Christmas Transforms Into a Terrifying Experience for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.

A 23-year-old hopes for spending time with her loved ones over the holidays, but notes one of the only ways she'll endure is by wearing her hearing protection - notably for the holiday meal.

For her, the holidays can be a notably tough period as the sounds of family members munching, slurping and sniffling cause her intense distress.

"I experience this sensation of sudden panic, my entire being will just tense up and it feels like I'm in danger, and I need to manage these triggers."

Lottie has lived with sound sensitivity for several years and for her that renders the Christmas time "incredibly overwhelming".

Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to certain sounds, notably sounds produced by those around you.

It's surprisingly common amongst adults. Experts discovered almost one in five people experience it.

Typically it's sounds associated with bodily functions that trigger a reaction, including examples such as chewing, breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.

'Anxiety Inducing'

Lottie says: "There are so many various auditory triggers at Christmas and that can be anxiety inducing and make you want to avoid it.

"Those close to me are aware, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a constant struggle of managing my symptoms to make sure others enjoy themselves."

So it's clear why the supposedly joyous time of the year can transform into a living nightmare for sufferers.

Sounds that may appear innocuous, like someone sipping a beverage, unwrapping gifts, or enjoying festive food can provoke a powerful reaction that can even cause them avoiding social settings altogether.

The student, a young adult, who has struggled with sound sensitivity since aged 10, states the approach she intends to use is to use headphones to manage the meal. On any other day, she would usually isolate herself in a separate space to avoid triggering sounds.

She notes her sensitivity is more pronounced around people she's most familiar with, so the holidays is always "hard".

"There's an expectation to spend time with family, and I desire to, but it's draining.

"The sensation is this uncontrollable anger washes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel anxious and burst into tears and then the stress response will activate.

"To others it appears as if I'm being unreasonable and melodramatic, but it's difficult to convey if you haven't felt it."

Three Ways to Manage

For those affected then there are some different techniques you can use to handle the situation, as suggested by specialists.

1. Picture Something Else: Imagination is key. Work on connecting the triggering sound affecting you with an unrelated image. So for example, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a waterfall. This technique is to help your brain learn that the sound affecting you is neutral.
2. Try a Competition: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a competition involving the source. As an example, if someone is crunching loudly try copying the noise. Through participation, rather than feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an willing part. And the competition element should help redirect your focus and make you a little less affected.
3. Create a Scenario: One more method is to try to create a little story about the reason someone creating the sound is doing it. For example if someone was sniffing, maybe they are not in good health or are troubled. The idea is altering the perception of the sound. While the sound doesn't change, your interpretation of it shifts from being annoying, to feeling a bit more accepting towards it.