Noise Sensitivity Anxiety: Symptoms, Causes, & Tips for Coping

What Is Noise Sensitivity Anxiety?

Noise sensitivity anxiety can impact a person’s daily life and relationships. It differs from normal irritations many people might have with certain sounds. For example, most of us can relate to the discomfort felt when nails are applied to a chalkboard- although the younger generations, who have not been exposed to a chalkboard, might not fully grasp that icky, shoulder-hunching feeling.

However, people with noise sensitivity might feel sensations and feelings similar to this while being exposed to noises that others might not even notice, such as water pouring or fluorescent lights humming.

Only in recent years have we developed an understanding of noise sensitivity. In previous generations, people with noise sensitivity or other types of neurodivergence that make them sensitive to external stimuli would be shamed and largely misunderstood.

Types of Noise Anxieties

Noise sensitivity is sometimes a result of an anxiety disorder. Some other known causes of noise sensitivity are tourette syndrome, OCD, PTSD, or other struggles with sensory processing or experiences with neurodivergence.

Here are some of the most commonly known types of noise anxieties:

Phonophobia

Phonophobia is when someone has a persistent fear of sound that is usually unwarranted and illogical, sometimes referred to as a dread of loud noises or sounds. Compared to the normal reaction of shock or displeasure of loud noises such as explosions or car alarms, someone with phonophobia has an intense dread and anxiety about hearing these noises.

Misophonia

While not a phobia, misophonia is when someone has an extreme reaction of discomfort upon hearing certain noises. Unlike phonobia, which usually involves loud noises, misophonia can be any noise, such as chewing or a bag rustling.

Hyperacusis

Hyperacusis is an “abnormally strong reaction to sound, occurring within the auditory pathways, in levels that would not trouble a normal individual”.¹ This form of noise sensitivity is similar to, and often confused with misophonia and phonophobia due to overlapping symptomology and reliance on subjective information of the patient.¹ However, phonophobia is a phobia, and hyperacusis is a hearing disorder that causes noises to sound louder than they are.

Symptoms of Noise Sensitivity Anxiety

A person suffering from noise sensitivity anxiety will be significantly distressed by specific noise triggers. Some may experience typical anxiety symptoms, such as restlessness, irritability, and an urge to escape the noise source. In children, noise sensitivity has been correlated with behavioral disturbances.² However, reactions to noise sensitivity often present more like anxiety and anger rather than fear. More severe symptoms may generate the urge to flee.

Here are some common symptoms of noise sensitivity anxiety:¹

• 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
• Acting out, especially with children

Common Triggers for Noise Sensitivity Anxiety

The following is a list of the most common triggers for noise sensitivity anxiety, although it is not an exhaustive list. The most common triggers for noise sensitivity include traffic noises, dishes clanking, and children yelling, but there are many others.³ For some, these triggers are sometimes accompanied by visual stimuli, but this is not the case for everyone.

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

Noise Sensitivity Anxiety Causes

There are many possible causes of noise sensitivity anxiety. Those with other diagnosable anxiety or trauma disorders are more at risk of developing noise sensitivity anxiety. However, the heightened sensitivity to certain sounds may also stem from several other factors, such as autism or neurological concerns.

Here are some possible causes of noise sensitivity:

Past Traumatic Experiences

Fear of noises, or heightened noise sensitivity, is a common trauma response. Past traumas can lead to having experiences of noise sensitivity anxiety as an anxiety symptom, a symptom of trauma responses, or it can show up in the ways PTSD presents in the individual.

Biological Causes

Some potential biological causes, such as hearing ability and brain and neurological functioning, might cause heightened noise sensitivity

• Neurodivergence: Individuals with OCD, sensory processing disorder, and autism, as well as other forms of neurodivergence, commonly experience heightened noise sensitivity.
• Mental illness: People with mental illnesses such as bipolar disorder or schizophrenia might have heightened noise sensitivity, especially if they experience auditory hallucinations as part of their mental illness symptomatology.
• Medical concern: Some people with traumatic brain injuries or conditions such as dementia might have heightened noise sensitivity.

