If you are overly sensitive to certain sounds, then you may have misophonia.

Do you feel fear, panic, terror, anger, or like you are being caged when you hear the sound? Do you want to yell at the source to stop or be quiet? Does the noise cause you to think or act aggressively (fight response)? Do you feel the need to get away from the source of the sound (flight response)?

People who suffer from misophonia react to these sounds with a fight or flight response. There is an overwhelming need for them to eliminate the cause of the sound or to remove themselves from the source. They can even resort to violence in these instances. If you are simply annoyed by a sound, but it is relatively easy for you to ignore it, you probably don’t have misophonia.

See your doctor right away if you think that you might be hearing sounds that are not really there.

Caution: Some experts believe that simply reading about other trigger sounds can cause them to become trigger sounds for people with misophonia. So, if you think you might have this disorder and that learning about trigger sounds could cause future problems for you, then don’t read the following list of trigger sounds. Studies have shown that about 80% of trigger sounds usually involve the mouth in some way. Some common mouth-related trigger sounds include sniffing, loud breathing, coughing, chewing, sighing, lip smacking, slurping, and raspy voices. Some other trigger sounds include footsteps, typing on the keyboard, pen clicking, pencil sharpeners, dogs barking or babies crying.

Hyperacusis is characterized by an abnormal sensitivity to certain volume ranges and frequencies of sound. These sounds can seem painfully loud to a person suffering from this condition. The main difference between hyperacusis and misophonia is that hyperacusis focuses on most sounds in a similar range, while misophonia sufferers can be disturbed by a variety of seemingly unrelated sound types. [7] X Trustworthy Source PubMed Central Journal archive from the U. S. National Institutes of Health Go to source Phonophobia is a fear of a specific sound, usually loud noises. [8] X Research source For example, if someone feels fear every time they hear the sound of a train, they suffer from phonophobia. This is different from misophonia in that misophonic trigger sounds are not necessarily all linked to a certain object or action. It is not just one sound that can be pinpointed that causes them distress.

The people who are the closest to sufferers of misophonia are usually the ones who can most easily create these trigger sounds. For some reason, people with misophonia often develop intense reactions to the voices, habits, and sounds made by the people they interact with the most.

Your doctor will most likely refer you to a psychiatrist, psychologist, or an audiologist.

Cognitive behavioral therapy aims to retrain the brain’s learned negative responses so that the patient can train themselves to respond to stimuli in a more effective, neutral way. [13] X Trustworthy Source American Psychological Association Leading scientific and professional organization of licensed psychologists Go to source Tinnitus retraining therapy focuses on sound therapy in combination with educational counseling during which the specialist attempts to help the patient reclassify certain auditory sounds as neutral rather than distressing or negative. [14] X Trustworthy Source University of California San Francisco Health Center Research hospital associated with UCSF, a leading medical university, providing innovative patient care and public health resources Go to source Note: TRT and CBT for misophonia will most likely not be covered by medical insurance and are very expensive. For example, in 2018, one 1 hr session of CBT cost $200 CDN, and a complete 4 month course of TRT cost $4,000 CDN.

Some good stress management strategies include yoga, meditation, therapy/counseling, and physical exercise.

Don’t give advice where it isn’t needed.