Sensitive to noise? Misophonia and hyperacusis explained

Author: Sam Jones
Published: April 16, 2021
Last reviewed by: Leightons Clinical Team
Last reviewed: February 18, 2026

Do you have an emotional reaction to everyday sounds, like someone eating with their mouth open, chewing loudly, or tapping a pen on a desk? This could mean you have acute sensitivity to sound – or, in medical terms, misophonia or hyperacusis.

What is misophonia?

The definition of misophonia is hatred of sound. People with the condition find their hearing is particularly sensitive to certain sounds, which can trigger responses ranging from moderate discomfort to panic or distress. Support group Misophonia UK has published an activation scale, which grades the severity of misophonia responses.

To understand what it’s like living with misophonia, we spoke to Louise, a lifelong sufferer of the condition.

“When I hear a trigger sound, I feel an unbearable feeling of rage inside, I get stressed out, my heart beats faster. I have a fight or flight response.”

“It’s a very visceral, powerful response. It can range from sheer hatred of the sound to outright panic. I can get highly emotional, or very angry, depending on the situation.”

“For me, it’s all about repetitive noises, like tapping sounds or irregular buzzes, beeps or pings. Snoring, eating noises, whistling, nose whistling or wheezing sounds, certain types of music, birdsong, even distant muffled TVs or radios – they all drive me crackers. They make me feel panicked.”

How to live with misophonia

Louise has some useful tips for other sufferers. “If I hear a trigger sound, I find that mimicking the sound out loud can help to distract my mind from the feelings of panic and anger. I’d also recommend people speak to other sufferers, through the Misophonia Support Group Facebook page, which has 17,000 members across the world, or Misophonia UK.”

What is hyperacusis?

Hyperacusis is a similar condition, whereby intolerance to particular frequencies of sound can cause severe pain or panic attacks. Hyperacusis is often caused by exposure to excessively loud noise earlier in life.

There are some common trigger sounds for people living with misophonia and hyperacusis. These include:

  • Sounds made with the mouth including chewing, nail-biting and talking while eating
  • Breathing sounds such as snoring, loud breathing and yawning
  • Animal noises like dogs barking, pets licking their fur and claws scratching
  • Sounds made by heavy equipment including lawn mowers and air conditioning units

What causes sensitive hearing?

There is not one known cause of misophonia and hyperacusis, but doctors think they could be related to the way sound enters your brain and triggers responses in your body.

The conditions can be linked to a number of other problems, including:

  • Tinnitus
  • Hearing loss
  • Damage to the ear or brain, for example, from ear surgery, regular exposure to loud noises or a head injury
  • Migraines
  • Bad reaction to medication

How to get help for misophonia and hyperacusis

Sensitivity to sound often has a real impact on everyday life. Although there are no specific medicines or surgical interventions that can treat misophonia and hyperacusis, it is possible to manage them – and treating underlying causes may also help.

Start by going for a hearing test, to determine whether you have hearing loss or another problem with your ears.

If the problem persists you may consider seeking counselling or cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT).

Book your free hearing test at Leightons

If noise sensitivity is having a negative effect on your daily life, you should think about booking a free hearing test at Leightons Opticians & Hearing Care. You can book an appointment online, or you can call us on 0800 40 20 20 to arrange a free hearing test at your nearest Leightons branch.

We also offer our Free Online Hearing Test

For immediate, discreet audiogram results from home. Use our quick 5 minute online hearing test to find out about your hearing health. For specific queries on hyperacusis and misophonia, we recommend making an appointment.


You may also like

Group of adults socializing and enjoying drinks together at an outdoor evening gathering with string lights and food on the table.
How do hearing amplifiers work?
Hearing amplification devices increase the volume and might make it easier for you to hear sounds louder. Yet they not a prescribed product and do not match your individual needs. Hearing loss is extremely common – millions of people in the UK live with a hearing loss, so you’re not alone. At Leightons Opticians & Hearing Care, our expert audiologists will help you identify the best device for you, in most cases this is a Hearing Aid. What is a hearing amplifier? Much like a tiny PA system, hearing amplification devices use microphones to capture and amplify all sounds around you, before delivering it to your ear at an adequate and audible volume level. What kind of devices are available? There are plenty of hearing amplifiers designed to help you while on the telephone, watching TV, and for in-person conversations. However, these devices amplify all sounds equally and aren’t designed to support hearing loss. For an all‑round solution that adapts to your personal hearing needs, a hearing aid is often the most effective option. Our expert audiologists can assess your hearing and guide you towards the most suitable hearing aid for your lifestyle and needs. What’s the difference between a hearing aid and a hearing amplifier? All hearing aids use amplification, however, hearing aids are regulated medical devices carefully programmed and tailored to fit the hearing loss of a particular individual. This makes them more suitable for moderate to severe hearing loss. Hearing amplifiers are not medical devices and are not designed to diagnose, treat or manage hearing loss. They don’t adapt to your individual needs, meaning they offer volume without improving clarity or understanding. What are induction loops? An induction loop is an older technology system designed to help hearing aid users to hear more clearly in some specific environments. You’ll often find them in places like meeting rooms, theatres, banks, and cinemas.  Here’s how it works:  A thin cable is installed around a room or designated listening area  The system creates a magnetic field that carries speech or important sound  When you switch your hearing aid or ALDs to the T (telecoil) setting, you can hear the sound closer to you and more clear with less background noise  Induction loops can make a huge difference to day‑to‑day listening comfort. Our audiologists can help you understand how loops - and other assistive listening devices - can work with Hearing Aids.  What is Auracast? Auracast is a new Bluetooth audio technology designed to make listening more inclusive. It allows one device to broadcast high-quality sound to multiple compatible hearing aids, earbuds, or headphones at the same time, without the need for pairing. Developed with the hearing aid industry for assistive listening, Auracast could mean easier access to shared audio in public spaces such as train stations and lecture theatres. For people with hearing loss, it’s a positive step towards clearer sound and greater confidence in everyday situations. Leightons free hearing test Leightons Opticians & Hearing Care offers a free hearing test in all branches. We provide a comprehensive hearing check carried out by our experts – professionally trained hearing aid audiologists registered with the HCPC (Health & Care Professions Council), with some even members of the British Society of Hearing Aid Audiologists. Book your free hearing test now You can book an appointment online or you can call us on 0800 40 20 20 to arrange a free hearing test at your nearest Leightons branch. Alternatively, you can take the test at home. This involves the same experienced, professional audiologist you would see in branch coming to your home to carry out your hearing test with specialist portable equipment.
Learn more
Right Arrow
Navigation Previous
Navigation Next