Even for those who undergo from misophonia, you might not have heard the time period earlier than. It was first utilized in 2001 by neuroscientists Pawel and Margaret Jastreboff to outline a situation that had, nonetheless, existed lengthy earlier than they named it.

My expertise with the situation is second-hand. My associate has had it for so long as I’ve recognized him, however solely final 12 months did we study what it was referred to as. Since then, we’ve been studying up on the situation, attempting to grasp and handle it higher.

Right here’s what that you must learn about misophonia for those who or a liked one has it.

Key Takeaways

• Misophonia, actually the hatred of sound, is an intense emotional and bodily response to sure sounds. It will probably negatively influence each psychological well being and the day-to-day lives of these affected by it, as they’re repeatedly triggered by on a regular basis noises.

• Misophonia signs embody emotional, bodily and behavioral responses to set off sounds. You could really feel intense anger or nervousness, your coronary heart charge can go up, and also you may lash out on the individual making a sound. You might also begin avoiding conditions the place set off sounds are more likely to happen.

• There isn’t a recognized remedy for misophonia, however it may be managed with cognitive behavioral remedy, life-style changes and speak remedy.

Desk of Contents

• What Is Misophonia?

• What Causes Misophonia?

• How Can You Deal with and Handle Misophonia?

• Widespread Misophonia Triggers

• The best way to Sleep With Misophonia

• Conclusion

• Ceaselessly Requested Questions About Sleeping With Misophonia

What Is Misophonia?

Misophonia is an intense emotional and physiological response to sure sounds. It’s thought of a neurological dysfunction and is a kind of sound sensitivity. It is usually known as selective sound sensitivity syndrome.

The Misophonia Institute estimates that round 15% of adults undergo from the situation.⁽¹⁾

Individuals who have misophonia expertise excessive nervousness, anger or misery after they hear sure on a regular basis sounds. These excessive reactions are sometimes misinterpreted by their associates, household and coworkers, who imagine misophonia is nothing greater than annoyance with a sound. The situation is, nonetheless, extra advanced and extreme than that.

Misophonia triggers will set off (pun supposed) three varieties of reactions:

• Emotional: anger, rage, nervousness, concern, disgust

• Bodily: elevated coronary heart charge, sweating, muscle pressure and even ear ache

• Behavioral: violent or non-violent reactions, leaving or avoiding conditions with triggering noises

Folks dwelling with misophonia can develop avoidance behaviors, refusing to show themselves to conditions that may be triggering. This could have an effect on their interpersonal relationships, their work and faculty life, and might result in emotions of loneliness, isolation and even despair.

In case your instant group doesn’t perceive the extraordinary emotional reactions you need to what they understand as odd sounds, dwelling with misophonia might be very difficult. You could even sometimes lash out at an individual making a triggering noise. In the event that they dismiss your emotions of utmost agitation, your emotions of otherness will solely be heightened.

What Causes Misophonia?

The reason for misophonia has not but been decided. Nevertheless, scientists imagine that it’s not brought on by a listening to problem, however somewhat a difficulty with the way in which the mind filters and processes sounds.

A examine printed in Present Biology has discovered that individuals with misophonia confirmed excessive mind exercise within the areas which can be concerned within the notion of indicators inside the physique and their emotional processing.⁽²⁾

One other interview-based examine printed in Frontiers in Human Neuroscience has concluded that misophonia tends to run within the household. 55% of members have said that different members of the family even have the situation.⁽³⁾

Whereas misophonia can be typically related to autism, there is no such thing as a direct hyperlink between the 2 circumstances. These on the autism spectrum typically undergo from misophonia, however neurotypical individuals may also be affected by it. There isn’t a proof that one triggers the opposite.

How Can You Deal with and Handle Misophonia?

There’s presently no standardized therapy for misophonia. A number of the remedies used to handle it embody:

• Discuss remedy and counseling: chatting with a therapist may also help you handle misophonia signs, discover ways to modify your reactions to triggering sounds and tips on how to course of the feelings that accompany them.

• Cognitive behavioral remedy: includes figuring out the unfavourable ideas and reactions that sure sounds trigger, and changing them with extra useful ones.

• Tinnitus retraining remedy: whereas initially designed to assist deal with tinnitus, additionally it is used for treating misophonia. It’s a mixture of counseling and sound remedy, aiming to desensitize a person’s responses to triggering sounds.

• Misophonia administration protocol: a type of sound remedy that designs a sound hierarchy. It begins with much less triggering sounds, working its method as much as probably the most triggering ones, aiming to desensitize the unfavourable reactions to them.

• Life-style modifications: utilizing earplugs or noise-canceling headphones may also help you block out set off sounds in sure conditions (like on the workplace or throughout a commute). Nevertheless, counting on them too typically could make you too depending on them and make your triggers worse.

Arguably, an important administration method for misophonia is educating your group about what you’re going by means of. If these round you’re conscious of your triggers, they will keep away from making these sounds. If a sound triggers you, they may perceive how you’re feeling and received’t decide or disgrace you on your reactions. A supportive surroundings may also help mitigate the emotional misery brought on by particular sounds.

