Hypersensitivity to sound: 5 things you should know about hyperacusis

It doesn't need any extraordinary sounds for patients to feel uneasy: Barking dogs, vacuum cleaners, crying children, ringing telephones and even laughter trigger a state that can actually hurt.

While hyperacusis patients suffer from a hypersensitivity to everyday sounds, misophonia involves a hypersensitivity to very specific and usually repeated sounds such as the ticking of a clock, tipping sounds, dripping taps and even chewing.

As a reaction to the silence the earplugs further amplifies the sounds. Thus, instead of alleviating the patient’s sensitivity, the use of earplugs can increase the sounds’ intensity and cause even greater discomfort.

Furthermore it is very common for sufferers to isolate themselves to avoid unpleasant sounds. Unfortunately, the more they avoid these sounds the stronger their hypersensitivity gets.

Those suffering from hyperacusis don't have 'super-human hearing' or better than other persons whose hearing is unimpaired. Their sense of hearing can be completely normal. What differs from the norm is their intolerance of sounds.

Usually humans can tolerate up to 90 Decibels without feeling uncomfortable – hairdryers and mixers, for instance. People with a hypersensitivity to sound suffer when hearing sounds of lower intensity. Talking at normal volumes, for instance, registers 60 Decibels and can make hypersensitive people feel uneasy.

Tinnitus is a kind of sound illusion that makes the affected person feel like they constantly hear a ringing in their ears. Various factors can cause this internal sound – among others loud noises, aging, diabetes and ear trauma.

Hyperacusis is one of the complications of tinnitus. This is due do the fact that continuous sounds cause excessive intolerance and result in ever more sensitive hearing.

There are no drugs or surgeries to heal hyperacusis. There are, however, therapies aimed at alleviating the patients’ discomfort and increasing their quality of life. Sound therapy during sleep is one of these treatments.

Our brain never shuts down. Therapists can therefore use sleep to implement de-sensitizing therapy using white noise. And this is how it works: The patient is subjected to a quiet, pleasant noise during sleep. This is done without headphones as the approach aims to mix it with ambient noises.

During sleep our brain learns that sounds of this intensity are not threatening. The volume is slowly increased until it isn’t perceived as unpleasant any more.

In summary, hyperacusis is hypersensitivity to sound. If the situations illustrated here sound familiar to you consult a specialist to have them diagnose you and initiate treatment. This will allow you to get this condition under control and live a normal life.