Noise Sensitivity Anxiety: What Causes It & How to Cope

What Is Noise Sensitivity Anxiety?

Noise sensitivity anxiety is a condition where everyday sounds and noise levels that most people can tolerate become significant triggers for anxiety. Unlike the typical irritations people might feel with certain noises, this condition causes intense distress and heightened reactions. Individuals with noise sensitivity anxiety might avoid specific situations or people altogether to escape these triggers, significantly impacting their daily life and social interactions.

What Causes Noise Sensitivity Anxiety?

There are many possible causes of noise sensitivity anxiety. It is often the result of an anxiety disorder, such as noise phobias, OCD, or PTSD. Neurodivergent folks commonly have a heightened sensitivity to certain sounds, and noise sensitivity anxiety can also stem from medical conditions, such as migraines, ear infections, or traumatic brain injuries.

Common causes of noise sensitivity anxiety include:

Misophonia

Misophonia is a disorder in which a person experiences extreme discomfort upon hearing specific everyday noises. These sounds can be relatively common, like chewing, slurping, or clicking pens. Upon hearing these noises, the individual will experience annoyance, irritation, anger, or even rage.

Phonophobia

Phonophobia is a type of specific phobia in which a person has a persistent, unwarranted, and illogical fear of loud noises or sounds. Compared to the normal reaction of shock or displeasure at loud noises such as explosions or car alarms, someone with phonophobia actively fears the sound and its potential consequences.

Anxiety Disorders

Certain anxiety disorders can heighten sensitivity to noise, leading to an increase in anxiety in noisy environments.

Here are some anxiety disorders that can cause noise sensitivity anxiety:

• Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD): Generalized anxiety disorder or GAD can cause noise sensitivity anxiety because individuals with GAD often have heightened levels of overall anxiety and stress. Their nervous system is already on high alert, making it easier for ordinary noises to trigger an exaggerated stress response. Additionally, people with GAD may perceive normal sounds as threats, leading to increased worry and anxiety.
• Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD): OCD can cause noise sensitivity anxiety through intrusive thoughts and compulsions related to sound. People with OCD may develop obsessions about certain noises, leading to avoidance or ritualistic behavior to cope with this anxiety.
• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD):  PTSD can cause noise sensitivity anxiety due to symptoms like hyperarousal and a heightened startle response. Individuals with PTSD often react strongly to loud or sudden noises, which can trigger flashbacks or intense emotional reactions related to their traumatic experiences. This heightened sensitivity may result in avoiding noisy environments or experiencing increased anxiety in everyday situations where such noises are present.

Tourette Syndrome

Tourette syndrome can contribute to noise sensitivity anxiety due to the heightened sensory processing often associated with the condition. Individuals with Tourette’s may have intense reactions to certain sounds, which can exacerbate tics or compulsive behaviors. This heightened sensitivity can lead to anxiety or avoidance of noisy environments, as individuals may struggle to manage their symptoms or fear drawing unwanted attention to themselves.

Neurodivergence

Neurodivergence, such as autism, sensory processing disorder,  and ADHD, often experience increased sensitivity to sensory input, including noise. This sensitivity then leads to overwhelm, anxiety, and even difficulty functioning in loud environments. ADHD and overstimulation are very common, and for people with ADHD, noise can be especially distracting and can impair focus and productivity.

Medical Conditions

There are various medical conditions that cause or exacerbate noise sensitivity anxiety. Migraines, traumatic brain injuries, and other neurological disorders can change auditory processing or sensory input, making these individuals more susceptible to noise anxiety. Tinnitus, Meniere’s disease, and hyperacusis are other conditions that can contribute to noise sensitivity, leading to anxiety in loud or unpredictable noise environments.¹

Hyperacusis

Hyperacusis is an abnormally strong reaction to sound, occurring within the auditory pathways at levels that would not trouble a normal individual.² This form of noise sensitivity is similar to, and often confused with misophonia and phonophobia. However, hyperacusis is a hearing disorder that causes noises to sound louder than they are.²

Symptoms of Noise Sensitivity Anxiety

Some individuals with noise sensitivity anxiety experience typical anxiety symptoms, such as fear, restlessness, and an urge to escape the noise source. However, reactions to noise sensitivity often present more like anxiety-induced anger rather than fear. Individuals with more severe symptoms may go to great lengths to avoid their triggers.

