Yuletide Can Be a Nightmare for Misophonia Sufferers.

Lottie anticipates spending time with her relatives this Christmas, but says one of the only ways she'll manage to get through it is by relying on her earplugs - particularly at the holiday meal.

For the 23-year-old, the holidays can be a especially challenging period as the sounds of people eating, sipping loudly and breathing heavily cause her extremely uncomfortable.

"I get this feeling of immediate anxiety, my every muscle will just freeze and it as though I'm in peril, and I need to stop these triggers."

Lottie has experienced sound sensitivity since she was 16 and for her that makes the festive season "exceptionally stressful".

Misophonia is a decreased threshold to specific noises, notably sounds made by individuals.

It is prevalent in the UK. Experts found a significant portion of people experience it.

Typically it's noises linked to mouth, throat or facial movements that trigger a reaction, as well as examples such as crunching, heavy breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.

'Anxiety Inducing'

The sufferer notes: "I face so many different triggering sounds at the holidays and that can be anxiety inducing and make you dread it.

"Those close to me are supportive, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to upset others. It's like a really big battle of sacrificing my own sanity to guarantee the event goes smoothly."

So it's clear why the most wonderful season can rapidly become a living nightmare for sufferers.

Sounds that may seem harmless, like someone drinking champagne, unwrapping gifts, or eating the holiday meal can trigger a strong emotional response that can even cause them withdrawing from gatherings.

The student, a 21-year-old student, who has experienced sound sensitivity from childhood, states the approach she intends to use is to listen to music to manage the meal. Usually, she would often retreat in a different room to escape distressing triggers.

She explains her sensitivity is worse around people she's most comfortable with, so Christmas is always "difficult".

"There's an expectation to spend time with family, and I wish to, but it's draining.

"It's like this intense irritation takes hold, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel anxious and immediately start crying and then panic will kick in.

"It may seem as if I'm being difficult and dramatic, but it's hard to explain without firsthand experience."

Three Ways to Manage

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

1. Visualise Something Else: Imagination is key. Try to associate the particular sound affecting you with a neutral concept. For instance, try to picture someone's slurping is just a gentle stream. By doing this is to help your brain learn that the sound triggering you is neutral.
2. Use Humor: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a challenge with the person. As an example, if someone is crunching loudly attempt mimicking the sound. By mimicking, instead of feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an willing part. And the game aspect should help shift your attention and make you a little less affected.
3. Create a Scenario: Another technique is to try to create a little story about why the person making the noise is doing it. Imagine if someone was sniffing, perhaps they're not feeling well or could be emotional. This approach is re-framing the context of the sound. Even though the noise stays the same, your interpretation of it changes from being annoying, to feeling a slightly more compassionate about it.