#hyperacusis

[my-autism-adhd-blog]

Auditory processing disorder and Hyperacusis is a pain

Autie-biographical Comics

[maresirenum]

Neurotypical: “It’s not loud in here, you don’t need to leave. It’s fine”

Me:

check carrd before you reblog/follow

[askanautistic]

Note: Sound sensitivity isn't exclusive to autism, but is incredibly common in autistic people. It's also one of the difficulties that people often cannot understand and grossly underestimate if they do not experience it themselves. I'll repost this soon with visual descriptions (I'm currently sick with COVID-19). If you find anything I post helpful, please consider buying me a Ko-Fi.

[beastofwant]

misophonia, hyperacusis, and similar conditions are not the fault of the individual, nor are they "just a personal problem", they are disabilities that need accommodations and I'm tired of suffering because people without these conditions don't understand what it's like and never care to, either.

[ayiemojis]

cant ask from my emoji blog :']

anyway , i was wondering if you could make a "hyperacusis pain" wordmoji ? no worries if not ^^

Hope this is alright!!

Hyperacusis pain

[cringecorp]

ok serious request for advice, please!!! i have struggled with noise sensitivity for most of my life but the last year or so it seems to be getting even worse. ANY suggestions for practical or coping strategies to help me deal with this would be IMMENSELY appreciated.

more info: i live in a relatively quiet house and area but am still struggling every single day to cope with noise. the sounds of my family slamming doors and cabinets, moving around plates and utensils in the kitchen, and even the click of the mechanisms any time a door is opened in my house are SO incredibly loud to me that it is startling and physically painful every time. i am usually in my room with the door closed and fan on at all times and everything is STILL so loud. i have to sleep with earplugs in even though it hurts my ears because every sound wakes me up, and even with them in i can’t sleep if someone is using the washing machine or other devices in the house. i bought expensive noise-cancelling earphones which do help, but even with them on the noises are loud. more people are home right now for thanksgiving and i don’t know how i’m going to deal with it without melting down completely.

please please please, leave any suggestions or resources you can think of. options for soundproofing, comfortable ear plugs, best coping techniques, how to try to talk to my family about this kind of thing, anything at all.

[chelledoggo]

not sure if i have hyperacusis or if shit's just always been loud and i'm only just now noticing it

[adhbabey]

anyone else feel pain with loud noises? Like two ceramic dishes clashing together, or a pop of a balloon, or something else? Like, am I the only one?

My partner mentioned stuff the other day about misophonia, and I came across hyperacusis by researching about it. But I don't think what I experience is severe, I just do feel pain when I hear loud/sharp noises.

Is this normal ? Can someone tell me about it? thanks.

[journeys-of-miso]

Your Perception of Sound is Valid

I think I've mentioned this already, but one of the problems of misophonia and hyperacusis is that they can be very isolating. Why? Because it's negatively warping your perception of sound in such a way that nobody else is hearing. And especially if the person has not yet realized that they have a hearing disorder, when they react negatively to the sound that nobody else even notices, it can drive them crazy! Because in their mind, they're being overwhelmed by sounds that other people have no problem with, not knowing that the perception is very different.

Here's the thing. Pain will already make you more sensitive to all of the different factors in your environment. But hyperacusis and misophonia both mean that your brain cannot filter out background sounds - it's focusing on them the same way to focuses on the sounds you're supposed to be hearing. So when your brain is getting all that feedback and information at once, it gets overwhelmed very easily in situations in which a person with normal hearing would have no problem.

Something interesting I've noticed about this factor is that people with hyperacusis and misophonia tend to have excellent hearing. Ironically enough, however, it will end up seeming like they have very bad hearing. I'm going to explain it the best way I can:

Imagine you're walking on the street with somebody that has hyperacusis. Assuming you have normal hearing, you're still hearing all of the sounds that are going on in the street, but they're not your focus. Your brain can successfully push these sounds to the back burner, so that you're aware of them, but not trying to actively process them.

A person that has hyperacusis either cannot do this at all or cannot do it at a high enough level. This means that all of the sounds in an environment - cars honking, doors opening, footsteps - they're all being heard on the same level as the conversation you're having with that person! They can't push sounds to the back burner. Either their back burner is too small, or all of their burners are in a row in front of them, and they have to look at all of them at once. They have no back burner.

Now, this is not to be confused with misophonia. In the case of a person that only has misophonia, they might be able to push sounds to the back burner - except for their trigger sounds. These sounds are on the back burner until they are noticed. They are then involuntarily pulled to the front burner so quickly that they spill on the person with misophonia, leaving them with scalding burns and a friend that wants to know "why you're being so dramatic, they're just eating."

So, to everyone with misophonia and hyperacusis: if anyone tells you you're being dramatic, or something's not that loud, or whatever, ignore them. Your hearing is different, so your perception is different. Perception is reality. They aren't experiencing what you're experiencing.

