Yuletide Transforms Into a Nightmare for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.

Lottie is looking forward to being with her loved ones over the holidays, but says a primary method she'll manage to get through it is by wearing her hearing protection - particularly at the holiday meal.

In her case, Christmas can be a notably tough season as the sounds of people eating, sipping loudly and breathing heavily cause her extremely uncomfortable.

"There's this sensation of immediate anxiety, my entire being will just tighten and it as though I'm in peril, and I need to stop these noises."

Lottie has suffered from sound sensitivity since she was 16 and for her that causes the Christmas time "deeply taxing".

Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to particular auditory triggers, especially noises produced by those around you.

It is prevalent across the population. Researchers discovered nearly 20% people experience it.

Often it's noises connected to mouth, throat or facial movements that trigger a reaction, including things like crunching, heavy breathing, and foot tapping.

A Source of Dread

Lottie says: "There are so many different triggering sounds at Christmas and that can be daunting and make you dread it.

"My relatives are understanding, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a internal conflict of enduring my distress to make sure everyone else is happy."

So it's obvious why the supposedly joyous period can rapidly become a living nightmare for those with the condition.

Triggers that may seem harmless, like someone drinking champagne, unwrapping gifts, or eating the holiday meal can cause a powerful reaction that can even lead to them avoiding social settings altogether.

Jenna, a 21-year-old student, who has experienced misophonia since aged 10, states currently her plan is to put her earphones in to manage the meal. Usually, she would usually isolate herself in a separate space to minimize distressing triggers.

She says her misophonia is more intense around people she's most comfortable with, so Christmas is always "difficult".

"There's an expectation to be around loved ones, and I desire to, but it's draining.

"The sensation is this uncontrollable anger takes hold, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel panicked and begin to weep and then the stress response will take over.

"To others it appears as if I'm being oversensitive and overreacting, but it's hard to explain if you haven't felt it."

Several Strategies to Manage

For those affected then there are a few methods you can try to cope the situation, based on advice from specialists.

1. Picture Something Else: Mental imagery is crucial. Attempt to link the specific noise bothering you with an unrelated image. For instance, try to picture someone's slurping is just a gentle stream. This technique is to help your brain learn that the sound triggering you poses no threat.
2. Use Humor: Use lightheartedness and turn the annoying sound into a challenge with the person. For instance, if someone is eating noisily attempt mimicking the sound. By mimicking, instead of feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an active participant. And the challenge should help shift your attention and make you somewhat less sensitive.
3. Craft a Story: Another technique is to try to invent a reason about the reason someone making the noise is behaving that way. So if someone was sniffing, maybe they are not at their best or are troubled. By doing this is altering the perception of the sound. While the sound stays the same, your reaction of it changes from being aggravating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate towards it.