Dealing with hyperacusis: anyone else sensitive to noise?

Hi, I'm wondering if anyone here deals with this specific issue.

Is it a general sensitivity to loud noises, or is it more about certain frequencies? For instance, the screech of car brakes, silverware clinking on a plate... even kids screaming... specifically when those sounds trigger physical symptoms like ear pain, congestion, or intense pressure?

If you do experience this, how are you managing it, or have you found a way to mitigate it? 🤷

Here is a breakdown that explains things a bit more clearly

Ever heard of hyperacusis? http://znano.st/znanost-zdravlje-i-m...rakuzija/1353/

Sandra Brooks91 said:Hey everyone, I was wondering if anyone else here deals with this?

Whether it’s just everything feeling a bit too loud, or specific frequencies that really get to you—like brakes squealing, silverware clattering on a plate, or kids screaming... basically anything that triggers physical symptoms like ear pain, a sense of fullness, or intense pressure..

If you do, how are you managing, or have you found any way to fix it?

🤷

That is exactly what I’m going through right now; I can't even listen to music anymore, and certain noises around the house are just unbearable... it honestly sends me into a panic because I've never dealt with anything like this before.
I actually read the text you posted below just yesterday.

For me, it all started with some medical procedures. After they cleaned out my ear, the tinnitus kicked in immediately, and then after a micro-suction procedure where they were working right near my eardrum, things got incredibly uncomfortable. Almost instantly, I became hypersensitive to sound. At first, I tried to convince myself it would pass, but after a few days, I realized I couldn't listen to songs anymore 😲 , and I've been in a pretty dark headspace 😢 .. my hearing in that ear is also weaker now. Everything was perfectly fine until I went in for a routine checkup... before the ear cleaning and that suctioning, sounds didn't bother me at all. Even the vinegar they used played a part since it can irritate an eardrum that had already been pushed forward during the cleaning process, but the real nightmare happened right after
the rinsing; the volume and the pressure against my eardrum were overwhelming. Those issues and the muffled hearing started hitting me that very same evening.

I’ve read that for many people, this happens after attending concerts... a friend of mine even tried hyperbaric oxygen therapy for it, but it only helped him a little bit.

Sensitivity to everyday sounds, or hyperacusis, shows up as subjective physical discomfort when being exposed to low or moderate sounds that wouldn't normally bother the average person. Hyperacusis is often linked to tinnitus, head trauma, migraines, benzodiazepine use, hyperthyroidism, stress, and more. It isn't recommended to constantly protect yourself from everyday noise, because doing so can actually reinforce the auditory system's sensitivity and worsen the hyperacusis. A desensitization approach using sound therapy helps increase a patient's tolerance. This involves continuous, prolonged exposure to everyday sounds, gradually increasing the intensity until the patient perceives them as neutral stimuli.

http://webmd.com/health/news-and-wellness/hyperacusis-explained

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hyperacusis

I suppose for most people, it settles down after a while. That's the only thing giving me hope right now—that I won't lose my mind, or that my life isn't effectively over at 34 years old. 😢

So, what actually triggers this? I guess the most common cause of hyperacusis is just getting blasted by noise that's way too loud. Some folks get hit with it out of nowhere—like if an airbag deploys in their SUV, they fire a gun, hear some massive blast, or maybe take certain meds that mess with the ears. Others may have a history of Lyme, Meniere, TMJ, a bad concussion, constant migraines, Bell's Palsy, facial nerve issues, or even stuff from ear surgeries or cleaning them out too much. Basically, it could be damage to the inner ear itself, or maybe it's more about the brain or nervous system getting banged up during a head injury.

The most Common treatment for hyperacusis is Broadband Noise Therapy. It's basically just listening to recorded broadband noise at pretty low volumes for a bit every day to help rebuild that sound tolerance. If you're looking into it, I guess it's super important that your doctor figures out exactly how sensitive you are first. You don't want them running hearing tests or other noisy therapies that might just make things worse.

Broadband Noise Therapy Can be used with Tinnitus Retraining Therapy and pink Noise Therapy. Tinnitus Retraining Therapy is a method originally meant for tinnitus (that annoying buzzing or ringing) that uses broadband noise to get someone used to specific sounds and build up tolerance. pink Noise Therapy ( which is a sound level similar to The sound of The ocean in a seashell ) is another Type of noise therapy which uses a different dB level of sound for noise tolerance building.

It’s been about two weeks since I ended up in the neurology ward because these headaches were just getting out of hand... honestly, they were terrifying. On top of a diagnosis that really shook me, I can't even handle music anymore—I can't even hold my phone up to my ear without it being too much. Every little noise is a struggle, whether it's the TV, the radio, or even just sounds coming from the neighbors' yard... it all feels way too loud. Even the songs I used to love just feel like they're slamming into my head. My ears are aching on both sides, too, and I've kind of stopped trying to explain it to people lately... it feels like I'm just bothering everyone, and it's not even the first time I've felt this way. Does anyone have any advice on what to do?

For me, that issue just cleared up on its own—it felt more like a temporary phase, I suppose. But I’ve been dealing with a different headache entirely: a little scratch in my ear canal that just won't quit. It’s been four months since I accidentally scraped the inside with my fingernail back in early January, and now it keeps crusting over and aching 😲. Honestly, I feel like I’ve seen every specialist under the sun, from private clinics to major hospitals, trying everything from medicated drops to
ointments, but nothing seems to touch it. Even though my last microscopic exam at the ENT specialist came back perfectly fine, the discomfort lingers. I don't want to derail the conversation, though, since we're supposed to be talking about hyperacusis.

I also reached a point where I couldn't listen to a single song without discomfort; I suspect it was triggered by some hearing damage, because once my hearing started recovering slightly and
the hyperacusis began to fade, things improved. Now, I can handle loud noises just like I used to, that intense pressure is gone, and my tinnitus has vanished too. Hopefully, it stays that way and doesn't make a comeback.

Is anyone else dealing with this? I guess if someone has actually figured it out or just manages to deal with it while getting to work and everything else, let me know.

Andrew Cruz4 said:Anyone else dealing with this? If you've actually managed to fix it—or if you're just out there living your life, going to work and all that—how do you handle it?

Personally, I know how I’d deal with it: earplugs. 🙂