Overly sensitive to noises

[UTH]

My wife is convinced I have a problem. Noises like people eating, loud breathing, scraping a bowl with a spoon, slurping tea etc make me want to scream. Of course because we live together every day, 95% of the time it's her making these noises, but if it was anyone else doing it, I'd feel the same.

Am I just being uptight? Or is this an actual thing that could be 'cured' as it were?

Sometimes even the noise of myself eating crisps annoys me!

[LunarOne]

It's a very well-known and common condition called misophonia. I have it too, but only when I'm in the cinema for some reason!

[UTH]

LunarOne said:

It's a very well-known and common condition called misophonia. I have it too, but only when I'm in the cinema for some reason!

Is there something that can be done about it? It's not ideal that any time my wife eats I basically want to kill her LOL

[boombang]

You are certainly not alone, I have an irrational response to gulping noises when people drink. To me it's absolutely unnecessary and the action disgusts me.

Many years ago I suffered uncontrolled sinus issues and was unable to breath through my nose - my girlfriends housemate could not stand the noise of me breathing (from the other side of a living room with music on...) and tried to ruin our relationship. She claimed to genuinely hate me, all because of my breathing noise.

[UTH]

boombang said:

You are certainly not alone, I have an irrational response to gulping noises when people drink. To me it's absolutely unnecessary and the action disgusts me.

Many years ago I suffered uncontrolled sinus issues and was unable to breath through my nose - my girlfriends housemate could not stand the noise of me breathing (from the other side of a living room with music on...) and tried to ruin our relationship. She claimed to genuinely hate me, all because of my breathing noise.

Ok at least I'm not alone. It's not very helpful is it!

[bigandclever]

UTH said:

Is there something that can be done about it? It's not ideal that any time my wife eats I basically want to kill her LOL

You could have a google for tinnitus retraining, and CBT for misophonia. I've got a bit of it for lip smacking, drink slurping bdS.

[RJH777]

Yep, misophonia is an awful thing (I have it really badly, snoring, breathing noises, eating and drink - I even annoy myself with me own eating noises sometimes!).

As mentioned above, look into CBT for it - it can get worse over time and you really don't want that, as I can attest.

[UTH]

RJH777 said:

I even annoy myself with me own eating noises sometimes!).

Wow, I really am not the only weirdo in the world then

[Mastodon2]

A common feature in autistic people too, some of whom struggle with noises that are loud, repetitive or just with a certain frequency or timbre that triggers distress, anger etc.