Are You Suffering From Any of These Symptoms as a Result of Tinnitus? Call Today for a Consultation.
■ Mild to severe anxiety
■ Depression
■ Insomnia
■ Negative thinking
■ Triggered fight or flight
■ Crying spells
■ Hopelessness
■ Ringing in the ears
■ Suicidal thoughts
Are you growing more isolated? Do you feel like life will never be the same? Are you refraining from activities that you enjoy? Are you fearful of losing your job? Do you find that your thoughts tend to be negative?
If you answered yes to 3 or more of these questions or symptoms, then we can help. You may be a candidate for Tinnitus Cognitive Retraining Therapy, or TCRT.
With over 20 years of clinical experience, Stephen Geller Katz, LCSW-R developed Tinnitus Cognitive Retraining Therapy and founded the Tinnitus Cognitive Center™ in response to the growing number of Tinnitus sufferers coming to his private practice.
He discovered that by helping people to retrain and reinterpret the thoughts around their Tinnitus, anxiety and depression symptoms began to improve. But even more important so did the Tinnitus.
Certain noises and injuries lead to different types of noise disorders. Most of the noises occur due to different health issues or other possible causes. Noise disorders are very common in people when they grow older. Their ear muscles start weakening, and the brain isn’t able to process the ear hair cells’ movements, which usually take place in the inner ear. Mentioned below are the most common types of noise disorders.
Misophonia is a noise disorder that affects your physiological and emotional responses by causing immense distress and frustration. For some people, such a sound can drive them up the wall and lead to an outburst of emotions. A person dealing with misophonia starts reacting differently as opposed to being super angry to panic, never like before. The main trigger for people with misophonia includes oral sounds due to chewing, eating, and even breathing. Sounds such as whispering, tapping, and footsteps in repetitive motions can also be a trigger.
Just like oral sounds, even visual stimulation featuring sounds can trigger people with misophonia. People with misophonia can express a mild to severe reaction. Those who experience a mild response usually feel anxious, disgusted and have this sudden urge to flee. People who experience a severe response feel panic, anger, fear, rage, hatred, and emotional distress. There are different treatments available for misophonia, such as exercising, hearing aids, and therapy by audiologists. Further research is necessary to determine the main cause behind misophonia.
2. Hyperacusis
Hyperacusis is another noise/hearing disorder that makes it difficult for an individual to deal with the different sounds around them. Another name for this disorder is noise sensitivity, which occurs when normal sounds seem super loud to a person, and the other person doesn’t even realize this. Tinnitus is one of the main symptoms of hyperacusis, a noise disorder that only affects 1 in 50000 individuals. Other than tinnitus, other symptoms of hyperacusis include ear pain, depression, anxiety, social isolation, and marital /relationship issues.
There are a few normal sounds that may seem extremely loud to a person dealing with misophonia. Sounds from car engines, dishwashers, running faucets, and loud conversations are very loud to individuals with hyperacusis. The symptoms vary from person to person, as some experience these symptoms at an extremely high intensity, while for some, it is still bearable.
Hyperacusis is not a disorder you’re born with, but it usually stems from different health issues such as Lyme disease, ear damage due to medications, TMJ, Tay-Sachs disease, head injury, viral infection such as Bell’s palsy, autism, depression, Menier’s disease, jaw or face surgery, Valium, Williams Syndrome, and Epilepsy.
Hyperacusis is treatable, but this depends on its causes. This disorder derives from brain or ear injuries, then it is best treated on its own within time. In some cases, your doctor may recommend sound desensitization, which is a kind of therapy you get from a trained specialist. This treatment includes a device that you will wear on both ears or the one causing the most problems.
This treatment takes at least six months to work before you observe effective results. There is still further research necessary to see how effective these treatments are. Other treatment options, such as auditory integration therapy, can prove helpful as well. You may receive medication for your disorder to help manage stress at the same time.
The Takeaway
Noise disorders may not seem that common, but they are some of the most irritable and intense disorders that make a person feel super uncomfortable. There are many ways you can try to avoid these disorders. The good thing is that effective treatment options are available.
