Hyperacusis is a condition where the person will have reduced tolerance to sounds in one or both to ears. Their sensitivity to sounds will be high.
This condition affects the way you perceive loudness. It makes ordinary day to day sounds, such as car engines, Horns, etc seem extremely loud and intolerable. Even your own voice might seem too loud for them.
The perception of excessive loudness may results in high levels of stress. It can also make it difficult to be in public settings.

This Can Lead To

• Isolation
• Social withdrawal
• Fear of loud noises
• Depression

Hyperacusis symptoms can vary which includes, ordinary sounds seeming too loud, your own voice sounding too loud, headaches, pain when hearing sudden noises, tinnitus, anxiety, poor sleep, fatigue, fear of social situations.

If you have the following symptoms consult an ENT professional. A doctor will examine your ear and head for signs of any physical damage. He will collect Medical history to find out any conditions that might have affected your hearing. Pure-tone audiometry should be done to measures your hearing sensitivity.

Treatment for hyperacusis is based on the cause. The goal is to manage your symptoms and reduce hightened sensitivity to sounds. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) where a mental health professional will help you how to manage your emotional responses to sound, Sound Generators or maskers  where a sound of music or noise produced via a body-worn system or a small device that looks like a hearing aid, which produces steady sounds. By listening to this sound at a comfortable level for a certain amount of time every day, the auditory nerves and brain centers will become desensitized and able to tolerate normal environmental sounds again.

Other remedies such as exercise, yoga, meditation, acupuncture may also help to reduce the hypersensitivity to sounds.