What Are The Symptoms Of Hyperacusis?

Panic Attacks

Panic attacks aren't a necessary symptom for diagnosing hyperacusis, though they are a serious issue that can occur in hyperacusis patients. Exposure to triggering sounds can cause great increases in an individual's stress. When sounds are constantly bombarding individuals at varying volumes and causing potential pain, it's easy to become startled or overstimulated. Many individuals with hyperacusis have panic attacks. In one study, eighty-nine percent of the patients stated they avoid noisy situations because of the stress they cause. Eighty-two percent reported they use hearing protection in situations that don't generally warrant hearing protection, like social situations, riding on public transportation, and driving a car. Fifty-six percent of the respondents met the diagnostic criteria for a minimum of one mental illness, and of the thirty-five patients who met these criteria, twenty-nine of them had an anxiety disorder. Social phobia presented most commonly, followed by generalized anxiety, with the third being agoraphobia. Panic attacks are debilitating episodes of panic and anxiety that present with physical symptoms. Affected individuals may have chest pain, trouble breathing, excessive sweating, and dizziness. A panic attack subsides within ten minutes, but the symptoms are often serious enough to be mistaken for a heart attack.

Tinnitus

Tinnitus is the medical term for a ringing or constant pulsing in the ears. It typically presents as high-pitched ringing. Some individuals with tinnitus also experience hearing loss or difficulty hearing others over the ringing, while others have no measured hearing impairment. In a study of hyperacusis patients, seventy-nine percent said they also had overlapping tinnitus. While tinnitus doesn't always indicate hyperacusis, and hyperacusis doesn't always present with tinnitus, the overlap of these conditions is significant. Tinnitus is one of the most common hearing problems, with researchers estimating it affects between fifteen and twenty percent of the population. Rather than being a condition or disease of its own, tinnitus is typically the symptom of an underlying condition. Some of the most common ones are ear injuries, circulatory system disorders, and age-related hearing loss. An individual's hyperacusis may cause tinnitus, or the hyperacusis and tinnitus may share a common cause. Tinnitus usually resolves on its own, but if it doesn't go away within a few days or weeks, or it's accompanied by pain or hearing loss, individuals should talk to a doctor.