The Holiday Season Transforms Into a Nightmare for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.

Lottie hopes for seeing her family over the holidays, but notes one of the only ways she'll cope is by wearing her noise-cancelling devices - especially during Christmas dinner.

For the 23-year-old, Christmas is a especially challenging time as the noises of family members munching, drinking noisily and sniffling cause her profound anxiety.

"I get this sensation of sudden panic, my whole body will just tighten and it seems as if I'm in peril, and I need to stop these triggers."

Lottie has experienced misophonia for several years and for her that makes the Christmas time "exceptionally stressful".

Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to certain sounds, notably sounds coming from individuals.

The condition is widespread across the population. A study reported almost one in five people suffer from it.

Typically it's sounds linked to bodily functions that lead to discomfort, along with things like crunching, breathing, and foot tapping.

'Anxiety Inducing'

The sufferer notes: "You encounter so many different triggering sounds at Christmas and that can be daunting and make you want to avoid it.

"Those close to me are supportive, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a constant struggle of sacrificing my own sanity to make sure others enjoy themselves."

So it's clear why the supposedly joyous time of the year can rapidly become a stressful ordeal for those with the condition.

Noises that may seem harmless, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or enjoying festive food can trigger a powerful reaction that can even result in them withdrawing from gatherings.

She, a 21-year-old student, who has experienced misophonia for over a decade, says currently her plan is to use headphones to cope. Usually, she would usually isolate herself in a separate space to avoid triggering sounds.

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

"People assume you to be around loved ones, and I desire to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.

"The sensation is this intense irritation comes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel stressed and begin to weep and then fight-or-flight will take over.

"To others it appears as if I'm being oversensitive and melodramatic, but it's tough to describe unless you've experienced it."

A Few Techniques to Cope

If it's an issue then there are various strategies you can try to cope the situation, according to experts.

1. Picture an Alternative: Creative thinking is crucial. Work on connecting the particular sound causing distress with a neutral concept. So for example, try to picture someone's noisy drinking is just a sink draining water. By doing this is to help your brain learn that the sound affecting you isn't harmful.
2. Use Humor: Use lightheartedness and make the irritating noise into a challenge with the person. As an example, if someone is crunching loudly attempt joining in. By mimicking, rather than feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an engaged person. And the challenge should help distract your brain and make you somewhat less sensitive.
3. Create a Scenario: Another technique is to try to fabricate an explanation about the reason someone making the noise is doing it. So if someone was sniffing, maybe they are not at their best or maybe they're upset. This approach is changing the meaning of the sound. Even though the sound remains identical, your understanding of it shifts from being irritating, to feeling a little more neutral towards it.