The Holiday Season Often Proves to Be a Nightmare for Misophonia Sufferers.

One young woman is looking forward to spending time with her relatives during the festive period, but admits one of the only ways she'll manage to get through it is by relying on her hearing protection - notably for the holiday meal.

For the 23-year-old, this time of year is a notably tough season as the noises of family members munching, sipping loudly and sniffling make her feel intense distress.

"I experience this wave of sudden panic, my whole body will just freeze and it seems as if I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to manage these triggers."

The individual has suffered from misophonia for several years and for her that renders the holiday period "incredibly overwhelming".

Misophonia is a decreased threshold to certain sounds, particularly those made by individuals.

It's surprisingly common in the UK. Researchers discovered nearly 20% people are affected by it.

Often it's sounds connected to mouth, throat or facial movements that cause distress, including things like crunching, breathing, and foot tapping.

'Anxiety Inducing'

Lottie says: "You encounter so many assorted problematic noises at the holidays and that can be stressful and make you want to avoid it.

"Those close to me are understanding, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a really big battle of enduring my distress to ensure everyone else is happy."

So it's obvious why the supposedly joyous period can quickly turn into a source of agony for affected individuals.

Noises that may appear innocuous, like someone drinking champagne, unwrapping gifts, or enjoying festive food can provoke a visceral feeling that can even lead to them skipping events entirely.

Jenna, a 21-year-old student, who has dealt with sound sensitivity for over a decade, says the approach she intends to use is to put her earphones in to cope. Usually, she would often retreat in a separate space to avoid problematic noises.

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

"People assume you to spend time with loved ones, and I desire to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.

"The sensation is this intense irritation takes hold, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel stressed and immediately start crying and then the stress response will activate.

"It may seem as if I'm being oversensitive and dramatic, but it's hard to explain unless you've experienced it."

Three Ways to Cope

If you suffer then there are some different techniques you can attempt to manage the situation, based on advice from experts.

1. Picture Something Else: Creative thinking is essential. Attempt to link the particular sound affecting you with an unrelated image. So for example, try to picture someone's slurping is just a sink draining water. This technique is to teach your brain that the sound triggering you poses no threat.
2. Try a Competition: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a competition involving the source. As an example, if someone is crunching loudly try joining in. By joining in, rather than feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an active participant. And the competition element should help redirect your focus and make you a little less affected.
3. Develop a Narrative: Another technique is to try to create a little story about the reason someone making the noise is having to make that sound. So if someone was making a nasal sound, perhaps they're not in good health or maybe they're upset. This approach is altering the perception of the sound. Although the noise remains identical, your reaction of it changes from being aggravating, to feeling a little more neutral towards it.