You may have hyperacusis if some everyday sounds seem much louder than they should. It can sometimes be painful.

You may be affected by sounds like:

• jingling coins
• a barking dog
• a car engine
• someone chewing
• a vacuum cleaner

Hyperacusis can affect 1 or both ears. It can come on suddenly or develop over time.

Other types of hearing sensitivity include:

• some sounds triggering an upsetting emotional response like anger or disgust (misophonia)
• some sounds making you anxious (phonophobia)
• your ears having trouble adjusting between quiet and loud sounds (recruitment)

See a GP if:

If hyperacusis is caused by another condition, such as migraines or Lyme disease, treating the condition may help with your hyperacusis.

You can also be offered treatment to help make you less sensitive to everyday sounds.

This could be:

• sound therapy to get you used to everyday sounds again, which may involve wearing ear pieces or using a portable speaker that makes white noise
• cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) to change the way you think about your hyperacusis and reduce anxiety

If you find any sounds made during sound therapy uncomfortably loud or they cause you pain, then you should stop and contact your doctor for advice.

The cause of hyperacusis is unclear.

It can appear on its own or after hearing a sudden loud noise, such as fireworks.

It can also appear alongside other conditions, like:

• tinnitus
• a head injury
• Ménière's disease
• Bell's palsy
• Lyme disease
• migraines
• Williams syndrome
• autism

Children are often more sensitive to loud noises than adults. It often gets better as they get older.

But some children may become more sensitive to noise than others after having glue ear (where the ear fills up with fluid), for example, or if they have another condition, such as autism.

Find out more

• British Tinnitus Association: hyperacusis
• RNID