Every day, we absent-mindedly listen to dishes clattering, birds chirping, and cars honking. For most people, hearing these sounds is nothing out of the ordinary. In fact, almost everyone does it subconsciously. But for people living with hyperacusis, exposure to everyday sounds can feel equivalent to torture.
Hyperacusis is a rare acoustic trauma that causes a reduced tolerance to loud sounds. In short: it's a condition that makes you hypersensitive to noise. Even mundane environmental sounds can cause distress, pain, and in severe cases, suicidal ideation.
Some people with hyperacusis experience a significant negative impact on various aspects of their lives. In some cases, hyperacusis may disrupt people’s careers, dismantle their social life, and impact their wellbeing. Talking to your loved ones, driving a car, and even listening to music can become torture when you're living with this condition.
There are many situations that can lead to hyperacusis. Some of the most common causes of hyperacusis include:
In severe cases, high-pitched noises such as babies crying, glass breaking, and alarms blaring cause pain and anxiety. Aside from affecting your mental health, you may experience some pressure or physical pain in your ear that is especially irritating. To make it worse, hyperacusis may come with tinnitus and cause you to lose your ability to deal with sudden changes in volume.
Currently, there is very little reliable information about the number of people with troublesome hyperacusis. An internet study has suggested that the figure may be as high as 9% of adults, but most professionals in the field feel this is too high. A more conservative estimate suggests that about 2% of the adult population has some degree of hyperacusis, with the number of people who are severely affected being a small proportion of this total. For instance, musicians, music students, teachers, and other people who work in loud environments can be considered at high risk for hyperacusis.
Tinnitus is a symptom that indicates an underlying condition while hyperacusis is a disorder in loudness perception. Both of them affect the way you perceive sound. With tinnitus, you experience an incessant ringing in your ear that only you can hear. On the other hand, hyperacusis amplifies the volume of ambient noises and everyday sounds to an uncomfortable level.
Hyperacusis is characterised by sensitivity to everyday sounds at moderate volume. It can also refer to an aversion to all sounds above a specific level of loudness.
On the other hand, misophonia is a condition that is characterised by extreme negative emotional reactions to specific, usually human-made sounds. The noises associated with misophonia are often repetitive and socially based. Sounds that trigger misophonia symptoms often include other people chewing, pen clicking, throat clearing, foot tapping, and lip-smacking.
While misophonia is already associated with a strong aversion to specific sounds, phonophobia is an extreme form of it. This condition is characterised as an emotional response such as anxiety and avoidance of specific sounds.
People suffering from phonophobia often fear encountering specific sounds that could possibly worsen a comorbid condition (e.g. tinnitus) or the sounds themselves result in discomfort or pain.
Tinnitus sufferers and people living with hyperacusis share a similar sentiment—the yearning for silence. Much like tinnitus, hyperacusis elicits negative responses to sound. These responses vary depending on the severity of the condition.
In some cases, people develop misophonia, which is a strong dislike for sounds that leads to negative emotions and reactions from an individual. Others experience phonophobia, which is a persistent and irregular fear of sound. Both of these can cause people to avoid normal interactions and social situations, significantly altering their lives.
To get a better idea of how tinnitus affects people’s lives, let’s deep dive into the story of Christina—a healthy 50-year-old woman who loves jogging for leisure.
A few years ago, she joined a marathon, during which she fell and hit her head. Running with adrenaline, she continued to finish the race with no other symptoms except for bruises on her hands and feet.
However, Christina felt a little dizzy right after her race. She consulted a doctor who ruled her symptoms to be from a mild concussion, and luckily, she made a full recovery after a week.
A month after the accident, Christina began to experience an intermittent buzzing sound in her ears. The sound resembled the noise of falling rocks, which became even louder at night. Soon, she started to notice that the familiar sounds of washing machines and vacuum cleaners were now unbearable for her.
After suffering from poor sleep for nearly 3 weeks, Christina, who usually takes good care of her physical and mental health, experienced a breakdown.
Christina was examined by an ENT doctor and was later diagnosed with hyperacusis and tinnitus. An audiologist recommended listening to a spherical sound ball to help suppress her symptoms. After a few weeks of listening to nature sounds such as ocean waves, birds chirping, and raindrops, Christina felt better. She felt like her anxiety faded and the spherical sound ball became an outlet for release.
Christina likes nature—the seaside and mountains are often her preferred escape from the hustle and bustle of the city. Vacations in the great outdoors with her family help Christina rest and focus on self-repair.
“I didn't expect that a cute sound ball that looks simple could help me with my condition by simulating sounds found in nature. It gave me a sense of connection to nature.” Whenever she listens to the simulated birds chirping, she can clearly picture the blue sky in her mind.
"I can see myself reconnecting with Mother Earth, embracing the mountains and forests, listening to the birds, and expressing mutual admiration with naked voices. The sound ball helps me imagine the feeling of dipping my toes in a babbling brook,” Christina added.
She then went on to say that these sounds help her cope with the condition. “Hearing the sound of waterfalls refreshes both my mind and body. It’s amazing how a simple sound ball makes my body respond in such a way.” Christina was able to clear her mind thanks to the sounds of nature. Now, she feels capable of relying on her own willpower to recover from her condition.
She didn't expect this small device to save her. And after three months of using the sound ball, while the ringing in her ear is still there, Christina’s quality of life has improved. She can sleep peacefully and worries less about fatigue affecting her work.
Several of Christina’s friends learned about her experience with the sound ball. They all decided to try it for themselves. Christina’s best friend, Ben, uses the sound ball at home and at work to help him improve his focus. Rita, a member of Christina’s exercise club, uses the sound ball to help his 8-year-old son to sleep better.
It’s perfectly normal to yearn for silence when dealing with hyperacusis or tinnitus. While there is no immediate cure, seeking medical advice from your general practitioner can help improve your symptoms.
Hyperacusis may be cured if it’s caused by a pre-existing condition such as Lyme disease, head trauma, or migraines. However, if there is no clear cause for your hyperacusis, your general practitioner may recommend a hyperacusis treatment plan to reduce your sensitivity to everyday sounds.
Treatments for hyperacusis often involve the use of a neutral sound (broadband noise, pink noise, or music) at low levels and include Tinnitus Retraining Therapy and (if tinnitus is also involved) Neuromonics Tinnitus Treatment. By listening to a specific noise at soft levels for a disciplined period of time each day, patients can increase their tolerance to sound.
Depending on the severity of your condition, your general practitioner may recommend the following:
Hyperacusis can significantly disrupt various aspects of your life. As such, you need to seek advice from your general practitioner at the first sign of hyperacusis symptoms. Be mindful of your health, wear ear protection when you find yourself in noisy environments to prevent aggravating your condition, and seek professional counselling if you experience a mental health crisis.
For people suffering from hyperacusis, yearning for silence is a sentiment they all share. However, it is not recommended for them to surround themselves with complete silence. People with hyperacusis must slowly acclimate themselves to ambient noises again. The earlier you get used to all the ambient noises and everyday sounds the world has to offer, the better!
Through the use of white noise and sound masking devices, you can improve your tolerance for sounds by maintaining a low level of residual noise in your background on a regular basis.
By following your general practitioner’s recommendations, using sound masking devices, and being mindful of your own wellbeing, you can regain control of your life and live with all the ambient noises the world throws at you.
Hyperacusis is a condition that makes every day sounds torture. This condition affects the mental health, career, and social life of those afflicted by it. With Wellcare’s Nature Sound, transcend your personal challenges with the condition by starting your journey with our sound masking technology today.