Can You Hear That? Living With Misophonia

As I am typing this article, I am triggering my own Misophonia. Click, click, click… as I type on the keyboard. 

If any of you are podcast gurus like myself and religiously listen to Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard, you have probably at least heard the word “Misophonia.” But, what exactly is Misophonia? A disease? Condition? Syndrome?

Misophonia, which means “the hatred of sound” was termed by Jastreboff and Jastreboff (a married couple who owned an audiology clinic) in 2001. Misophonia is a rare and little understood sound sensitivity disorder and can occur in children and adults of any age. It is characterized by extreme, negative reactions to selective sounds and is a selective sound sensitivity syndrome. Misophonia is not officially listed as a diagnosis in any medical manuals and many doctors have never heard of it. Therefore, if patients do mention their symptoms they are sometimes dismissed or diagnosed with a mood disorder, which definitely isn’t always the case. 

For most people, a person chewing with their mouth open (or chomping their food) can be irritating or gross (I can hear my husband eating/chewing–even with his mouth closed–from across the room). Someone clicking their pen repeatedly can be distracting. But for someone living with Misophonia, these everyday sounds can be stress/anxiety inducing. People with Misophonia can be hypersensitive by sounds that many other people wouldn’t even notice.

Many variations of Misophonia exist, as well as severitites of the condition. For myself, I am triggered more at  certain times than others. If I am experiencing more stress or anxiousness in life, I can tend to be more triggered by even the smallest noises, and typically more than usual. People with mild Misophonia can feel anxious or uncomfortable by their trigger sound/s. But, those with more extreme cases have sounds that induce rage, fear or emotional distress–I don’t consider mine that severe and I hope it never gets to that severity, yet it does exist in some people. 

Misophonia is most likely related to how sound affects your brain and triggers different responses. Likely, there is a genetic link to misophonia and it may run in families. My mother also has a bit of a sensitivity to noises and sounds, so I likely have inherited some of my sensitivities from her. Misophonia is experienced more by women than men and is present in people with higher IQs. Although trigger sounds are usually normal human sounds, more triggers can arise over time. 

Some examples of trigger sounds for people with misophonia are:

• Someone breathing (heavy enough that can be heard)
• Chewing (even with their mouth closed) — I often remind my daughters not to “chomp” their food or gum 🙂
• Repetitive clicking sounds (pen clicking, pencil tapping, keyboard typing)
• Yawning
• Lip smacking
• Gum Chewing
• Nasal noises, throat clearing
• Sniffing
• Speaking Sounds (s, p, k)

Other triggers can be repetitive motion such as someone fidgeting their leg or foot.

Some new studies are having patients, both with Misophonia and without, rate the unpleasantness of sounds. They are using common trigger sounds like chewing and breathing, as well as unpleasant sounds like babies crying and screaming.

Patients with misophonia rated trigger sounds like eating and breathing as disturbing while patients without misophonia didn’t. But, when it came to sounds like babies crying, both groups rated the sounds as highly unpleasant (which most likely isn’t too surprising to us who have children).

My oldest daughter, who is now seven, has always had a bit of sound sensitivity, particularly with loud noises. It has gotten better as she has grown, but I do sometimes wonder if she also has a bit of Misophonia. We have considered taking her to an audiologist, but we don’t have the concerns that we once did, as they have seemed to subside. 

Noticing these audiologic sensitivities in children is beneficial, especially in classroom settings where the children are learning. Teachers and parents can assist students by helping them to avoid exposure to the sounds that bother them. For example, if the sound of chewing bothers the student, the teacher should allow the student to eat their lunch in the classroom or another quiet place where they will not be exposed to chewing. Another way that both teachers and parents can help the student is to offer verbal support. Most people do not understand misophonia. For the student, having a teacher or parent who verbally understands and shows compassion towards them, is a comforting relief.

Do you have any triggers/symptoms of Misophonia or know someone that has signs of Misophonia?

If so, know that there are treatments available to improve functioning, such as auditory distraction and cognitive behavioral therapy. More information can be found by contacting the Misophonia Association. 

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