Anxiety and Sound Sensitivity (Misophonia)

If certain sounds enrage you, sounds that most people aren't bothered by or don't even seem to notice, you may have something called Misophonia. Misophonia literally means "hatred of sound" and people with misophonia experience intense anger responses to sounds like chewing, breathing, tapping, and other repetitive noises. This is a newer term, and we don't yet know if it is its own condition or if it's a symptom of something else. It does seem to have a very high overlap with anxiety. We believe that the symptoms are caused by hyper activation of the fight or flight response in the autonomic nervous system. Treatment options are limited at this time to avoiding triggers (unrealistic in my opinion), treating the underlying condition, and general brain health interventions like sleep hygiene and exercise. I've also had some success with exposure and response prevention. Lastly, I discuss the important of understanding this condition and having conversations about it with people you care about to preserve the health of your relationships.

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