Christmas Can Be a Nightmare for Misophonia Sufferers.

One young woman is looking forward to spending time with her loved ones this Christmas, but says one of the only ways she'll endure is by wearing her earplugs - notably for Christmas dinner.

For her, this time of year is a especially challenging period as the noises of people eating, slurping and breathing heavily cause her intense distress.

"There's this feeling of sudden panic, my whole body will just tighten and it seems as if I'm in danger, and I need to manage these triggers."

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

Misophonia is a decreased threshold to specific noises, especially noises produced by individuals.

The condition is widespread in the UK. Researchers found a significant portion of people are affected by it.

Frequently it's sounds associated with eating or drinking that lead to discomfort, as well as examples such as crunching, breathing, and pen clicking.

'Anxiety Inducing'

Lottie says: "I face so many different triggering sounds at Christmas and that can be anxiety inducing and make you dread it.

"My relatives are aware, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to upset others. It's like a internal conflict of sacrificing my own sanity to make sure others enjoy themselves."

So it's clear why the traditionally happy time of the year can transform into a living nightmare for sufferers.

Sounds that may be considered normal, like someone drinking champagne, unwrapping gifts, or eating the holiday meal can cause a powerful reaction that can even cause them skipping events entirely.

She, a young adult, who has dealt with misophonia from childhood, says the approach she intends to use is to use headphones to manage the meal. Typically, she would often retreat in a different room to minimize distressing triggers.

She says her condition is more pronounced around people she's closest to, so the holidays is always "hard".

"There's an expectation to spend time with family, and I want to, but it's exhausting on all levels.

"The sensation is this sudden rage takes hold, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel panicked and burst into tears and then panic will activate.

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

Three Ways to Cope

If you suffer then there are a few methods you can try to cope the situation, based on advice from specialists.

1. Visualise a Different Scenario: Imagination is key. Try to associate the triggering sound affecting you with an unrelated image. So for example, try to envision 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. Try a Competition: Use lightheartedness and make the irritating noise into a challenge with the person. For example, if someone is crunching loudly attempt mimicking the sound. Through participation, instead of feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an active participant. And the challenge should help distract your brain and make you somewhat less sensitive.
3. Create a Scenario: One more method is to try to create a little story about the reason someone making the noise is behaving that way. Imagine if someone was sniffing, maybe they are not at their best or are troubled. This approach is changing the meaning of the sound. While the sound stays the same, your reaction of it moves from being aggravating, to feeling a bit more accepting towards it.