For the best treatment options for tinnitus, get in touch with the Tinnitus Cognitive Center™ for professional and effective services and therapies. Dr. Stephen Katz speaks 5 languages, and is known worldwide for his groundbreaking therapies for different types of noise disorders. Scheduling an online tele-therapy session is very easy and affordable. Call Today!
Tinnitus Cognitive Center™ Stephen Geller Katz LCSW 646-213-2321
Do you have problems with sound sensitivity? Hyperacusis is a hearing disorder that makes it very difficult to hear daily sounds. Experts also call this condition noise or sound sensitivity. If you suffer from sound sensitivity, specific sounds might feel very loud, but people sitting beside you may not even notice it. Hyperacusis is uncommon. Out of every 50,000 people, Hyperacusis only affects one. Another condition linked to hyperacusis is tinnitus.This is normally a ringing or buzzing sound in your ear. A lot of people suffering from this condition can also hear normally.
Hyperacusis symptoms can also affect your daily life. These symptoms are:
Trouble in connecting with others (avoidance and social isolation)
Relationship problems
Ear pain
Anxiety
Depression
With this condition, some sounds may seem louder than they are, such as:
A loud conversation
A car engine
A kitchen appliance such asa dishwasher and a refrigerator
A running faucet
For some people, the sound only disturbs them without causing any further symptoms. Of course, others may experience symptoms like seizures or the loss of balance.
Types of Hyperacusis
Hyperacusis is of two kinds; vestibular and cochlear. Cochlear is the common kind, and it causes a general feeling of intolerance, frustration, and pain in the ear for daily sounds. The second type is vestibular, which induces feelingslike imbalance, nausea, and dizziness.This happens when particular sounds are nearby. Both kinds of hyperacusis can be a reason forphonophobia, whichinvolves a fear of normal sounds, social isolation, depression, stress, and anxiety.
Most people confuse recruitment with hyperacusis, but both conditions are different. In recruitment,the ears exaggerate the sound perception that comes under their range of frequency of hearing loss. We can understand the difference by saying that hyperacusis makes every sound too loud, and recruitment makes only specific sounds loud and uncomfortable. An audiologist will perform a loudness discomfort test to identify which condition you are experiencing.
Causes of Hyperacusis
Some causes of hyperacusis are:
Medical procedures such as clearing the ear canal which will increase the sensitivity for sound temporarily
Paralysis of the facial nerve causing the mechanism of the middle ear which helps in protecting from the loud noises
Surgery to the ear
Head injury
Certain medication
Working ina loud and noisy environment can create exposure to loud noises
A slap on the ear
Exposure to loud noise such as an explosion
Changes in hearing quality due to aging
Sound Sensitivity: Other Causes of Hyperacusis
It can affect people of all ages and can impact your hearing in both ears or in one ear. People do not have this rare condition when they are bornbut develop it later on. It can occur suddenly or over a period of time. Some rare causes of hyperacusis are:
Viral infections affecting thefacial nerve or the inner ear
Systemic lupus erythematosus
Posttraumatic stress disorder
Williams’s syndrome
Tay-Sachs disease
Bell’s palsy
Lyme disease
Head injury
Exposure to loud noise
Treatment for Hyperacusis
Experts have yet to find a specific cure for hyperacusis. Most often, common reasons include aging, physical damage, or noise damage in the inner ear.To avoid this condition, you need to protect your ears from loud noise. Other disorders similar to hyperacusis are treatable, so many people confuse the two and delay a visit to the ENT doctor. However, that can be worse as this condition needs immediate action.People can control their sensitivity to sound is controlled in many ways. This includes:
1. In Noisy Environment Wear Hearing Protection
Wear earplugs while working with loud tools or in a place with loud noise or music. If you do not protect your ears in a loud environment, you can cause sensitivity or tinnitus, which will impair your listening.
2. Desensitization
You need to reintroduce sounds that you hear every day as much as you can.
