My latest article in Tinnitus Today (Spring 2025) is titled When the patient becomes the clinician: Rethinking care for sound hypersensitivity. In this post, I’m giving a short overview and also sharing some sample tinnitus and hyperacusis handouts, worksheets, and guidelines to go with my article. More resources and educational info are available on my website on the Tools Page under Science.
As a short summary, scientists estimate 0.2 to 17.2% of the general population have hyperacusis, as well as 3.2 to 17.1% of children and teens, with higher rates seen in people with hearing loss, autism spectrum disorder, and certain jobs such as teachers and musicians. Up to 90% of people with hyperacusis have tinnitus; about 40 to 55% of people with tinnitus have hyperacusis. Similar management strategies help both, although that doesn’t seem widely known.
People with hyperacusis are too often at a loss of what to do. In fear of making things worse, it seems logical for sufferers to seek silence and avoid sounds experienced as unpleasant, loud, painful, and/or frightening. It’s common to wear hearing protection all the time, whether in harmfully loud environments or not.
Unfortunately, these strategies will result in worsening sound tolerances, isolation, stress, insomnia, anxiety, and depression. Unmanaged symptoms disrupt quality of life, including home life, social interactions, school performance, and work responsibilities.
It doesn’t help that too many hearing healthcare clinicians aren’t up to date on current hyperacusis management approaches. For example, in 2023, 67% of American audiology clinics reported they don’t have any hyperacusis management protocols.
Sound sensitivities need to be taken seriously, by researchers, professionals, schools, family, friends, and peers. We are long past the olden days when patients like myself were told “nothing could be done.”
I still struggle pronouncing hyperacusis. But I know from personal and professional experience that a toolbox management approach can help people with sound sensitivity and tinnitus cope better. While there is no cure, hyperacusis can improve so people enjoy a better quality of life.
Resources from Jan Mayes
These educational handouts, worksheets, and other links are mainly pdf documents shared from my public google drive.
Handout: Tinnitus & Hyperacusis Coping Toolbox
Worksheet: Tinnitus and Hyperacusis Toolbox Planning
Handout: Suggestions for Quiet Supporters
Example Parent-Child-Teen Personal Listening Agreement
Tinnitus & Hyperacusis Severity Surveys (including tinnitus-hyperacusis visual analog scales from my books and 10 item Screening Tinnitus Handicap Inventory)
Hearing Healthcare Clinic Guidelines for Tinnitus & Hyperacusis
References for this post:
J.L. Mayes. (Spring, 2025). When the patient becomes the clinician: Rethinking care for sound hypersensitivity. Tinnitus Today, American Tinnitus Association, 50(1), 14-17.
J. Ren, T. Xu, T. Xiang, J. Pu, L. Liu, Y. Xiao, & D. Lai. (2021). Prevalence of hyperacusis in the general and special populations: A scoping review. Frontiers in Neurology, 12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fneur.2021.706555
I. Potgieter, D.J. Hoare, & K. Fackrell. (2022, March). Hyperacusis in Children: A Thematic Analysis of Discussions in Online Forums. American Journal of Audiology, 31(1), 166–174. https://doi.org/10.1044/2021_AJA-21-00137
S. N. Rosing, J. H. Schmidt, N. Wedderkopp, & D. M. Baguley. (2016). Prevalence of tinnitus and hyperacusis in children and adolescents: a systematic review. BMJ Open, 6(6). https://www.doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2015-010596
K. N. Jahn & C. E. Koach. (2023, December). Hyperacusis diagnosis and management in the United States: Clinical audiology practice patterns. American Journal of Audiology, 32(4), 950–961. https://doi.org/10.1044/2023_AJA-23-00118