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Have you ever felt as if every day sounds are completely unbearable and are giving you side-splitting headaches? Does the clicking of a keyboards buttons or a mouse drive you crazy, while it doesn't seem to bother those around you? Do you ever just wish you could lock yourself away in a completely silent room and never have to worry about damaging your ears because of extremely loud noise?
If so you could be suffering from Hyperacusis, which is a condition where your ears are over sensitive to specific frequency ranges that you hear in everyday sounds. What this actually means is that a person who suffers with Hyperacusis has a lower comfort level to sound. On average most people have a comfort level of 100 decibels, but for those of us that suffer from Hyperacusis we usually have a comfort threshold of 50-60 decibels to sound. This does not necessarily mean that all loud sound causes discomfort but rather that specific sounds (frequencies) can cause discomfort even at a low volume.
Hyperacusis is a condition that is often misunderstood even though it affects millions of people worldwide and can have a devastating effect on both your personal and professional life.
During this research period our team of specialists identified two different types of Hyperacusis. The first type of hypersensitive hearing problem occurs when your body's built in defense system against sound does not function correctly. This allows both sharp and loud sounds to penetrate the ear canal and ear drum, without the necessary protection.
When this type of Hyperacusis is present the stapedius muscle does not contract due to damage in the ear or even stress, allowing noise to enter the ear.
The second type of hypersensitive hearing is often referred to as Central Hyperacusis and occurs when the ear becomes sensitive to specific sounds (frequencies). With this type of hypersensitive hearing, specific sound waves are magnified when they reach the inner ear making the particular sound frequency seem loud. Central Hyperacusis is a result of damage usually sustained to the inner ear, which in turn affects your ability to perceive different sound waves correctly. |
