Christmas Transforms Into a Terrifying Experience for Misophonia Sufferers.

One young woman hopes for spending time with her family during the festive period, but says one of the only ways she'll endure is by relying on her hearing protection - notably for the main festive feast.

For the 23-year-old, Christmas often feels like a especially challenging time as the noises of other people chewing, sipping loudly and sniffling trigger intense distress.

"I get this wave of sudden panic, my whole body will just tighten and it as though I'm in peril, and I need to stop these noises."

Lottie has suffered from this condition for several years and for her that causes the Christmas time "incredibly overwhelming".

Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to particular auditory triggers, particularly those coming from other people.

It's surprisingly common across the population. A study found almost one in five people experience it.

Frequently it's noises connected to mouth, throat or facial movements that lead to discomfort, as well as examples such as crunching, breathing, and foot tapping.

A Source of Dread

Lottie says: "I face so many various auditory triggers at Christmas and that can be anxiety inducing and make you want to avoid it.

"My relatives are aware, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to upset others. It's like a really big battle of enduring my distress to guarantee everyone else is happy."

So it's easy to understand why the supposedly joyous season can rapidly become a living nightmare for sufferers.

Triggers that may seem harmless, like someone drinking champagne, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or enjoying festive food can cause a strong emotional response that can even lead to them skipping events entirely.

The student, a young adult, who has struggled with sound sensitivity since aged 10, explains the approach she intends to use is to put her earphones in to manage the meal. Typically, she would often retreat in a quiet area to avoid triggering sounds.

She says her sensitivity is more pronounced around people she's most comfortable with, so Christmas is always "challenging".

"There's an expectation to socialize with family, and I want to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.

"It's like this sudden rage washes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel stressed and immediately start crying and then the stress response will kick in.

"To others it appears as if I'm being oversensitive and overreacting, but it's hard to explain without firsthand experience."

Three Ways to Cope

If you suffer then there are a few methods you can try to cope the situation, as suggested by experts.

1. Picture Something Else: Imagination is crucial. Attempt to link the triggering sound affecting you with an unrelated image. So for example, try to picture someone's slurping is just a gentle stream. This technique is to retrain your mind that the sound triggering you poses no threat.
2. Use Humor: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a competition involving the source. For example, if someone is eating noisily try joining in. Through participation, rather than feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an willing part. And the challenge should help shift your attention and make you somewhat less sensitive.
3. Develop a Narrative: A further strategy is to try to fabricate an explanation about why the person creating the sound is doing it. So if someone was sniffing, perhaps they're not in good health or maybe they're upset. The idea is altering the perception of the sound. Although the sound stays the same, your understanding of it moves from being irritating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate towards it.