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Other Hyperacusis (unusual sensitivity to sound)

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Neverthesame

MyPTSD Pro
I was another thread and this thought entered my head. Rather than hijack that thread, I wanted to start this one.

I have had this problem for a few years now, usually it's not too bad. Though, last year I had a couple of days when it got really bad. It has since calmed down for the most part. Though I find my hearing has not gone back to normal.

I had fallen asleep one morning, I was out for 2 or 3 hours. When I woke up, my right ear was not picking up sound correctly. I wasn't deaf, but any lower frequency sounds ranging from a man's voice to low bass, was almost inaudible to me. However higher frequency sounds such as a child or woman's voice and higher. Seemed intolerably loud. Made for a long couple of days at the office.

I wasn't able to get in to see my doctor until the following week, when I did, I mentioned what had happened. She flushed out my ear, gave it a good look, but found no obvious sign of injury or infection. Best she could figure was Hyperacusis.

From what I read about it, it is usually caused by exposure to a sudden loud noise, ie gunshot, airbag, explosion, ect. None of these things I have been near for a long time.

I also read however that stress and anxiety can cause this as well. It is also common with people who suffer from tinnitus. These things I do have.

I also know that I have been under alot of stress, what with the issues I've had with my job, as well as medication changes and a lingering depression. It has been a difficult couple of years to put it mildly.

While my hearing is a fair bit better than it was then, I still find everything is too damn loud. Even painfully so at times.

So, my question then is. Anyone else have anything like this?
 
To be honest, I don't know if what I experience /have experienced is the same. Does your come and go? Do you find it is worse at different times of the day? Do low sounds sound muffled or is only volume affected?

I definitely have issues with things being to loud, but I know mine is worse for about the first hour after wake up, and in the evenings. During the day, it is usually if I am in a vulnerable state like feeling tired, hungry or anxious. Mine also isn't consistent from day to day.
 
@Fadeaway Yes, it does come and go. It hasn't been as bad as the time I saw the doctor about.

Seems to be worse during the day, but that's when I am working usually. I don't have very many noisy things in my house, or listen to loud music.

The sensitivity to volume is definitely exacerbated by stress/anxiety levels. When it was at it's worst, yes low sounds were muffled. Hard to explain the feeling, it was like listening to the world through a tin can, and 10 times too loud. If that makes any sense.
 
I naturally have this problem due to hearing problems....I can hear so little yet hear so much irritating noise. I find when I'm tired or stressed I definitely find that I loose a couple of more notches off the lower tones and the higher tones become painful to my ears and too much for my head to process....like an overload of noise...adds to the stress cup.
 
Yeah... I'm an outlier/weirdo but do have some difficulty with sensitivity to sound... sometimes volume but more often chaotic noise like crowds cheering or being rambunctious (televised sporting events cuz I don't attend any personally if I can help it) or bowling alleys and stuff. It's a bit of a puzzler for my Ear/Nose/Throat Doctor too cuz both of my ears are covered with scar tissue but I hear well above and also well below normal range even though there is like NO reason I should be able to.
 
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I unfortunately am very familiar with hyperacusis. I my case it started last year within two days after quitting my use of all dairy products. I quit them because I found they contain peptides that can reduce platelet levels. I have low platelets. I was grossly overeating dairy as in a large bowl of ice cream every night with whipped cream on top. Lots of cheese too. When I quit it was "cold turkey". I had no idea that cow's milk also contains a significant amount of casomorphin, a type of peptide that has the same effects as morphine. Gram per gram it is even more powerful than morphine but there isn't a lot in milk. That is, if you eat a normal amount. What happened to me, I later discovered, is that I was essentially suffering from hard withdrawal symptoms of morphine. One very common symptom of that is hyperacusis.

It was just plain nasty. Hyperacusis can be really bad and has caused some people to kill themselves. It took months for it to finally wear off to a point where it is no longer a problem but those first couple of months sucked hard.

