{"id":1145,"date":"2019-11-08T23:10:46","date_gmt":"2019-11-08T23:10:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/carolinaearnosethroat.com\/?p=1145"},"modified":"2019-11-27T18:00:28","modified_gmt":"2019-11-27T18:00:28","slug":"hyperacusis-when-everything-sounds-too-loud","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/carolinaearnosethroat.com\/hyperacusis-when-everything-sounds-too-loud\/","title":{"rendered":"Hyperacusis: When Everything Sounds Too Loud"},"content":{"rendered":"
Normally on this blog, we talk about people who have trouble hearing<\/a> in Lincolnton. But not all hearing disorders involve hearing loss; in some cases, the opposite problem occurs – sounds are too loud!<\/p>\n There is no clear-cut definition of hyperacusis. It is most commonly described as a condition in which a person has an intolerance to sound<\/strong>. <\/p>\n Individuals with hyperacusis in Lincolnton have an increased sensitivity to certain frequencies and volumes; their perception of how loud a sound is tends to be far different than those with normal hearing. This can occur even with sounds that most people would characterize as soft.<\/p>\n Though not nearly as common as hearing loss, hyperacusis affects an estimated one in 50,000 people in North Carolina<\/strong> and across the U.S. That’s about 6,540 patients in total<\/strong> – not a huge number, but that’s of little comfort to those who do suffer from the hearing disorder.<\/p>\n There are a couple of related hearing disorders involving sound intolerance; people with misophonia experience strong negative reactions to certain sounds<\/strong>, to the point where they might become angry or afraid when exposed to these sounds, and phonophobia refers to an irrational fear of sound<\/strong>. <\/p>\n Hyperacusis, by comparison, causes actual physical discomfort. People with this disorder often describe pain or a tingling sensation. The majority of patients with hyperacusis also experience tinnitus, a ringing in the ears<\/a>.<\/p>\n Some of the more common hyperacusis triggers are:<\/p>\n The extent to which a person with hyperacusis is bothered by the sound varies among individuals. Some are only mildly irritated, while others can experience full-blown symptoms such as loss of balance or seizures.<\/p>\n Hyperacusis originates in the brain<\/a>. Individuals with this hearing disorder get their signals crossed, so to speak; the brain confuses or exaggerates certain sounds, though why this occurs isn’t entirely understood. <\/p>\n Experts theorize it has to do with a reduced nerve input in response to sound<\/strong>, which causes the brain to overcompensate by turning up the volume. Some patients appear to have an overactive tensor tympani, a muscle in the eardrum that contracts in response to loud sounds. In these individuals, the muscle moves too much, triggering discomfort.<\/p>\n Those most likely to experience hyperacusis in Lincolnton have a history of noise exposure, tinnitus, physical trauma to the head or viral infection of the inner ear<\/strong>. In addition, certain diseases increase the risk of hyperacusis; these include Bell’s palsy, Lyme disease, autism and depression<\/strong>. <\/p>\n Hearing loss is not a prerequisite for hyperacusis; many patients have perfectly normal hearing otherwise.<\/p>\n Your audiologist in Lincolnton will need to determine the cause of your hyperacusis before deciding on a treatment solution. <\/p>\n In some cases, the condition might improve on its own; this is most common when it is the result of trauma. Otherwise, management strategies such as sound therapy or counseling<\/strong> are likely to be recommended. Cognitive behavior therapy<\/strong> focuses on altering the brain’s perception of sound, so it becomes less bothersome. Patients are exposed to quiet noises for specific periods; over time, the volume is increased until the patient has adjusted to the sound. This can take six months or longer.<\/p>\n Other treatments, such as acupuncture, relaxation exercises<\/strong> and auditory integration therapy<\/strong> (AIT) have been met with mixed success. In some cases, drugs can be prescribed to help manage the stress associated with hyperacusis.<\/p>\n For more information on this relatively rare hearing disorder, speak to your Lincolnton audiologist.<\/p>\n Normally on this blog, we talk about people who have trouble hearing in Lincolnton. But not all hearing disorders involve hearing loss; in some cases, the opposite problem occurs – sounds are too loud! What is Hyperacusis? There is no clear-cut definition of hyperacusis. It is most commonly described as a condition in which a…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1146,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"(828) 322-2183 | But not all hearing disorders involve hearing loss; in some cases, the opposite problem occurs - sounds are too loud!","_seopress_robots_index":"","schema":"","fname":"","lname":"","position":"","credentials":"","placeID":"","no_match":false,"name":"","company":"","review":"","address":"","city":"","state":"","zip":"","lat":"","lng":"","phone1":"","phone2":"","fax":"","mon1":"","mon2":"","tue1":"","tue2":"","wed1":"","wed2":"","thu1":"","thu2":"","fri1":"","fri2":"","sat1":"","sat2":"","sun1":"","sun2":"","hours-note":"","locid":"","rating":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1145","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hearing-loss"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/carolinaearnosethroat.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1145","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/carolinaearnosethroat.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/carolinaearnosethroat.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carolinaearnosethroat.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carolinaearnosethroat.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1145"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/carolinaearnosethroat.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1145\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carolinaearnosethroat.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1146"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/carolinaearnosethroat.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1145"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carolinaearnosethroat.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1145"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carolinaearnosethroat.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1145"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}What is Hyperacusis?<\/h2>\n
<\/p>\n
How common is hyperacusis?<\/h3>\n
Can sound intolerance occur in other conditions?<\/h3>\n
What are the most common triggers of hyperacusis?<\/h2>\n
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What Causes Hyperacusis?<\/h2>\n
Who is most likely to experience hyperacusis?<\/h3>\n
How is Hyperacusis Treated?<\/h2>\n
Contact us if you have sound sensitivity<\/h3>\n
Learn more about hearing conditions:<\/h3>\n
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