How to Sleep With Hyperacusis: Challenges and Solutions

What Is Hyperacusis?

Hyperacusis is an increased sensitivity to everyday sounds, which may be perceived as very loud or even painful. It is not caused by a hearing issue or hearing loss, but rather by the way the brain processes sounds.

Hyperacusis can make everyday life challenging. Routine activities like washing the dishes or walking the dog can result in pain and discomfort. This often leads people with hyperacusis to withdraw from social situations and live a more isolated life.

Hyperacusis can also make it difficult to fall asleep, cause frequent awakenings and consequently reduce sleep quality and quantity.

Although the two conditions are similar, hyperacusis should not be confused with misophonia, which is a heightened emotional reaction to certain sounds rather than a physical one. The two conditions can overlap, and you can suffer from both at the same time.

Hyperacusis is also frequently accompanied by tinnitus (or vice versa), a ringing or buzzing in the ears that only you can hear.

What Are the Symptoms of Hyperacusis?

Some of the most common symptoms of hyperacusis include:

• Everyday sounds are perceived as excessively or painfully loud.

• Your own voice sometimes causes discomfort or even pain.

• Ear pain, pressure or a burning sensation in the ears

• Frequent headaches

• Dizziness and loss of balance

• Difficulty focusing, especially in noisy environments like coffee shops

• Severe, panicky reactions to sudden, unexpected noises

• Anxiety and irritability

• Poor sleep and constant fatigue

• Discomfort or fear in social situations

What Causes Hyperacusis?

Hyperacusis can be caused by:

• Prolonged or sudden exposure to loud noises

• Trauma to the ear, head or jaw

• Infections that have caused damage to the inner ear

• Complications from jaw or face surgery that have damaged the inner ear or facial nerve

• Autoimmune disorders like lupus

• Temporomandibular joint disorders

• Being on the autism spectrum may also cause sensory sensitivities.

How to Sleep Better With Hyperacusis

Hyperacusis can make it difficult to fall asleep. Not only can nighttime sounds prevent you from falling asleep and wake you up, but you can also feel more stressed and anxious at night, constantly expecting the next loud sound.

Here is what you can do to improve sleep:

Find a Relaxation Routine

Learning how to manage your mental health and the emotional toll hyperacusis takes is an excellent first step to getting some good sleep.

Heightened mental stress will increase your cortisol levels, which will make producing the serotonin and melatonin you need for sleep more difficult. By learning how to relax in the evening, you can help your body prepare for sleep.

Stop looking at screens at least an hour before bed. Listen to relaxing music or read a book instead. Some light stretching and mindfulness meditation can also be helpful.

The important thing is to find a routine that fits your schedule and lifestyle. Engage in activities that soothe both your mind and body, whether they are coloring, building LEGO sets or doing sudoku.

Design Your Own Soundscapes

If you are able to control your sound environment in the evenings, you can reduce hyperacusis pain and discomfort, and potentially fall asleep faster.

Consider whether you need to soundproof your bedroom. If noises from the street or your neighbors are triggering your hyperacusis, do what you can to eliminate them. Noise-blocking curtains can be a good first step.

Then, try to find a background noise that does not cause pain or discomfort. It could be white noise or pink noise, or nature sounds or other soft sounds. Manta White Noise Machine has a wide range of sounds for you to choose from and listen to in the evenings, or even all night if it helps.

You can also use a white noise machine to play masking sounds during the day, or as part of a sound therapy regimen.

Avoid Noisy Environments

Try not to expose yourself to noisy environments before bedtime. This might mean you need to adjust your lifestyle so that you can meet your friends during the day instead of in the evenings. This will give you enough time to wind down and relax once you get home.

If you do need to be out and about before bedtime, consider wearing earplugs. Manta Earplugs are super comfortable and will block out disruptive sounds. However, do note that wearing earplugs can make you more sensitive to noise once you remove them, so wear them with care.

Don’t hesitate to reach for them when you know you will be exposed to harsh, loud sounds that usually affect your hyperacusis, like in traffic, at shopping malls or in restaurants. Try wearing them in different situations and find a routine that works for you.

Expose Yourself to Sounds Gradually

Do your best to slowly immerse yourself in the world of sound, both when you get up in the middle of the night and during the day. This can help you remain less stressed and anxious, making it easier to fall asleep at night.

If you need to get out of bed at night, try to expose yourself to soothing sounds first. If you leave your soundproof bedroom too suddenly, the return of sound can be painful and uncomfortable.

Try Sound Therapy or Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Tinnitus retraining therapy (TRT) can help you manage your hyperacusis, especially if you also suffer from tinnitus. It is a combination of talk and sound therapy, in which you are exposed to low levels of sound that aim to teach your brain to accept them as normal. At the same time, you will also be speaking to a therapist about managing the thoughts and emotions your hyperacusis is causing.

You can also do a form of sound therapy at home by playing white noise at a very low level while doing something relaxing, like reading. Increase the volume by a single notch every day (or every couple of days, if that feels more comfortable), and your brain will slowly start to adjust.

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) will help you identify the negative thoughts caused by your hyperacusis and teach you to replace them with more positive ones. This can significantly reduce the amount of stress the condition causes.

Choose a Healthier Lifestyle

Adopting a healthier lifestyle can also help you improve sleep. You can:

• Reduce your caffeine intake, as the stimulant can make it harder to relax, especially when consumed too close to bedtime.

• Avoid watching TV, playing video games or engaging in other stimulating activities in the evenings.

• Move your body every day, even if it’s just going for a walk.

• Eat a balanced diet, full of vegetables, fruits and lean meats.

• Do regular relaxation exercises, like yoga, meditation or journaling.

Living with hyperacusis requires you to find your personal symptom management system. What works for one person will not work for another, so some trial and error is required.

Try speaking to others who have the same condition. Reddit has a great hyperacusis community that can share insightful tips and experiences. Talk to your family and friends or a licensed therapist about the way hyperacusis is making you feel. Working through some of the negative emotions will help you manage your symptoms.

Conclusion

While hyperacusis can certainly make everyday life seem like a struggle, there are ways to manage it and retrain your brain to be less sensitive to uncomfortably loud sounds. Most importantly, you can learn to manage the stress and anxiety that often come with it and improve your quality of life.

Do you or a loved one suffer from hyperacusis? How are you managing it? Tell us in the comments!