Misophonia and hyperacusis are sound sensitivity conditions that impact many people’s daily lives. This sensitivity goes beyond discomfort or annoyance—rather, it’s an extreme and sometimes even debilitating response to certain sounds. Both misophonia and hyperacusis are considered sound hypersensitivities, but there are some significant differences between the two.
What Is Misophonia?
Misophonia is a disorder in which a person has a low tolerance for or aversion to specific sounds. These are called “trigger sounds,” and they are different for every person; some of the more common examples include chewing food, loud breathing, or a pen clicking. These trigger sounds prompt an extreme, almost overpowering emotional response, like anger, anxiety, disgust, even rage or panic. This emotional response may also bring about physical reactions, such as increased heart rate, sweating or chest tightness.
What Is Hyperacusis?
Hyperacusis also involves heightened sensitivity to sound; however, it is a sensitivity to environmental sound in general, not a specific trigger sound. Someone experiencing hyperacusis will perceive noise as unbearably loud, even noises others perceive as normal, such as people chatting around you in a restaurant or cars driving on the freeway. Hyperacusis is characterized by physical reactivity throughout the auditory system, causing distress, fear and physical pain in the ears. It is also frequently accompanied by tinnitus.
What Are the Key Differences?
Some key differences between misophonia and hyperacusis include:
- The sounds that trigger each response are different: misophonia is triggered by a specific sound, but hyperacusis is triggered by noise in general.
- Similarly, misophonia is not so much affected by the loudness of the trigger sound, while hyperacusis is.
- Misophonia prompts an emotional response (rage, panic, disgust); hyperacusis prompts a physical response (ear pain, pressure, tinnitus).
- They often require different treatment strategies.
Treating Misophonia and Hyperacusis
Misophonia is a psychological condition usually best treated through counseling. This involves identifying the triggers and finding ways to mitigate or cope with them. Some people with misophonia also find hearing aids, earplugs or noise-cancelling headphones helpful. Our office recommends that you follow up with your healthcare provider or counselor if you believe you suffer from misophonia, and discuss with an audiologist how hearing aids can help you mitigate your trigger sounds.
In treating hyperacusis, hearing aids can be very helpful. They allow you to control sound settings, effectively toning down the noise. Tinnitus retraining therapy has also shown great promise in dealing with hyperacusis. Furthermore, hyperacusis may signal that there is physical damage to the ear, so a hearing test could be beneficial in learning the root cause of hyperacusis, paving the way forward for effective treatment. To schedule a hearing evaluation, contact Gary D. Schwartzberg, Au.D., Doctor of Audiology.