Misophonia Trigger Sounds

Here are some of the sounds/noises that can trigger a misophonia episode.

They may vary slightly from person to person (a trigger for one person might not be for another).

 

  • Lip smacking
  • Loudly shuffling papers or erratically turning pages
  • People reading newspapers
  • Chewing
  • Crunching on an apple
  • Something dropping on the floor suddenly (like cutlery or a remote control)
  • The sound of a ring pull being pulled on a soft drink can
  • The sound of someone licking their fingers
  • Rustling of crisp packets or anything made of plastic
  • Heels clacking on floor
  • Irregular breathing (such as certain sighs or sharp intakes of breath)
  • Coughing
  • Cutlery being banged or scraped on a plate

83 Comments

  1. Ashley Nikki

    Lord have mercy… i could make you a list prob 10 -pages long of trigger sounds.
    just the clicking of my fingers on the keyboard is bothersome. I hate when my phone rings, so I put it on do not distrurb, I do not like it vibrating either, so Its completely silent, I tell people to text me and I will call them. I am very sensitive to light as well. I do not like the sound of balloons blowing up, the sound of doors opening and closing, like at grocery stores that is a nightmare for me, the sound of the registers is awful, clocks ticking, horns honking, sirens, clicking of pens, sneezing, i feel like the worst mom ever when my kids are sick and up coughing at night because i just want to pull my own hair out. My kids make so many sounds with there mouths im not even sure how to discribe them. I have learned over time how to function in life. somewhat. I also do have OCD and PTSD, so much FUN. I am a double major in college currently, foreign language and criminal justice and will then be doing international studies. It is a challenge at times. I am trying to work on this, but it is hard. I wear an LG bluetooth headset at all times when out, I literally put on music when i am bothered by sound, I tell my kids I will not be able to hear them, and If they need me to tap me. at school I am allowed to wear my headphones as well, and use a quiet testing area if needed. The headphones have saved my life. I did once leave phone without them, I was at school, was panicking and after my first class, I left and went to the store and just bought a new pair. I have had to walk out of classes due to students tapping desks, or teachers playing videos to loudly. I have taken batteries out of clocks at school (dont worry I informed the administration the other day to go pop the batteries back in, in the rooms i popped them out.) the ticking was making me MAD. like insane. LOL.. how fun.. NOT. Do you know how many people suffer from this? I have never met anyone like me ever. People think im crazy. I hate fireworks too. 🙁 i like to look at them though from like my window or on you tube videos. Chuck e cheese sucks too. Ive gotten better over time, I have taken my kids to chuck e cheese now that they are a little older and can play on their own and be responsibile, and taken them to firework shows, and church halloween events, and the etc… its still very overwhelming, I just have to make sure my phone is charged and my headset is charged. 🙁 i would love to hear back from you and maybe get in contact with someone or other who have this “phobia” or whatever it is…

    Reply
    • Anonymous

      That sounds rough. My misophonia is a bit more toned down than that, with only a few trigger sounds. Hope yours gets better.

      Reply
    • Yasmin

      I too am like this the sounds on the streets motorbikes ambulances people talking loudly
      Or phone ringing
      Water from a tap etc
      I m about to go crazy

      Reply
    • Bob

      I am 78 and have had noise problems all my life. Havnt got too long to go now for a bit of peace and quiet. Dogs barking, loud motor bikes, noisy cars, supermarket music, screaming kids, mowers, honking, yelling, loud commercials on tv, any sharp noise, clanging, planes and people biting into apples. And thats just a few! But i really love easy to listen to music. Still i am greatful for my life and try not to let people know my discomfort as it is my problem not theirs. Just hang in the best you can.

      Reply
    • Judy

      I know I truly have a severe case of both the misophonia and the miksonisia! I’ve wondered for years why I have so many mixed emotions over a lot of the noises!
      My mother when she talks traces everything in front of her with her hands
      at that
      point I’m nauseated and sends me to a
      panic attacks wanting to flee the scene. I just want people to stop making noise and movement! Loud TVs make me emotionally upset. I get upset with my self for being unable to tolerate these things. It comes with great relief to know that I actually have a condition and that I’m not just being rude and mean as some people say because I can’t stand the sounds or the movements. I just wish there was help for any of us that suffer with this.