Here are some common symptoms of noise sensitivity anxiety:²

• Feeling the urge to cry
• Anxious distress
• Feeling overwhelmed
• Difficulty concentrating
• Irritation
• Earaches
• Dizziness
• Being startled
• Nausea
• Tension headaches
• Feeling jittery
• Having the urge to leave the room or area
• Clenching fists
• Body tension
• Behavioral disturbances, especially in children³

Common Triggers for Noise Sensitivity Anxiety

Noise sensitivity anxiety can be triggered by a wide range of sounds, from expected loud and sudden sounds, to seemingly inoffensive noises. The most common triggers for noise sensitivity anxiety include traffic noises, dishes clanking, and children yelling, but there are many others.⁴ It’s important to remember that triggers can vary greatly from person to person.

Here are some common triggers of noise sensitivity anxiety:

• Lips smacking
• Chewing
• Sniffling
• Dishes clanking
• Vacuum cleaner
• Traffic noises
• Banging noises
• Beeping
• Loud noises, such as an engine revving
• Children screaming
• Coughing
• Plastic bag opening
• Someone singing or whistling
• Pouring liquid
• Drumming of fingers
• Moving ice inside a glass
• Clicking a pen
• Loud breathing
• Snoring
• The sound of another swallowing
• Hiccuping
• Whispering

13 Tips for Coping With Noise Sensitivity Anxiety

A person’s noise sensitivity anxiety will never fully disappear, but there are ways to manage it. To cope, it is important to develop coping skills for your specific noise sensitivities. Consider using earplugs, white noise machines, or noise-canceling headphones to reduce unwanted sounds. Additionally, mindfulness and relaxation techniques can help calm your anxiety in noisy environments. If your noise sensitivity anxiety is severe, it may be time to seek professional help.

Here are thirteen tips and some worksheets for coping with noise sensitivity anxiety:

1. Practice Relaxation Exercises

Relaxation exercises, such as breathing exercises for anxiety, can help when dealing with symptoms that arise from noise sensitivity. Focusing on your breathing will help bring your focus inward and can help manage an emotional reaction to irritating sounds.

2. Carry Earbuds or Noise Canceling Headphones With You

Carrying earbuds or noise-canceling headphones in your backpack or purse can help when you experience distressing noises in public, such as crying children or beeping. Pop them in and immediately find relief! You can also plan ahead and create a playlist of soothing music or sounds that you can play when you become overwhelmed.

3. Turn on a Fan, Sound Machine, or White Noise Playlist

A fan, sound machine, or white noise playlist will help drown out some of the distressing noises, such as the buzzing of fluorescent lights or the screaming children from downstairs.

4. Maintain Good Sleep Hygiene

Maintaining a good sleep schedule will help to reduce noise sensitivity anxiety. A lack of sleep can increase anxiety, and your hypersensitivity to noise will become even more unmanageable. Having good sleep hygiene will help reduce overall stress and emotional reactivity.

5. Indulge in Self-Care

Chronic stress can worsen noise sensitivity anxiety. Self-care practices combat chronic stress and make you more resilient. There are many different types of self-care, so it is important to find the self-care that works best for you.

Self-Care Inventory Worksheet

Take an inventory of self-care activities you do well, explore new self-care activities and find potential opportunities to feel better.

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6 Limit Caffeine & Other Stimulants

Due to their effect on our arousal level and nervous system, stimulants such as coffee will exacerbate anxiety and any noise sensitivity already present. This does not mean you have to avoid your morning cup of joe; it is only that you should be mindful of how it affects you and adjust accordingly. Instead of drinking a second cup of coffee, try to replace it with a hot tea which can help to calm anxiety.

7. Get Regular Exercise

It is well known that there are many mental health benefits of exercise. Regular exercise will help decrease your overall anxiety and increase your resilience to stress. Therefore, when your stress increases from a noise sensitivity, you will be more capable of staying calm.

