Misophonia is a disorder in which certain sounds trigger emotional or physiological responses. People with misophonia are affected by specific sounds, like chewing, sniffling, coughing, tapping, or pen clicking. These sounds provoke an immediate aversive reaction. Here is an overview of what it feels like to have misophonia.
What triggers misophonia?
The sounds that typically trigger misophonia are common, everyday sounds like:
- Chewing or crunching foods
- Sniffling, throat-clearing, coughing
- Breathing sounds
- Typing, pen-clicking
- Tapping feet or fingers
- Clock-ticking
These types of sounds provoke an immediate negative reaction when heard by someone with misophonia. The condition is very specific to certain trigger sounds unique to each person.
What is the reaction to trigger sounds?
When someone with misophonia hears one of their trigger sounds, they have an immediate involuntary reaction that involves both emotional and physiological symptoms. This can include:
- Feelings of anxiety, panic, anger, irritation, disgust
- Increased heart rate, blood pressure
- Sweating, chills
- Nausea
- Clenching jaw, tightness in chest
The reaction is very quick and automatic. The intensity can range from mild discomfort to full “fight-or-flight” response. Sufferers describe it as feeling violated or attacked by the trigger sound.
How does misophonia impact daily life?
Living with misophonia can significantly impact a person’s daily life activities and routines. Here are some common effects:
- Avoiding shared meals, social gatherings, public spaces where trigger sounds will be heard
- Difficulty concentrating at work/school if noises are present
- Relationship strain due to negative reactions to family members’ trigger sounds
- Anxiety about potential trigger sounds being heard
- Anger outbursts when exposed to trigger noises
- Isolation or withdrawal to limit sound exposure
In severe cases, misophonia can severely limit a person’s ability to function at work or school. It can damage relationships with family members whose normal eating sounds are intolerable. People with misophonia often structure their lives around avoiding trigger noises.
What coping strategies help manage misophonia?
Living with misophonia involves developing coping strategies to manage reactions to trigger noises. Some effective approaches include:
- Wearing earplugs or headphones to muffle sounds
- Listening to music or white noise to distract from noises
- Eating before or separate from others to avoid chewing sounds
- Creating signale with family so they can discreetly stop triggers
- Discussing condition with coworkers to get accommodations
- Seeking therapy to manage anger and anxiety
- Using relaxation techniques when triggered, like deep breathing
While misophonia has no cure, developing personalized management strategies allows sufferers to have more control. With preparation for triggering situations and responses planned, people report lower reactivity and improved daily functioning.
What therapies help treat misophonia symptoms?
Currently there are no medications developed specifically for misophonia. However, some therapeutic approaches aim to reduce misophonia symptoms:
- Tinnitus Retraining Therapy (TRT) – Sound therapy helps retrain the brain’s automatic response to triggers. Mixing background sound with triggers may desensitize reaction over time.
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) – CBT provides tools to change negative thought patterns around sounds and develop healthy coping mechanisms for reactions.
- Exposure Therapy – Controlled, gradual exposure to trigger sounds can potentially decrease conditioned response when combined with coping techniques.
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) – DBT skills help individuals manage distress tolerance and regulate emotions when triggered.
While not conclusively proven effective yet, therapists find these techniques can help patients improve their quality of life. Further research is still needed to determine optimal misophonia treatments.
What is the recommended treatment plan?
There is no established standard treatment plan for misophonia at this time. Treatment plans are individualized based on each patient’s symptoms, triggers, and lifestyle impact. In general, the following treatment components are recommended:
- Identify all sound triggers and typical reactions they cause
- Reduce exposure to known triggers as much as possible
- Try coping techniques to manage reactions when triggering sounds occur
- Consider trial of sound/exposure therapy if appropriate
- Get therapy to reduce anxiety, anger, develop healthy coping mechanisms
- Make necessary lifestyle adjustments to accommodate condition
- Communicate with understanding friends, family, coworkers about needs
- Follow-up regularly with treatment providers to evaluate progress
This multimodal approach combines lifestyle changes, communication, therapy, and medication if needed. Treatment plans should be monitored and adjusted over time to achieve the best outcomes.
What is the long-term prognosis?
There is still limited research on the long-term prognosis of misophonia. However, some general observations indicate:
- Symptoms typically persist and are chronic without treatment
- Trigger sounds may change over time
- Reactivity to triggers can improve with management strategies
- Severety may increase with prolonged, intense trigger exposure
- Patients can experience near-normal functioning by avoiding triggers
- Psychological effects like anxiety may remain even if sound reactivity decreases
With proper coping techniques and lifestyle adjustments, many patients report improvement in daily function and familial relationships. But misophonia often requires long-term management as a chronic condition.
What recent research is being done on misophonia?
Research into misophonia is a relatively new area, with increased attention in the last decade. Some current research directions include:
- Identifying physiological reactions to trigger sounds using fMRI brain imaging, skin conductance
- Understanding neurological basis and risk factors for developing misophonia
- Investigating role of abnormal auditory processing in misophonia
- Evaluating psychological traits common in misophonia such as anxiety, OCD
- Developing diagnostic criteria for classifying severity
- Testing medications used for conditions like OCD and PTSD as misophonia treatments
- Trying alternative therapies like TMS brain stimulation
- Comparing behavioral therapies to determine most effective options
As scientists learn more about the underlying causes and mechanisms, more targeted treatments can be developed to better help misophonia patients.
Conclusion
Misophonia is a complex condition in which common sounds like chewing and tapping trigger disproportionately extreme emotions and fight-or-flight physiological arousal. Those suffering from misophonia structure their lives around avoiding triggers, which can severely impact daily functioning. Research is still exploring the root causes and ideal treatments. A combination of lifestyle changes, coping strategies, therapy, and medications provides the most benefit currently. With proper management, people with misophonia can minimize impairment and improve their quality of life.