Tinnitus: Hyperacusis

Hyperacusis occurs when a person is hypersensitive to certain noises that would typically not bother someone else (e.g. gunfire, sirens, automobile brakes, movie theater sounds, engine noises, laser printers, MRI, etc.).

Tinnitus occurs when a person hears a constant sound that is generated by the brain to signal auditory system damage. The damage is real. The sound is an indicator that damage exists. Most people with tinnitus have damage inside of the cochlea. It is typically either bent or broken cilia. Bent cilia will likely recover. Broken cilia does not regenerate.

Some people with tinnitus also have hyperacusis. I'm one of those people. The conditions are so unpredictable that every day is different.

I've had the tinnitus for a long time. It started getting louder in recent years and in 2007 I began to notice that I was hypersensitive to the noise of a shared laser printer on my desk at work. To make matters worse, the city rerouted a bus station to right below my office window. The hydraulic brakes would trigger my hyperacusis which would aggravate my tinnitus. I began losing sleep, isolating myself, and even started slurring my words because of sheer exhaustion.

I'm sharing this information with you so that you can get ahead of the issue if you suspect that you may have both conditions. You may find that you need to educate your providers about your conditions. Some medical providers just don't know about hyperacusis or tinnitus (much less both). Print this out. Show it to your medical providers. It may help you to explain what I couldn't when I first noticed the symptoms of hyperacusis.

Also, if you have hyperacusis with your tinnitus, you may not be able to use certain treatments for your tinnitus because these treatments may activate your hyperacusis which can make your tinnitus sound louder and more annoying. For example, some treatments use music to pull the brains focus away from the tinnitus sound. The problem is that the music sometimes involves sounds that trigger the hyperacusis  (e.g. wind chimes, horns, violins, etc.) You can try it out but if you notice a reaction I recommend you stop the treatment. Consult your provider before you stop.