

Once that no longer causes significant anxiety, you may move on to looking at photos of spiders. It is recommended that a person start with the least distressing form of their anxiety trigger and work their way up to experiencing the actual trigger.įor example, if you have a fear of spiders, you might start by thinking about spiders. Over time, your anxious reaction should decline and eventually be eliminated. What is Exposure Therapy?Įxposure therapy is the process of gradually being exposed to your anxiety trigger in a safe and controlled setting. Exposure techniques in particular may be useful for reducing hypersensitivity. Cognitive behavioral therapy has proven to be extremely helpful for individuals experiencing many symptoms of anxiety. Controlling Your Reactions to Noiseĭealing with hypersensitivity can be difficult, but help is available. This may lead to the presence of hypersensitivity. You may find that you are tense even when your thoughts are relaxed and calm. Anxiety is largely a physical experience. It’s also important to remember that you can experience this type of sensitivity even when you don’t feel anxiety or have anxious thoughts. In some cases, a person may perceive noises to be louder than they actually are.Īll of these fall under auditory hypersensitivity as they are all ways in which you and your body react to sound. Certain sounds may exacerbate these physical symptoms or increase the general feeling of unease associated with anxiety attacks. A person experiencing these symptoms may be especially prone to auditory hypersensitivity. Stress-Related Tensionįinally, when a person is feeling anxious, physical symptoms such as tension headaches or nausea may result. Disruptions of silence may be particularly likely to trigger irritability. Irritation can cause people to experience a rush of negative emotions when they hear loud or triggering noises, or sounds that disrupt the thought process. If anxiety levels reach a certain height, a person may be more prone to being startled, often described as being “jumpy.” This is due to the body being on high alert for danger. The greater the stress and anxiety you experience, the more likely you are to have a higher natural baseline for stress. Quick Startle ReflexĪnxiety causes your body to constantly be on high alert.

This symptom is very common in those with PTSD but may affect people with all types of anxiety. With respect to auditory hypersensitivity, this may be the experiencing of a negative feeling as a result of a specific sound: your mind immediately associates a sound with some negative feeling or experience. Conditioning occurs when a specific trigger elicits a response. This type of sensitivity is the product of conditioning. Often, these sounds are related to past traumas or recurring causes of anxiety. Some people develop sensitivity to particular sounds. Remember, your experience may be different from others’ experiences: Specific Noise Triggers Generally, the following represent auditory hypersensitivity. Depending on the way a person experiences anxiety, the triggering noise may cause minor irritation or something much more impairing. Hypersensitivity to noise is somewhat of a broad term as sensitivity may cause varying responses.

Understanding the Variations of Noise Anxiety Some people with anxiety may experience this type of sensitivity. Individuals with auditory hypersensitivity experience distress upon hearing the triggering sounds. Auditory hypersensitivity or hypersensitivity to sound may include sensitivity to specific triggering noises or loud noises in general.

Hypersensitivity or “oversensitivity” is extreme sensitivity to a specific experience, such as sound. While genetics plays a role in the development of anxiety, stressful experiences may reinforce fear and other negative emotions, causing anxiety to emerge. It’s no secret that our upbringing and experiences can lead to anxiety.
