Hyperacusis: when everyday sounds feel too loud
With hyperacusis, ordinary sounds, such as cutlery, running water or a busy room, feel uncomfortably or even painfully loud. It often comes with tinnitus or hearing loss. The good news is that sensitivity can usually be reduced, gradually.
The volume dial turned up too high.
Normally, your hearing system filters and adjusts sound so that everyday noise feels comfortable. In hyperacusis, that adjustment is set too sensitively. Sounds that other people barely notice can feel sharp, harsh or painful, and loud environments become exhausting.
It is not the same as having very good hearing. Many people with hyperacusis also have some hearing loss or tinnitus. It is thought to involve the brain turning up its sensitivity to sound, sometimes after the ears have been damaged or under strain.
Discomfort is about loudness, across many sounds.
Specific sounds, such as chewing or breathing, cause anger or distress, whatever their volume.
Signs of hyperacusis.
A hearing test and a conversation about your symptoms is the first step. We can advise on managing sound sensitivity, and your GP can refer you to an NHS tinnitus and hyperacusis service.
What can cause it.
Sometimes there is no clear cause.
A single very loud event, or years of noise, can trigger it, often with tinnitus.
Read about noise-induced hearing lossMany people with hyperacusis have some hearing loss, often in the high pitches.
The two often go together, and can make each other more noticeable.
Read about tinnitusIncluding concussion and whiplash.
Bell's palsy can affect a tiny muscle in the middle ear that normally dampens loud sounds.
These can heighten sensitivity to sound, and sensitivity can heighten anxiety in turn.
Why earplugs can backfire.
It is natural to protect your ears from sounds that hurt. But wearing earplugs all the time, in ordinary situations, can make hyperacusis worse. The brain adapts to the quiet by turning its sensitivity up even further, so sounds feel even louder when the plugs come out.
Keep hearing protection for genuinely loud situations, such as concerts, power tools or motorsport, and try to live with everyday sound as much as you comfortably can.
What helps.
- Gentle background sound: a fan, soft music or a sound app at home helps your hearing system recalibrate.
- Gradual exposure: slowly spending a little more time in moderately noisy places, at your own pace.
- Sound therapy through hearing aids: many hearing aids include sound generators, and treating any hearing loss can make loud sounds feel more manageable.
- Talking therapy: cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) helps reduce the anxiety that often comes with sound sensitivity.
- Specialist support: NHS audiology departments run tinnitus and hyperacusis services, usually through a GP referral.
Understanding your hearing, and making sound manageable.
We check for hearing loss, which often goes hand in hand with hyperacusis.
Practical, step-by-step advice on reducing sensitivity without over-protecting your ears.
If you have hearing loss, hearing aids with gentle sound generators can help retrain your tolerance.
If you would benefit from a specialist tinnitus and hyperacusis service, we write to your GP.
See a GP soon if
- Sound sensitivity started suddenly, after a head injury
- It came with weakness on one side of your face
- It came with sudden hearing loss, dizziness or severe headache
- It is badly affecting your mood or sleep
Sudden hearing loss needs medical care the same day. If you are struggling with low mood, your GP, NHS 111 or Samaritans on 116 123 can help.
Frequently asked questions.
Many people improve a great deal with sound therapy, gradual exposure and support. It can take months, but sensitivity often reduces significantly.
No. Constant use can make hyperacusis worse. Save hearing protection for genuinely loud situations.
No. Hyperacusis is about loudness. Misophonia is a strong emotional reaction to specific sounds, such as chewing, whatever their volume. Some people have both.
For people with hearing loss, yes, often. Hearing aids can be set to keep loud sounds comfortable, and many include gentle sound generators.
Very often. Many people with hyperacusis have tinnitus too, and managing one usually helps the other.
Start with a hearing test.
Free in our Birmingham clinic, or £50 at home, with tinnitus and sound sensitivity advice included.
TinnitusPulsatile tinnitusNoise-induced hearing lossHearing protectionHearing tests
Written and clinically reviewed by our HCPC registered audiologists. Last reviewed: 15 October 2026. This page is general information, not a diagnosis. If you are worried about your hearing or your ears, book an appointment or speak to your GP.