Hyperacusis

What are the causes?

The potential causes are hard to pinpoint; however, the condition is linked to several conditions and diseases that should be monitored extensively.

The most common root causes of hyperacusis include:

• Tinnitus (ringing in the ears)

• Head injuries

• Lyme disease

• Williams syndrome

• Bell’s palsy

• Migraines

• Ménière’s disease

If you are experiencing hyperacusis, you should seek medical attention immediately. A doctor or qualified audiologist will look at your ears and assess overall hearing health to determine where the hyperacusis stems from.

What are the symptoms?

The defining characteristic of hyperacusis is perceiving sounds to be much louder than they actually are. This can happen with the most ordinary of noises, such as running taps, those from kitchen appliances like dishwashers or washing machines, car engines, and even loud conversations. As such, if left untreated, hyperacusis can have a severe impact on your everyday life.

Other secondary symptoms include:

• Irritability

• Constant covering of ears

• Moving away from sound

• Ear pain

• Stress and/or anger

If you’re experiencing sound much louder than usual, visit your GP or a hearing health expert, who’ll be able to see whether hyperacusis is the problem.

What treatments are available?

If brought on indirectly, i.e. by another condition such as a migraine or head injury, hyperacusis can be cured. Treating the direct cause will mean you should start to see an improvement in how you perceive sounds.

However, in hyperacusis cases where there is no underlying cause, it is likely your doctor will devise a treatment plan to manage the condition. This will typically involve measures making you less sensitive to everyday sounds, which include:

• Sound therapy – to help reacquaint you with everyday sounds at their natural volume. You may be required to wear a specific kind of hearing aid that emits white noise for soothing your ears.

• Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) – as a means of changing the way you think about your hyperacusis. Such an approach can help reduce anxiety and make the condition much easier to live with.

Please bear in mind that every case of hyperacusis is different. What works for one person may not necessarily help another, and it will be up to you and your doctor to work out a treatment regime that helps get the condition under control.