Tinnitus: Noise Hypersensitivity

Are you hypersensitive to noise? You may have hyperacusis that triggers your subjective tinnitus.

Hypersensitivity to certain noises has increased, for me, as the tinnitus has become louder and more annoying since 2007 (markedly so since 2009). Lawn equipment, low flying aircraft, inflight noise, office printers, sirens, car alarms, crying kids, public announcement system feedback, high-speed traffic, screeching brakes and even vocal pitch of loud talkers are all things that cause flare ups for me. Sometimes the volume is too loud (e.g. an ambulance siren) and other times the tone or frequency is annoying even though the volume is low (e.g. an office printer).

I try to avoid these annoying noises and frequencies as much as possible because they cause what are known as cowpaths of cochlear cell damage over time. These noises can make the tinnitus permanently worse. Sometimes I get into situations where the noise is unavoidable and I now bring my Noise Pollution Reduction System (NPRS) with me to reduce the noise through a recorder before it becomes sound in my ears. See my other posts on NPRS.