One way your body delivers information to you is through pain response. It’s not a very enjoyable approach but it can be beneficial. When that megaphone you’re standing next to gets too loud, the pain allows you to know that significant ear damage is happening and you immediately (if you’re wise) cover your ears or remove yourself from that extremely loud environment.
But for around 8-10% of individuals, quiet sounds can be detected as painfully loud, despite their measured decibel level. Hearing specialists refer to this condition as hyperacusis. It’s a fancy name for overly sensitive ears. The symptoms of hyperacusis can be managed but there’s no cure.
Heightened sound sensitivity
Hypersensitivity to sound is known as hyperacusis. Usually sounds within a specific frequency trigger episodes of hyperacusis for individuals who experience it. Normally, quiet noises sound loud. And noises that are loud seem a lot louder than they actually are.
Hyperacusis is frequently associated with tinnitus, hearing problems, and even neurological difficulties, though no one really knows what actually causes it. There’s a significant degree of personal variability when it comes to the symptoms, severity, and treatment of hyperacusis.
What kind of response is typical for hyperacusis?
Here’s how hyperacusis, in most situations, will look and feel::
- You may experience pain and buzzing in your ears (this pain and buzzing could last for days or weeks after you hear the original sound).
- You will hear a certain sound, a sound that everyone else perceives as quiet, and that sound will seem very loud to you.
- Balance problems and dizziness can also be experienced.
- Your response and pain will be worse the louder the sound is.
Hyperacusis treatment treatment
When you have hyperacusis the world can be a minefield, particularly when your ears are overly sensitive to a wide variety of frequencies. Your hearing could be assaulted and you could be left with a terrible headache and ringing ears anytime you go out.
That’s why it’s so important to get treatment. There are a variety of treatments available depending on your particular situation and we can help you pick one that’s best for you. Here are some of the most common options:
One of the most commonly implemented treatments for hyperacusis is something called a masking device. While it may sound perfect for Halloween (sorry), in reality, a masking device is a piece of technology that cancels out certain wavelengths of sounds. These devices, then, are able to selectively hide those triggering wavelengths of sound before they ever get to your ear. You can’t have a hyperacusis episode if you can’t hear the offending sound!
Earplugs are a less sophisticated play on the same basic approach: if all sound is stopped, there’s no possibility of a hyperacusis incident. There are undoubtedly some drawbacks to this low tech strategy. There’s some research that suggests that, over time, the earplugs can throw your hearing ecosystem even further out of whack and make your hyperacusis worse. If you’re considering using earplugs, give us a call for a consultation.
One of the most thorough approaches to treating hyperacusis is called ear retraining therapy. You’ll use a combination of devices, physical therapy, and emotional counseling to try to change how you react to particular kinds of sounds. Training yourself to disregard sounds is the basic idea. This process depends on your dedication but usually has a positive success rate.
Less prevalent methods
There are also some less common strategies for treating hyperacusis, such as medications or ear tubes. These approaches are less commonly utilized, depending on the specialist and the individual, because they have delivered mixed success.
A big difference can come from treatment
Depending on how you experience your symptoms, which vary from person to person, an individual treatment plan can be created. Effectively treating hyperacusis depends on determining an approach that’s best for you.