Imagine being at a county fair standing next to one of those games where you hit a target and try and make a bell ding. Now imagine when that bell dings it causes you intense pain or fear and it makes you want to run and hide. When you look around you, though, you realize that no one else seems bothered by the sound.

While many individuals must “turn up” sounds around them to hear properly, many people also feel the need to reduce the sounds of the world around them, even when others don’t think those same sounds are too “loud.”

Abnormal sensitivity to sound is known as Decreased Sound Tolerance, an umbrella term that includes conditions resulting in physical and emotional triggers to sound such as pain, aggression, fear, annoyance, and more.

The primary conditions under this umbrella term are:
- Hyperacusis (over-sensitivity to sounds)
- Misophonia (react with anxiety symptoms when exposed to a triggering sound)
- Phonophobia (persistent, abnormal, and unwarranted fear of sound).

Though it isn’t exactly known how many individuals experience these conditions, it is known that the prevalence is increasing and, while Decreased Sound Tolerance has been recognized as a medical condition for some time, it has only begun to be seriously researched and addressed in recent history. It is often closely related to other mental and physical conditions including Autism Spectrum Disorder, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, anxiety, depression, phobias, and others. As such, there are many paths to treatment and management.

The first reaction to Decreased Sound Tolerance might be to wear earmuffs or earplugs. While such devices are sometimes recommended for individuals like children who experience sensory processing disorders, “protecting” one’s hearing from sounds that are perceived as being “too loud,” is often not the correct path to take.
In fact, it could worsen symptoms. Rather, an audiologist can guide individuals in the process of retraining this condition through education, counseling, and sound therapy. This process is often completed in conjunction with a physician and/or psychologist who can address other related conditions and relief does not happen overnight, but is a journey.

Tuned is ready to connect individuals living with Decreased Sound Tolerance with audiologists who are specialized in this arena. In the current era, no one needs to live with the debilitating effects of auditory disorders. Not when audiologists have been made more accessible than ever.

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