The Holiday Season Can Be a Living Hell for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.

Lottie hopes for being with her loved ones over the holidays, but says a primary method she'll manage to get through it is by relying on her earplugs - notably for the main festive feast.

For the 23-year-old, Christmas can be a particularly difficult period as the sounds of other people chewing, slurping and sniffling trigger profound anxiety.

"I get this wave of sudden panic, my whole body will just freeze and it as though I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to stop these sounds."

Lottie has lived with misophonia since she was 16 and for her that renders the holiday period "incredibly overwhelming".

Misophonia is a decreased threshold to specific noises, notably sounds made by individuals.

It's surprisingly common amongst adults. Researchers found nearly 20% people experience it.

Frequently it's sounds associated with mouth, throat or facial movements that cause distress, including examples such as chewing, heavy breathing, and foot tapping.

Triggering Stress

The sufferer notes: "There are so many various auditory triggers at Christmas and that can be anxiety inducing and make you fear it.

"Those close to me are supportive, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a internal conflict of enduring my distress to ensure others enjoy themselves."

So it's clear why the supposedly joyous time of the year can rapidly become a source of agony for affected individuals.

Triggers that may appear innocuous, like someone drinking champagne, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or enjoying festive food can provoke a visceral feeling that can even result in them skipping events entirely.

Jenna, a university student, who has experienced misophonia for over a decade, says her strategy is to listen to music to cope. Usually, she would often retreat in a quiet area to minimize distressing triggers.

She says her sensitivity is more pronounced around people she's most comfortable with, so Christmas is always "hard".

"There is pressure to spend time with loved ones, and I want to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.

"I feel as if this intense irritation comes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel stressed and immediately start crying and then fight-or-flight will kick in.

"It can come across as if I'm being unreasonable and melodramatic, but it's tough to describe if you haven't felt it."

Several Strategies to Manage

If it's an issue then there are various strategies you can use to handle the situation, based on advice from experts.

1. Imagine an Alternative: Mental imagery is crucial. Attempt to link the particular sound bothering you with an unrelated image. So for example, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a sink draining water. By doing this is to teach your brain that the sound triggering you poses no threat.
2. Make it a Game: Introduce playfulness and turn the annoying sound into a game with the person. For example, if someone is eating noisily have a go at mimicking the sound. By mimicking, instead of feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an willing part. And the game aspect should help distract your brain and make you somewhat less sensitive.
3. Create a Scenario: One more method is to try to invent a reason about why the person making the noise is behaving that way. For example if someone was sniffing, maybe they are not feeling well or could be emotional. By doing this is re-framing the context of the sound. Even though the sound doesn't change, your reaction of it shifts from being annoying, to feeling a bit more accepting towards it.