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

Lottie anticipates spending time with her family over the holidays, but admits a primary method she'll manage to get through it is by using her earplugs - notably for the holiday meal.

For the 23-year-old, the holidays often feels like a especially challenging period as the noises of other people chewing, drinking noisily and sniffling cause her profound anxiety.

"I get this sensation of instant dread, my entire being will just tighten and it as though I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to stop these noises."

Lottie has suffered from this condition for several years and for her that makes the festive season "exceptionally stressful".

Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to particular auditory triggers, particularly those coming from other people.

The condition is widespread amongst adults. Experts reported almost one in five people suffer from it.

Often it's noises linked to mouth, throat or facial movements that cause distress, along with things like crunching, breathing, and foot tapping.

'Anxiety Inducing'

Lottie says: "There are so many various auditory triggers at Christmas and that can be daunting and make you fear it.

"My relatives are supportive, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a internal conflict of managing my symptoms to guarantee others enjoy themselves."

So it's easy to understand why the supposedly joyous season can quickly turn into a living nightmare for sufferers.

Noises that may seem harmless, like someone sipping a beverage, unwrapping gifts, or enjoying festive food can provoke a visceral feeling that can even result in them withdrawing from gatherings.

She, a university student, who has dealt with misophonia for over a decade, says her strategy is to use headphones to get through dinner. Usually, she would often retreat in a different room to avoid problematic noises.

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

"There is pressure to be around family, and I want to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.

"The sensation is this uncontrollable anger takes hold, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel anxious and burst into tears and then the stress response will take over.

"To others it appears as if I'm being difficult and overreacting, but it's tough to describe unless you've experienced it."

Several Strategies to Cope

If you suffer then there are a few methods you can attempt to manage the situation, according to experts.

1. Visualise a Different Scenario: Imagination is essential. Work on connecting the particular sound causing distress with an unrelated image. As an illustration, try to picture someone's noisy drinking is just a waterfall. The goal is to teach your brain that the sound triggering you is neutral.
2. Use Humor: Introduce playfulness and turn the annoying sound into a competition with the culprit. For example, if someone is eating noisily try joining in. By joining in, instead of feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an active participant. And the challenge should help redirect your focus and make you somewhat less sensitive.
3. Create a Scenario: A further strategy is to try to invent a reason about why the person creating the sound is doing it. So if someone was making a nasal sound, perhaps they're not in good health or maybe they're upset. By doing this is altering the perception of the sound. Even though the noise doesn't change, your interpretation of it moves from being irritating, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.