are effective treatment options. Hyperacusis therapy treatments aim to reduce patients’ fear and anxiety, helping them manage intolerable sounds and lessen their sensitivity. Sound therapy, for instance, retrains the brain’s auditory system to recognize and accept common everyday sounds as normal. Through this therapy, patients use a sound generator that emits soft and soothing noises to control their noise exposure. Over the course of 6 to 12 months, repeated use and expert counseling help increase sound tolerance.Audiologists are ear specialists who play an essential role in guiding this process. Their directive counseling ensures the patient receives sound therapy that gradually rebuilds their comfort level. In certain noisy environments, temporary ear protection like earplugs or industrial earmuffs might be necessary. But avoiding certain sounds and sound levels can lead to increased sensitivity, so these tools are reserved for truly loud settings, such as attending concerts or using power tools.
If hyperacusis is the result of another medical issue, that underlying condition is also addressed as part of the treatment.
One-on-one counseling offers significant benefits, too. It helps patients to build strategies that reshape their thoughts and responses to troubling sounds. Techniques like cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) enable people with hyperacusis to better recognize helpful and harmful responses in their daily lives. CBT encourages shifting thinking patterns to reduce the impact of their heightened sound sensitivity.
Support groups can provide community-based encouragement and help people exchange coping techniques. They can be particularly helpful for those who withdraw from social settings and isolate themselves due to their condition. Hearing centers emphasize personalized care, where experienced ear doctors empower patients to regain control of their hearing health and boost their quality of life.