What kind of doctor treats hyperacusis?
If you think you or a loved one may have hyperacusis, you should seek an evaluation by an ENT (ear, nose, and throat) specialist, or otolaryngologist.
Does sound therapy work for hyperacusis?
Counseling and sound therapy are two common approaches to managing hyperacusis. They can help retrain the brain and reduce the physiological activity that leads to the condition, Dr. Melcher said.
Is there a cure for hyperacusis?
Though there is no instant cure for hyperacusis, therapy can enhance the quality of life of the individual by lowering their anxieties over sounds, helping them acclimatize to unpleasant sounds and making sounds seem less overbearing.
How do you calm a hyperacusis?
Treatment for hyperacusis
- sound therapy to get you used to everyday sounds again, and may involve wearing ear pieces that make white noise.
- cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) to change the way you think about your hyperacusis and reduce anxiety.
Which nerve damage causes hyperacusis?
Hyperacusis can also arise from damage to the nerve between the ear and brain (8th nerve, labeled 6, auditory nerve). Examples here might be hyperacusis after a sudden hearing loss (attributed to viral damage to the hearing nerve), or microvascular compression syndrome.
What triggers hyperacusis?
Hyperacusis is a type of reduced tolerance for sound. People with hyperacusis often find ordinary noises too loud, and loud noises uncomfortable or painful. The most common cause of hyperacusis is damage to the inner ear from ageing or exposure to loud noise.
Does hyperacusis ever go away?
Hyperacusis does not generally go away on its own. People who have found a resolve to their hyperacusis have followed a treatment plan to desensitise themselves to sound.
Does hyperacusis get worse?
Living with hyperacusis That may enable them to function but will usually only worsen the problem. “Your brain becomes used to not getting sound for several weeks or months,” says Hull. “So when you slip off the earplugs, everything is going to be much louder and you’ll be irritated to a greater degree.”
Does hyperacusis get worse with age?
Indeed, some of those plagued with this condition are unable to tolerate the kinds of ordinary, everyday sounds that the rest of us wouldn’t even notice. It’s common for noise to become more bothersome with age.
Is hyperacusis rare?
Hyperacusis is not the same as “recruitment,” a disorder that can be a normal consequence of hearing loss and is associated with abnormal perception of sound as the volume increases. The condition can affect children and adults, but is considered rare, occurring in an estimated one in 50,000 people.