Why Are Hyperacusis Sufferers Such a Small Minority?

How's the reactivity been lately? I remember a post where you mentioned eating breakfast cereal would cause your tinnitus to react as you were chewing. Has that continued to get better too?

 

Btw, I get this fullness like you mentioned. It is pretty disturbing when it happens. I think my tolerance for road noise is likewise much better but the tinnitus gets louder if I listen to music too loud or too long but I'm getting better at being able to listen again. Like you, my trend seems to be heading in the right direction, but still problems in the kitchen and with metal clanking.

 

It's still reactive but to a much lesser degree. I'll notice it sometimes if I am out driving or if I put music on, and it can still spoil the enjoyment of music. Strangely if I am having a spike it can be louder but purer and less reactive somehow, and it can be easier to drown out. But I know it can still be dangerous to turn the music up too much, so if I start to get feelings of fullness then I know to quieten down my surroundings again.

 

Hi again @Michael Leigh!

So a year or so ago I first experienced hyperacusis. Well I think that’s what it is anyway. It only happens every so often in one ear and only with certain frequencies (usually 5 kHz onwards). However, the plot thickens. It only seems to happen in smaller spaces like a car, or a crowded small room. Probably due to the reverb hitting and reflecting off windows and walls, creating a build up of frequency.

Anyway, long story short, it’s been happening every so often and I’ve recently found out what it is and been getting myself into a bit of a panic over the past week or so and stressing out a bit which seems to make it a bit worse. Everything I read on Google is pretty negative. But these stories are from people who find everyday sounds unbearable and that is not the case for me. If I was to listen to a song at a certain volume in a car for example, it would create a distortion in my left ear and be really uncomfortable (usually on the hi-hats or claps). But if I was to listen to the same song, at the same volume in my room, it would sound normal and I get no discomfort. I’m a music producer, so I ran a few tests on my ears and I can hear the exact same in both ears at low volumes, so hearing loss isn’t an issue either.

I understand that you’re not a doctor and I have rang the doctors for an appointment which I’m waiting for, so I can be referred to a specialist. But you seem to know what you’re talking about and also with a positive outlook on it. I was just wondering if this is something you’ve ever come across before on here or in your own experience and whether or not it will ever go away?

Thanks for your time,
Matt

 

Hi Matt.

Hyperacusis usually (but not always) accompanies noise-induced tinnitus. Therefore, I will assume you first experienced tinnitus a year ago with hyperacusis? If you can be more specific, it would be helpful. Since you are a music producer, I will also assume your tinnitus is noise-induced and you mixed music while listening through headphones regularly. You probably listened through studio monitors too.

Headphones and noise-induced tinnitus do not go well together as there's a risk of making the tinnitus worse, even when the volume is low. I suggest that you don't use headphones and keep the volume as low as possible when listening to music through speakers. I know you have read some of my articles but I suggest you read them again. This time print them along with those I am about to mention instead of reading on a computer monitor or mobile phone screen. You will absorb and retrain the information much better by taking your time, reading a hard copy and referring to them often. They are a form of counselling and will help to reinforce positive thinking.

Incorporating positivity into your life takes time and this is the reason I suggest you refer to the articles often. Try not to read too much information online about tinnitus and hyperacusis, as a lot of it is negative which is something you don't want. Please go to my started threads and read: New to Tinnitus, What to Do? Tinnitus, A Personal View, Hyperacusis, As I See It, Will My Tinnitus Get Worse?, Tinnitus and the Negative Mindset, Acquiring a Positive Mindset, The Habituation Process, From Darkness Into Light.

I just want to pick up on your comment about me not being a doctor which I am not. I have a lot of respect for doctors. Please note, doctors including those that practice in ENT don't know much about tinnitus or hyperacusis, as this is not their area of expertise. They are physicians and treat underlying medical problems within the auditory system or elsewhere in the body that cause tinnitus and there are many, but they do not treat tinnitus.

When tinnitus is noise-induced, as I suspect is in your case and many people in this forum, a referral to an Audiologist or Hearing Therapist, that practices tinnitus and hyperacusis management will be of most help. Many of these health professionals have tinnitus. They were either born with it or acquired it as some time in their life. They will have an in-depth knowledge and understanding of the way tinnitus can affect a person's mental and emotional wellbeing that very few doctors will have. Tinnitus cannot be learnt from a book, the only way to have a deep and informed knowledge and understanding of the condition is to live with it and preferably, have experience of it being mild, moderate and severe. Please read my articles on TRT on my started threads.

I wish you well.
Michael

 

This article talks about prevalence of hyperacusis in the general population:

Prevalence of Hyperacusis and Its Relation to Health: The BusseltonHealthy Ageing Study

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/lary.29768

On hearing loss the article states: "bilateral hearing loss was indicated if the best ear PTA was equal or superior to 35 dbs", which is a very restrictive definition of hearing loss, in my opinion.

Out of a sample of 5,107, 15% reported "hyperacusis" in a questionnaire. They answered a series of questions and the people managing these questionnaires concluded in meant they have hyperacusis. To me, this is just an overestimation of the prevalence of hyperacusis; what does everybody else think?

However, out of that 15%, only 9% reported an impact on their daily lives. This smaller group maybe are people who do have some hearing sensitivity or hyperacusis, in varying degrees of severity.

There are sets of data in that article.

 

It could be 'hidden hearing loss' (cochlear synaptopathy) together with hyperacusis. You have other sounds in your car, therefore, you *may* have trouble distinguishing sounds in noise, which is a symptom of synaptopathy. This would not be picked up by pure tone audiometry, you are likely to have normal thresholds there.

I have hyperacusis and similar distortions at high frequencies, too. Took me more than 6 visits to have it diagnosed as synaptopathy (a very experienced audiologist ran custom ABR tests). My audiograms are literally perfect all the way to 16 kHz.

Just something to think about and maybe ask your doctor! Good luck. I could be completely wrong and it may just be hyperacusis without hearing loss, that probably has better outcomes.

 

@Tau, is there a cure for your synaptopathy?

 

Unfortunately, there is no clinically approved cure.

There are a few trial drugs aimed at fixing it (OTO-413, PIPE-505 and maybe something else).

Injecting Neurotrophin-3 with a slow-release gel intratympanically could work as it restores synapses in a mouse model.

Stem cells theoretically could work as they secrete neurotrophins and growth factors that trigger synapse growth. I will hopefully undergo stem cell secretome treatment soon.

 

@Tau, did your hearing issues ever improve, even slightly, since it began? I have such a similar situation to you with my ears.

 

No, my hearing has stayed the same while my tinnitus sounds are constantly increasing. All electrical/humming sounds have a beep on top.

I will hopefully undergo stem cell secretome treatment soon. Just need to deal with all the paperwork.

Sorry to hear that you're dealing with a similar thing. This is the most difficult time in my entire life.

 

It sucks. We all need relief soon.

 

Did your hyperacusis suddenly improve after two years or was it a more gradual process?