Yuletide Transforms Into a Nightmare for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.

A 23-year-old is looking forward to being with her relatives during the festive period, but says a primary method she'll manage to get through it is by relying on her noise-cancelling devices - especially during Christmas dinner.

For the 23-year-old, the holidays often feels like a notably tough time as the sounds of family members munching, sipping loudly and breathing heavily cause her extremely uncomfortable.

"I get this sensation of instant dread, my every muscle will just tighten and it seems as if I'm in danger, and I need to somehow control these noises."

She has suffered from sound sensitivity for several years and for her that renders the holiday period "deeply taxing".

Misophonia is a decreased threshold to certain sounds, notably sounds produced by those around you.

It's surprisingly common in the UK. A study reported nearly 20% people suffer from it.

Frequently it's noises linked to eating or drinking that trigger a reaction, as well as things like crunching, breathing, and foot tapping.

Triggering Stress

She explains: "There are so many assorted problematic noises at the holidays and that can be daunting and make you dread it.

"Those close to me are understanding, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a internal conflict of sacrificing my own sanity to make sure the event goes smoothly."

So it's easy to understand why the supposedly joyous season can transform into a source of agony for affected individuals.

Triggers that may appear innocuous, like someone drinking champagne, opening presents, or eating the holiday meal can cause a powerful reaction that can even result in them skipping events entirely.

She, a university student, who has dealt with misophonia from childhood, says currently her plan is to use headphones to get through dinner. Typically, she would often retreat in a different room to escape triggering sounds.

She says her condition is worse around people she's most familiar with, so the holidays is always "hard".

"There's an expectation to spend time with family, and I want to, but it's draining.

"I feel as if this uncontrollable anger takes hold, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel anxious and begin to weep and then panic will activate.

"It may seem as if I'm being unreasonable and dramatic, but it's hard to explain unless you've experienced it."

A Few Techniques to Cope

If you suffer then there are a few methods you can try to cope the situation, according to clinical psychologists.

1. Visualise Something Else: Imagination is key. Try to associate the triggering sound causing distress with a neutral concept. As an illustration, try to picture someone's noisy drinking is just a sink draining water. By doing this is to teach your brain that the sound affecting you poses no threat.
2. Try a Competition: Have a bit of fun and make the irritating noise into a game involving the source. For example, if someone is eating noisily have a go at copying the noise. Through participation, instead of feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an engaged person. And the game aspect should help shift your attention and make you slightly more tolerant.
3. Craft a Story: A further strategy is to try to create a little story about why the person creating the sound is behaving that way. Imagine if someone was sniffing, perhaps they're not in good health or could be emotional. By doing this is altering the perception of the sound. Although the sound doesn't change, your reaction of it shifts from being irritating, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.