Ask others to speak in a low voice if loud noises irritate you. Explain your condition to them and how loud noises can make you uncomfortable.
4. Talk to your Friends and Family about Your Condition
If you are feeling anxiety or any other reaction as a result of your condition, talk to your family or friends. You can also discuss your condition with a psychologist or counselor.They will help you understand your condition from a different perspective. They can also help you copewith symptoms by tolerating it.
5. TRT or Tinnitus Retraining Therapy
In this therapy, you need to wear special hearing devices, also known as noise generators. This device reduces your sensitivity towards sound over time. Noise generators will help you adapt with barely audible sounds such as white noise so that you can ignore loud noises.
6. Sleeping Medication
You need this medication when your condition makes it difficult for you to sleep.
Sound Sensitivity Conclusion: Consult With An Expert
If you are experiencing a hearing condition, contact our specialized and professional ENT specialist Stephen Katz LCSW. He will guide you on how you can reduce hyperacusis and other hearing conditions. For appointments and consultation through your cellphone, contact us at 646-598-2251. For further details,visit our website.
What are noise disorders? Individuals who suffer from noise disorders and auditory problems often end up isolating themselves in an attempt to avoid the noise that triggers their intense reaction. This condition is immensely problematic, especially because it comes in the way of their personal growth. Social interaction is very important for growth. These triggering sounds mess up with the sufferer’s emotions, and leave them frustrated and annoyed. Let us look at some common noise disorders and their effects.
Noise Induced Hearing Loss
NIHL is usually a result of exposure to loud and repetitive sound. The people who hear such sounds everyday are more likely to develop NIHL than others. For example, people working in an environment where there are extremely noisy machines. The inner ear suffers damage. NIHL can happen to individuals of all ages, in some case it is temporary while in others it is stubborn and does not go away.
Sound waves enter the ear canal, which is a passageway that makes the ear drum vibrate. There are tiny hair cells present in our ear for carrying the signals along with the auditory nerve to our brain, which then interprets the sound and we are able to hear. People who suffer from NIHL experience trouble hearing because these sensory hair cells suffer damage due to continuous exposure to noise. NIHL is preventable if you protect your ears from noise and wear earplugs to work and noisy places.
Tinnitus
Exposure to loud and repetitive noise can also result in a disorder called Tinnitus. In this condition, sufferers feel a loud ringing, buzzing or hissing sensation in their ears non-stop. They feel extremely irritated and often try to mask the noise and distract themselves. The noise may vary in pitch and volume. Sufferers find it hard to concentrate on their routine activities and work because of this bothersome and loud noise.
Hyperacusis
Hyperacusis is a noise disorder in which patients experience intense discomfort towards sounds that others may find normal. These sounds are not necessarily loud. In fact, they can even be normal every-day sounds. Typically, hyperacusis is also a result of nonstop and long-term noise exposure. However, in some cases, it can result from PTSD i.e. post-traumatic stress disorder.
Hyperacusis patients must visit a specialist for a checkup of loudness discomfort level. That way, they will be aware of their level of sensitivity towards specific sounds. Specialists also recommend therapies like hyperacusis retraining, but that depends on your LDL. Therefore, it is best to get a proper check-up done from a professional.
Misophonia
Misophonia is a noise disorder that triggers intense emotional reactions. The sufferers cannot tolerate certain sounds. These sounds mainly include continuous clicking of the keyboard, scratching of nails against the walls or oral sounds like chewing or breathing. Misophoniacs tend to feel extreme rage towards the source of the sound and can go to any lengths to avoid the triggering noise. They fear the noise and isolate themselves.
Bottom-Line
Noise disorders of any sort are very hard to deal with. Sufferers often feel confused and helpless when it comes to looking for solutions. Some feel like giving up. However, losing hope is not the right thing to do. Get a thorough examination by a specialist and get in touch with the best specialist in NYC today. Let us find out effective solutions and treatment options for you.
Tinnitus Cognitive Center™
Stephen Geller Katz, LCSW-R 19 West 34th Street Penthouse Floor New York, NY 10001