10 Tips for Coping With Noise Sensitivity Anxiety

Individuals with this condition may feel misunderstood and shamed, especially if others assume their symptoms are due to a personality flaw such as impatience or irritability. Due to this, many people have difficulty getting an accurate diagnosis and might spend years (or an entire lifetime!) thinking that they are flawed. This can lead to isolation, loneliness, and symptoms of depression due to feeling so misunderstood.

Learning to manage and reduce overall anxiety can help, as well as developing healthy coping mechanisms to manage the symptoms. Overall, symptoms, causes, and treatments for each person will be different, as no two experiences are exactly alike. Here are some ways a person with noise sensitivity anxiety can cope with symptoms.

Here are 10 tips for coping with noise sensitivity anxiety:

1. Relaxation

Relaxation exercises such as breathwork exercises 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. Maintain Good Sleep Hygiene

Maintaining a good sleep schedule will help. Personally, when I have not slept well, my hypersensitivity to noise is even more unmanageable. Having good sleep hygiene will help reduce overall stress and emotional reactivity.

3. 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.

4. Practice Self Care

Among the many Benefits of Self-Care and Emotional Self-Care, self-care will help you decrease the stress levels that arise from noise sensitivity anxiety.

5. Limit Caffeine & Other Stimulants

Due to their effect on our arousal level and nervous system, stimulants such as coffee will exacerbate any noise sensitivity already present. This does not mean you have to avoid your morning cup of joe, only that you should be mindful of how it affects you and adjust accordingly.

6. Get Regular Exercise

It is well known that there are many mental health benefits of exercise. Regular exercise will help decrease the anxiety and stress associated with noise sensitivity and help relieve some of the tension from pent-up anxiety.

7. Make Sure Not to Skip Lunch

Low blood sugar will increase any feeling of impatience, irritability or sensitivity, including sensitivity to noise. Ensure not to skip breakfast or lunch, especially if you are prone to these sensitivities.

8. Carry Earbuds or Noise Canceling Headphones With You

Carrying either of these 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!

9: Turn on a Fan or Television for White Noise

This will help drown out some of the distressing noises, such as the buzzing of fluorescent lights or the screaming children from downstairs.

10. Apply Scented Hand Lotion & Give Yourself a Short Hand Massage

Sometimes focusing on another sensation, such as touch or scent, or the two of them together, will help decrease the intensity and inescapable feeling of the noise.

Noise Sensitivity Anxiety Treatment

Because there are different causes of noise sensitivity, not all treatment methods will work for each person. 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:

• IFS- Internal Family Systems: IFS is a form of therapy where you work on developing increased understanding of different “parts” of yourself. This form of therapy is beneficial if your noise sensitivity comes from trauma or PTSD.
• Cognitive behavior therapy:  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 therapy: ERP can help desensitize you to the sounds that you find distressing by practicing exposure.
• Medication: If your noise sensitivity is combined with generalized anxiety disorder or panic disorder the doctor might recommend medication to help, such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) or other medications.
• Psychoeducation: Learning about the conditions of noise sensitivity will help empower you, and your loved ones, by better understanding how to recognize and manage the symptoms.

When to Seek Professional Help

Noise sensitivity will never fully disappear, but there are ways to manage it. Professional treatment may be helpful if you have tried the above tips yet find that your noise sensitivity impacts your daily life and relationships. With noise sensitivity, the benefits of therapy include reducing the distress level and reducing anxiety while developing coping skills to manage the noise sensitivity.

In My Experience

As someone with sensory processing neurodivergence, I understand too well how distressing certain noises can be. The sounds that do not bother others, such as a radio or television playing in a coffee shop, are almost invisible to me. Yet the sound of pouring liquid sends my hands to my ears, looking for relief.

It took me many years to develop the self-compassion to understand that this is who I am and that I can not change it- but I will have to find ways to support myself. Understanding this condition will help empower you to know how to decrease and support it.