8. Make Sure Not to Skip Lunch

Low blood sugar will increase any feeling of impatience, irritability, or sensitivity, including sensitivity to noise. Therefore, it is important not to skip breakfast or lunch. If you have sensitivities to chewing or other food-related noises, you may be tempted to miss a meal, so it is important to plan ahead. especially if you are prone to these sensitivities.

9. Ground Yourself With Your Five Senses

Focusing on another sensation, such as touch or scent, will help decrease the intensity and inescapable feeling of the noise. There are many different grounding techniques for anxiety available to you. For example, try applying scented hand lotion & give yourself a short hand massage.

10. Don’t Avoid Loud Places

Although it may seem like an easy way to manage noise sensitivity anxiety, avoidance coping can actually worsen it in the long run. Avoidance reinforces the belief that these situations are unmanageable and prevents you from developing coping skills. Gradual exposure to noisy places, starting with small periods and increasing the duration, can help desensitize you while also helping you build confidence in managing your anxiety. By starting small, you also won’t be overwhelming your sensory system all at once.

Fear Hierarchy Worksheet

The hierarchy of fears provides a structured plan to gradually face and overcome one’s fears in manageable steps, reducing anxiety over time.

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11. Create Quiet Spaces

Having a quiet place to retreat to can provide relief from areas that induce noise anxiety. You could create a quiet space in your home or workplace, and depending on the resources or space available, this could involve soundproofing materials, noise-canceling curtains, or a comfortable corner with cozy seating and calming decorations. Having this type of space, where you can control the auditory environment, allows you to recharge and manage your anxiety.

12. Use Short-Term Distractions

Distracting yourself from your anxiety on a short-term basis can help redirect your attention away from anxiety-inducing noise. Distraction is a technique that can provide temporary relief while you work on developing long-term coping strategies. Healthy forms of distraction could be using fidget toys, deep breathing, holding an ice cube in your hand, or listening to calming music. In a social situation, you could play a mental game in your head (such as looking for as many yellow things in the room) or try instead to focus completely on the conversation you’re having.

13. Practice Self-Compassion

Showing compassion and understanding for the part of you that feels irritable will help you manage negative symptoms by decreasing the shame associated with often feeling different or misunderstood.

When to Seek Professional Help

Professional treatment may be helpful if you have tried practicing coping skills for anxiety and yet find that your noise sensitivity impacts your daily life and relationships. A local therapist directory is a great tool for finding a therapist in your area who takes your insurance. There are also many different online therapy services, such as Talkspace, that can connect you with a therapist who specializes in anxiety.

Noise Sensitivity Anxiety Treatment

Because there are different causes of noise sensitivity, not all treatment methods will work for each person. Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) can offer tailored strategies for individuals who experience noise sensitivity due to generalized anxiety disorder or ADHD. Exposure and response prevention may be more appropriate for individuals who suffer from OCD or a noise phobia. A conversation with a mental health or medical professional will help determine the most beneficial for you.

Here are some possible treatment options for noise sensitivity anxiety:

• Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT): CBT for anxiety will help you work on how your thoughts affect your behaviors and can help you decrease some of the negative associations you have with sounds.
• Exposure and response prevention (ERP): ERP can help desensitize you to distressing sounds by gradually exposing you to anxiety-provoking noises in a controlled manner. Through repeated and systematic exposure to these sounds, ERP helps reduce your sensitivity and anxiety response over time,
• Medication: If your noise sensitivity is combined with generalized anxiety disorder or panic disorder, the doctor might recommend medication to help with help the anxiety, such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs).
• Psychoeducation: Learning about noise sensitivity conditions will help empower you and your loved ones by helping you better understand how to recognize and manage the symptoms.

Impact of Noise Sensitivity Anxiety

Individuals with noise sensitivity anxiety often feel misunderstood and shamed because other people often mistake their symptoms for personality flaws like impatience or irritability. This misunderstanding can lead to isolation and loneliness. Moreover, these assumptions can prevent them from getting an accurate diagnosis and proper treatment, causing their anxiety to worsen over time.