Pain is your body’s method of delivering information. It’s not a terribly enjoyable method but it can be beneficial. When your ears start to feel the pain of a really loud megaphone near you, you know damage is occurring and you can take measures to move further away or at least cover your ears.
But, despite their minimal volume, 8-10% of people will feel pain from low volume sounds too. Hearing specialists refer to this condition as hyperacusis. This is the medical label for excessively sensitive ears. There’s no cure for hyperacusis, but there are treatments that can help you get a handle on your symptoms.
Elevated sensitivity to sound
Hyperacusis is a hypersensitivity to sound. Usually sounds in a specific frequency trigger episodes of hyperacusis for people who suffer from it. Typically, quiet noises sound loud. And noises that are loud seem a lot louder than they actually are.
No one’s really sure what causes hyperacusis, though it’s frequently associated with tinnitus or other hearing issues (and, in some cases, neurological issues). When it comes to symptoms, severity, and treatment, there is a significant degree of personal variability.
What’s a normal hyperacusis response?
Here’s how hyperacusis, in most situations, will look and feel::
- You might also have dizziness and problems keeping your balance.
- The louder the sound is, the more extreme your response and pain will be.
- You might 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 notice a certain sound, a sound that everybody else perceives as quiet, and that sound will sound really loud to you.
Hyperacusis treatment treatment
When you have hyperacusis the world can be a minefield, particularly when your ears are extremely sensitive to a wide range of frequencies. You never know when a lovely night out will suddenly turn into an audio onslaught that will leave you with ringing ears and an intense migraine.
That’s why it’s so important to get treatment. You’ll want to come in and speak with us about which treatments will be your best option (this all tends to be quite variable). The most common options include the following.
Masking devices
A device called a masking device is one of the most popular treatments for hyperacusis. This is a device that can cancel out certain frequencies. So those offending frequencies can be eliminated before they reach your ears. If you can’t hear the offending sound, you won’t have a hyperacusis attack.
Earplugs
A less sophisticated approach to this general method is earplugs: if all sound is blocked, there’s no chance of a hyperacusis incident. It’s certainly a low-tech approach, and there are some drawbacks. Your general hearing issues, including hyperacusis, may get worse by using this approach, according to some evidence. Consult us if you’re thinking about using earplugs.
Ear retraining
One of the most in-depth approaches to treating hyperacusis is known as ear retraining therapy. You’ll attempt to change how you react to specific types of sounds by employing physical therapy, emotional counseling, and a combination of devices. The concept is that you can train yourself to disregard sounds (rather like with tinnitus). This process depends on your dedication but usually has a positive success rate.
Approaches that are less prevalent
There are also some less prevalent approaches for treating hyperacusis, including medications or ear tubes. These approaches are less commonly used, depending on the specialist and the individual, because they have met with mixed success.
A huge difference can come from treatment
Because hyperacusis tends to vary from person to person, an individual treatment plan can be developed depending on your symptoms as you encounter them. Effectively treating hyperacusis depends on finding an approach that’s best for you.
