Hyperacusis: when sounds are painful

Every Fourth of July I conclude that I’m overly sensitive to loud noises. The parade in our small town always starts with fire engines, which I dread because of their sirens. The sound is painful to me and I cover my ears. (It bothers my half-deaf ear most.) I look around and nobody else is covering their ears. I recently learned of a condition called hyperacusis, but my problem is probably not that, unless it’s an extremely mild case. If I did have hyperacusis, the sound of running water might cause ear pain, as is the case of one sufferer.

Hyperacusis is a hearing disorder in which sounds are amplified in a painful way. Even the mildest environmental sounds can cause pain. I read about the case of a young man who was working in a noisy restaurant when his problem started. It got so bad he had to quit his job and move home with his parents. He describes the pain as “raw inflammation” and says that it includes pressure on his ears and temples and tension in the back of his head. He wears the kind of earmuffs people wear in shooting ranges. His family doorbell has been disconnected.

Information on Wikipedia lists notable people who have the condition. The majority are musicians. The most common cause is overexposure to loud noises. People can also get it as a result of diseases such as Lyme disease or from head injuries or from drugs. It is often accompanied by tinnitus—ringing or buzzing in the ear. Experts don’t know exactly why hyperacusis occurs. Theories include a malfunction of the ear’s protective hearing mechanisms, damage to a portion of the auditory nerve, a problem with the central processing system, or a malfunction of the facial nerve. It’s a rare disease but is increasing in occurrence.

I know that I wouldn’t be able to attend Jazzercise class without earplugs. I don’t see how people stand the loud music. I guess they’ve gotten used to it.

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