Widespread Misophonia Triggers

Misophonia triggers are sometimes sounds that are typically mildly annoying to most individuals. The distinction is that individuals with misophonia course of them in a different way and expertise a extra extreme emotional response to them.

Repetitive sounds are a standard set off, as are sounds made by different individuals’s our bodies.

A number of the commonest misophonia triggers embody:

• Chewing or crunching

• Lip smacking

• Slurping, gulping and different consuming noises

• Finger or pen tapping

• Loud respiration

• Loud night breathing

• Throat clearing

• Sniffling

• Buzzing

• Whistling

• Joint cracking

• The sound of a ticking clock

• Water dripping

The best way to Sleep With Misophonia

The challenges of sleeping with misophonia are twofold.

You probably have been triggered in the course of the day, your physique will probably go into fight-or-flight mode. You’ll really feel irritable and anxious, which is precisely the other of how you need to be feeling in an effort to go to sleep. Your physique shall be producing an excessive amount of cortisol and adrenaline, which can result in a discount within the manufacturing of the melatonin and serotonin required for sleep.

Loud or disagreeable noises within the night time might fragment anybody’s sleep. They could enhance awakenings, scale back time in deep, restful sleep levels and enhance coronary heart charge and blood strain.

When you may have misophonia, your heightened emotional response to those sounds might wake you up much more, and you might discover it very tough to fall again asleep.

Here’s what you are able to do to make sleeping with misophonia simpler:

• Use a white noise machine to masks intrusive and triggering sounds. Select white noise, ASMR or every other soothing sounds that don’t irritate you. You may also play some soothing music or nature sounds. If you wish to block out each mild and sound, you may strive Manta SOUND Sleep Masks.

• You may also use earplugs in the course of the night time to maintain out undesirable sounds. That is arguably one of the simplest ways to make sure you aren’t woken up by unwelcome set off noises. Nevertheless, the potential draw back is that you could be be way more conscious of set off sounds whereas awake, and you might grow to be unable to go to sleep with out earplugs. Use them with warning.

• Soundproof your room as a lot as you may. Including plenty of completely different textures to it, within the type of pillows, blankets, rugs and ornamental gadgets will guarantee sound bounces round much less, dampening it to an extent.

• In case you can, attempt to remove the sources of triggering sounds. This may imply eliminating any clocks, fixing the dripping faucet, eradicating all electronics from the bed room, and even asking your associate to sleep within the different room.

• Most significantly, discover ways to handle your responses to triggering noises. You could want the assistance of a therapist, an audiologist or a pal. Discuss to others with misophonia to study what works for them. The misophonia Reddit group at r/misophonia may be very useful.

In case your associate is the primary supply of your nightly triggers, your relationship might naturally start to undergo. If their loud night breathing, respiration, shuffling, enamel grinding or sniffling is preserving you awake, have an trustworthy dialog about it. Strive to not blame them for triggering you: they don’t seem to be doing it on objective. Clarify how their noises are making you are feeling, and work on discovering a sleeping resolution that fits you each.

Conclusion

Residing with misophonia might be very difficult and uncomfortable. Whilst you can develop efficient coping mechanisms, you’re nonetheless more likely to be uncovered to triggers on many days. The higher you and people round you perceive your situation, the better will probably be to create life-style changes to assist mitigate your signs.

Do you may have misophonia? How do you handle it in your on a regular basis life? Share your suggestions with our readers by leaving a remark!

Ceaselessly Requested Questions About Sleeping With Misophonia

Can Misophonia Trigger Insomnia or Sleep Deprivation?

Sure, misophonia may cause each insomnia and sleep deprivation. In case your nights are crammed with triggering sounds, you’ll not solely be repeatedly woke up, however your unfavourable response to the sounds will make it onerous to go to sleep once more. In time, you might develop insomnia, as your physique and thoughts begin to dread going to sleep and being triggered.

To forestall this, discover a approach to remove triggering noises in your bed room. Strive sporting earplugs at night time that will help you keep asleep, however be aware that they will make you more and more delicate to daytime noise. You may also strive white noise machines and soundproofing your bed room.

What Are A number of the Nighttime Triggers for Misophonia?

A number of the commonest nighttime triggers for misophonia embody the noises made by a sleeping associate, like loud night breathing, respiration, sighing, sniffling or throat clearing.

Environmental triggers are additionally extra noticeable in the course of the night time, like footfalls, the buzzing of digital gadgets, automotive alarms and ticking clocks.

Can Loud night breathing or Heavy Respiration Set off Misophonia?

Sure, loud night breathing and heavy respiration can set off misophonia. If these are your triggers, discover a approach to shut them out. Your associate can strive sporting nasal strips, or you may strive sporting earplugs or noise-canceling sleep headphones. You may also strive sleeping in separate rooms to make sure you each get a superb night time’s sleep.

Sources:  

(1) “Prevalence of Misophonia.” Misophonia Institute, misophoniainstitute.org/prevalence-of-misophonia. Accessed 20 November 2025.

(2) “The Mind Foundation for Misophonia.” Present Biology, pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28162895. Accessed 20 November 2025.

(3) “Misophonia: physiological investigations and case descriptions.” Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23805089. Accessed 20 November 2025.

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