If You Have Hyperacusis, By What Factor Do Everyday Sounds Appear Louder?

When I first got severe tinnitus and hyperacusis in April this year, the hyperacusis was so bad that I couldn't tolerate certain people talking to me in their normal voices, or the sound of a shower, a flushing toilet or a kettle boiling, without using earplugs or leaving the room. Now, things are much better and I can usually tolerate most of these things without too much concern. I still have a way to go though.

I don't know if there is a clinical way to measure this, but I would say at the beginning, everything sounded about 5x louder than it really was, but now they may only be 2x as loud. As I say this is just subjective, and the actual ratios may be much less than that, but perception is everything.

How much louder does your hyperacusis make you perceive sounds, and has anyone had tests at a tinnitus clinic to measure this, e.g. perhaps by the audiologist increasing the volume of a tone until the person under test calls "Stop"? I have my first tinnitus clinic appointment coming up soon.

 

My hyperacusis does not make sounds louder. At least not that I'm aware of. I have noxacusis which gives me pain and discomfort in my ears around many sounds.

 

I get a bit of that but it seems to be reducing as my hyperacusis decreases.

I'm curious as to how others perceive the loudness caused their hyperacusis though. I think I read there is an audiology test for hyperacusis that's fairly standard?

 

You mean LDL test?

 

Be careful not to let them damage your hearing by some tests like Acoustic Reflex. Some people have reported that such tests damaged their system while some are absolutely fine after these examinations. Hope the journey to the clinic helps you

 

I did have that recently and my bad ear felt "full" for a few days after but luckily returned to normal again. I'll make sure they don't do that one again.

 

I just recently developed tinnitus but I have had the same reaction as you have been having. I have had to turn everyday sounds down like tv and all music in house and car. I eat out a lot and most of my favorite restaurants are too loud to tolerate now. I bought the high fidelity earplugs, they have been helping with that. I can only hope and pray things calm down. I go to see the doctors at Johns Hopkins in a couple weeks, I hope to get some answers but from what I've been researching doesn't seem to be much help out there.

 

@Mister Muso

Hyperacusis like tinnitus comes in various levels of severity and will affect each person differently.
When I first had severe tinnitus 23 years ago I had very severe hyperacusis. I also had to ask people to lower their voice when in conversation with them. The hyperacusis was completely cured in two years using white noise generators as part of TRT. Hyperacusis can improve naturally over time without treatment, but in more severe circumstances professional treatment is advised in the manner I’ve described, using white noise generators under the care of a Hearing Therapist or Audiologist, that specialises in the treatment and management of tinnitus and hyperacusis.

Some Hearing Therapists and Audiologists advise to slowly increase the volume of the white noise generators over time to assist and help in desensitising the auditory system. I do not agree with this approach, as it can aggravate the hyperacusis and tinnitus, especially for people with a hypersensitive auditory system. This is often the case when a person has hyperacusis.

Treating hyperacusis (tinnitus) takes time and should not be rushed. Therefore, I believe it is best to set the white noise generator/s at a comfortable listening level or slightly below the tinnitus and let them do their job. That is to slowly reduce the oversensitivity to sound that the auditory has which can take up to two years.

If you are under the care of an Audiologist or Hearing Therapist and having treatment for hyperacusis/tinnitus. My advice is not to discuss them in tinnitus forums nor research the treatment on the Internet. Try to engage in things that are positive in your life. Participating in conversations and reading posts on tinnitus and hyperacusis, particularly from people with a negative mindset, can often be detrimental to one’s progress especially, when they are new to these conditions.

Michael

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/hyperacusis-as-i-see-it.19174/

 

I also have "good days" and bad days. By "good days" I mean days when the sounds don't appear that loud like on other days. On those bad days normal people talking appear to me like they are yelling or screaming...