-Keep on feeling the love,

🧸𝑀𝒾𝓈𝑜🧸

[lesbiancorvoattano]

since it’s still technically disability pride month, i’m going to talk my minor hearing loss, tinnitus, and hyperacusis. 

i started using earbuds and headphones on a daily basis when i was around 11.  i had periods of occasional hearing loss or tinnitus that went away and i stopped thinking about it. when i was 13 i started getting bothered by regular noises. i assumed i had just developed sensory issues. when i was around 15 i developed permanent tinnitus that hasn’t gone away in the past 4 years. when i was 16 i started getting headaches listening to noise. i tried watching movies without headphones and the pain was unbearable. i’m 19 now. i watch movies and tv with the sound off and captions on. it takes me an hour to fall asleep in part because of the constant ringing in my ears. i bring earplugs with me every time i leave the house. listening to music can give me headaches that go on for several days. 

there’s a lot of shame and regret around developing a disability that you caused. there’s no cure or treatment for my condition. it’s incredibly isolating, especially as a young person. i can’t go to concerts and loud venues bother me. i have to drive in a silent car because the music hurts. 

it’s really upsetting seeing posts online that trivialize noise induced hearing loss. once you notice you are experiencing permanent damage, it’s too late. please protect your hearing. you don’t know what you have until it’s gone. if you already have some symptoms of hearing loss, don’t continue in your old habits because “the damage is already done”. it can always get worse

also when someone tells you they have hearing loss, don’t ask them “but how can you hear me?” many people can experience noise induced hearing loss without it having significant impacts on their conversational abilities. also normalize putting captions on any videos you post online 

[aroace-moron]

I am not in the group

A poem about internalized ableism

There is a group for disabled students at my school, and I am not in it.

I am not in it, because I don't need support.

I don't need anyone helping me take notes.

I don't need anyone making room for any mobility aids I also do not need in the hall so I can get to class.

I don't need anyone to stop me from running into open traffic.

I am in the room where the group for disabled students is, but I am not in the group for disabled students.

I just need a minute.

I just need a minute so I can calm down.

I just need a minute so my ears stop ringing, so people brushing past me in the hall doesn't feel like acid burning through my clothes, burning through my skin, burning through me.

I am not in the group for disabled students, because I am not like them.

I just need a minute.

There is a woman at my side, who works in the group for disabled students.

She is smiling and telling me to take my time.

She is smiling and I want to rip it from her face but I don't because she just wants to help.

She is smiling and I try to smile back, even though it is bad, even though it is shaky, because I like her for sitting next to me.

There is a woman who works in the group for disabled students next to me right now, but she won't be once I have pulled myself back together.

She won't be once I am back in class.

She won't be when I ignore the staring because I don't need her.

She is in the room and I am in the room so she is at my side.

Being in the room of the group for disabled students is better than hiding in the toilet when this happens.

It is better than having nowhere to go.

I am in the room, but I am not in the group.

Because I am not one of them.

[saunne]

Pros : The ADHDon't medecine is working. I can hear myself thinking and generally are much aware how scattered my brain is. My impulse control is still crap but at least I'm a lot more aware of it. Like I stop in the middle of doings Things™ sometimes and goes "why the fuck did I started doing that while I was doing that other thing instead". The "dry mouth" side effect is actually useful cause I drink three times more and are for once correctly hydrated.

Cons : It worsened my hearing sensitivity. Worsened as in doubled. In a week and half span. It's terrifying. The lowest sound level on my phone became "too much" after more than ten minutes. Even with the headphones in my ears but no sound, I am still far too aware of all the sounds around. I can't watch TV with my mom anymore because the constant sound changes drive me crazy. I almost had a panic attack at work again. Because of a phone ringing in a "bad tone". Children's cries turned into a weapon of mass destruction for my hearing and I have to work around children so if it keeps going it will become difficult really fast. The sounds I hear now have a direct influence on my mood: I listened to the same song almost constantly on repeat yesterday from 9:30 a.m. until 2:30 a.m. the next day because it put me in a "zone". I had "zone" sounds before but not to that extent.

[falling-star-cygnus]

the constant battle between head-canoning Alhaitham with hyperacusis vs head-canoning him being deaf is a long one

both make for such amazing angst and rep potential that i can't actually decide which one i like more

[kunstmull]

I think part of the problem of my hyperacusis is that I never, ever seem to have time where i can be truly alone in silence to rest, relax and recharge

Can't walk around the neighbourhood without cars roaring and car stereos blaring. Can't go to the park without people broadcasting their shitty tinny iPhone music to everyone in earshot

I can't even be alone, in my own house, without having to be bombarded with the constant sounds of loud cars passing outside, Stompy McSqueakybed upstairs or Neighbour A and his annoying mates getting drunk on the street outside

I'm always on hyperalert and never have a change to reset

Other people's noise has infiltrated my every waking and sleeping noise and I'm so. damn. tired.

[treemaidengeek]

HEY EARPLUG USERS!

I just went through TSA wearing my Loop earplug.

This is probably old news to some of y'all, but just in case: I use mine for migraine sound sensitivity. I initially asked if I could keep it, saw the agent hesitate, & started to remove it. After a short exchange though, I established that yes it's a medical device for me (but not a hearing aid) & he smiled & said, "well put it back in!"

The (different) agents on the other side of the scanner didn't even check my ear. So you should be golden if you need 'em for sensory mitigation for whatever reason.