What Are The Hyperacusis Symptoms?

What if noise was your constant enemy?  Others might not even notice something as quiet as a pen gliding across paper, but it may seem deafening to you.  The proverbial “so quiet you could hear a pin drop” may not seem quiet to you at all.  If so, you may have a condition called hyperacusis.  So, what are the hyperacusis symptoms?

Some doctors delineate two types of hyperacusis symptoms.  One kind is for cochlear and one is for vestibular hyperacusis.  To distinguish between the two sets of symptoms, it is useful to have a working knowledge of the differences in the two conditions.  In the cochlear auditory system, sound is sensed in the cochlea and hair cells on the basilar membrane.  In vestibular, the sensory information which relates to physical positioning with respect to gravity falls on crystal-laden cells.  In the cochlear system, hearing is best at the level of human speech, but in the vestibular system the emphasis is on lower frequencies.  These two systems have mostly different hyperacusis symptoms.

In cochlear hyperacusis, symptoms include ear pain, discomfort, irritation, and annoyance from any kind of sound whether it be a soft sound or a high-pitched one.  The patient will often have a severe emotional reaction to sound like crying or a panic attack.

Vestibular hyperacusis symptoms include falling, loss of consciousness, vertigo, loss of balance or postural control, extreme fatigue, nausea, or mental confusion.  The focus here is not so much on hearing sensitivity as on the temporal functions of the ear. 

Other hyperacusis symptoms are headaches, inner ear pain, and a feeling of fullness or pressure in the ear.  A fluttering sensation may also be present.  Patients may have a very low tolerance of sound and that may severely limit their functioning in the everyday world.  They may have difficulty sleeping, not only because noises awaken them, but also because they have a very high stress level.

Phonophobia is one of the hyperacusis symptoms which cause people with the disorder to isolate themselves from the outside world.  It is, simply put, the fear of sound.  Usually the person feels that the apparent loudness of the sound they are hearing will actually damage their ears, so they avoid noisy situations at any cost. 

Hyperacusis symptoms are more difficult to spot in children.  They don’t often tell you exactly what is happening with them.  You have to observe them, make a diary of your findings, and try with the help of a professional to sort out whether the behaviors you are seeing signify hyperacusis symptoms.

You may be concerned about a child, or you may be wondering what is wrong with you yourself.  In any case, it is good to know about all the hyperacusis symptoms.