It is almost like an instant short circuit in the brain for just a split second that then totally fires up the fight/flight action. What ever it is that causes the noise MUST STOP NOW!!!!! The most impact comes from any sort of noise that starts very sharply, with what is called a very fast "rise time". It really doesn't make much difference how loud it is either. Loud is worse but even very not loud sounds can activate. It takes just a split second after the sound happens for the brain reaction to occur. Ear muffs don't help much, if at all. They can actually make it worse by isolating other sounds so all your hear is the type that you cannot stand.

I still have traces of it but then I am also slightly breaking my no dairy rule. I am eating butter because can't stand the taste of the non dairy margarines. Most also contain oils that are high on omega 3 fatty acids and those cause platelets to drop.

added at 21:50 PST

Now that I think about this I am betting my very high testosterone level greatly increased my hyperacusis reaction. Since hyperacusis is known to activate the fight/flight it makes perfect sense since high testosterone = high fight/flight, especially the fight side.
 
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Hyperacusis is very real and can connect fairly logically to ptsd. For many of us, our senses stay hyper-vigilant in order to constantly be assessing whether the immediate environment is safe or not. So, to use myself as an example, I always hated the sounds of bathroom fans and (oh God!) those horrible loud hand dryers. I didn't like that I couldn't hear and be prepared for what was going on outside the door or know what to expect when I opened it. The constant auditory hyper-vigilance can lead our brains to "forget" how to turn down our internal volume controls or to focus out irrelevant sounds. There is a great online group on Facebook called Hyperacusis and Tinnitus Support for anyone who has this added challenge.
 
Yes, hyper vigilance is very much a part of my symptoms. I always want to know what is happening anywhere near me. The apartment I now live in is driving me crazy because it is old and has squeaky floors. I will be moving next year somewhere that DOES NOT SQUEAK.

I also have a fairly rare form of tinnitus, always have. It is "somatic tinnitus" . I can hear every beat of my heart no matter what the surrounding sounds are like. It isn't the "whooshing" sound that some people have with arterial malformations, it is a very high pitched almost electronic "sound" that doesn't really seem like a sound at all. I have always had it and it will vary if I even very lightly push on one side of my head or turn my head slightly. "They" do not have a full explanation for it but I always know exactly how fast my heart is running. It doesn't really bother me but it also tells me what my blood pressure is. The higher it is the "louder" it seems. I normally have very low blood pressure, sometimes my resting systolic is under 100. Then the tinnitus is almost hard to hear.

Info on this kind here:
http://www.dizziness-and-balance.com/disorders/hearing/tinnitus/somatic tinnitus.html
 
I have the same symptoms although I've never been diagnosed. Noises grate on my nerves and I find myself plugging my ears quite frequently. Hate, hate, hate the sound of florescent lights and power lines. I have to sleep with ear plus and still have trouble blocking the noises.:( My husband likes to tease me to lighten the mood when people say things about it; he says, " yes she can hear a mouse fart from a mile away! " :roflmao:He then says her super sonic hearing really comes in handy a lot of the time! :D ♡
 
I have not had a bout of this as bad as what I wrote in my op. I hope to never again. That was torture.

Spent the whole day unable to figure out what direction sound was coming from. Was feeling rather seasick by the time I got home.

In the first hour of work I actually turned to a female coworker and said "Why are you yelling at me?" she wasn't.

@Evan
I don't know if you are allowed to do any sort of repair work where you live (ie, if you are renting). But if you can access the floor joists and without pulling up the entire floor, though that is the proper way to do it.

Putting talcum power where the floor joists connect or touch anything, will stop the creaking, squeaking and groaning. As it is a dry lubricant.

Just a warning though, it's a bit messy for a while, and you will find out how many bugs live with you. Lol.
 
Unfortunately there doesn't seem to be any easy way to get at the squeaky areas. Most of this apartment complex is carpeted and while it is a pretty decent place the under floors all squeak. I can do some minor repairs but working on the floors is definitely beyond what the manager would allow. Here is a very dry climate, especially in winter. Total precip in rain equivalent is about 15 inches per year. The summer RH doesn't go above about 60% and in winter the inside humidity can drop below 30% and even to 20% easily. The variation to so dry makes wood products crack easily and squeaking is a very common problem.
 
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