      Reply
    • PaulaT

      Jesus, It is so hard. It takes a lot not to self-pity or start being mean to people. Some times I get to a place where I would just die or disintegrate the source of the trigger. The worst part is not just suffering from it, but being always expecting it, hunting the discomfort, hoping that in being ready it will slow the blow and decrease the negative emotions. Hate the idea that it is not in my power to control it. For a control freak like me it feels like mutilation, being exposed, vulnerable, open to a bad bad emotional state with no one to blame, no one to fight, nothing to do except to retreat or to distract. Not real thriving can occur while having your life conditioned to the out world and knowing that no one will fully understand the complexity of what you go through by the simple fact of existing. Acting normal, socializing, just being a being has proven difficult, I wonder if it will ever deterred. The prospect is not encouraging, it is just exhausting but it cant become the excuse for not to do things, and that brings the funny questions. Do I see more limitations than there really are or this is actually so bad? Will I be able to over come it? When and how? I know nothing, I feel nothing and everything. Do you feel this way? Overwhelmed and empty? Sleep is good, isn’t it?

      Reply
      • Margaret

        Yes Paula, sleep is excellent, I try to sleep a lot to escape.

        Reply
      • Gina

        I know exactly how you feel, I can relate to all of that. My trigger sound is electric drills – I can’t be in the same room, or even the same building when somebody’s using one. I have to flee the house when one of the neighbours is doing a bit of D.I.Y.

        It’s so reassuring to have found this website, and realise that I’m not alone.

        Reply
      • Trish

        Thank you for saying what you said about feeling like wanting to die or disintegrate the source of the trigger. I end up saying the most aggressive sounding things as I vent to people. Who have no comprehension that in that moment I am like a torture victim. Under attack from …..a sound. Christ. I have to read more on sensory integration. Im 47 and have always had issues since a child. The current torturous sound is creaking floorboards in my mothers home where I am stuck during lockdown cos of Covid 19 crisis!!!!

        Reply
    • Nell

      I don’t know how to post my own comment, so I’m going to have to reply to this to share my experience. Sorry if I may seem insensitive or something like that for, well, not actually saying anything related to your comment?
      Well, anyway. I don’t know at all, if what I experience is misophonia, or if it can even be considered an actual “thing”.
      Basically, I have atleast 2 sounds that make me uncontrollably angry and panicked, to the point of almost lashing out violently. A dog barking and my phone vibrating (repeatedly, once is still sort of fine but if someone spams me with messages or calls me, I’ll often reply really rudely because of how furious I get)
      Now, the thing that confuses me most is that, I really really enjoy ASMR, any kind of ASMR! I like eating ASMR, tapping ASMR, brushing ASMR etc etc. Basically, pretty much all of the triggers that are listed on this website don’t actually bother me all that much I think? Atleast not the ones listed in the Misophonia test. Though, I haven’t heard any of those sounds recently and can’t remember how I feel when I hear them, so I am very uncertain when it comes to these “common” triggers, and whether or not they affect me.
      I don’t know how diverse the triggers can be, or how many you have to have in order for it to be misophonia.. I would really love to understand why I get so incredibly mad though, it makes it hard for me sometimes 🙁
      My comment was probably really rambly and full of typos, but I hope someone understood even a few sentences, hope to get some reply… Thanks! And I wish all the people here the best in life < the most I can say right now to be even a little bit compassionate.

      Reply
      • Lorelee

        cg – understand how the vagus nerve works and learn how to activate the ventral vagus nerve and put your nervous system back into parasympathetic response. There is a Facebook group that deals with this and check out Stephen Porges’s work. Also, check out biofield tuning with Eileen McKusick. This process clears trauma from the biofield, helps people ground and centre themselves and strengths the boundary around the biofield so that people are not as hyper-sensitive.

        Reply
      • jessy

        I could not understand why people enjoyed ASMR….it genuinely stresses me

        Reply
    • Sarah

      My misophonia started when I was 11, just after I was hospitalised for a month with toxic epidermal necrolysis. It was a deeply traumatic experience for me, being out of my mind with pain all the time (the illness caused agonising blisters to appear all over my body externally and internally, and later my skin to start dropping off.) My eyes and mouth were sealed shut by blood from the blisters most of the time, and the inside of my nose was also ruined, so I basically had no input other than the flood of sounds around me, including the constant beeping of machines, a ticking clock, and the sound of my mum eating and breathing. This is the cause, I suspect, of my misophonia. (But if I could go back in time I would never change the fact that my mother stayed with me, even though she was a large part of the cause of my misophonia. She stayed beside me the whole time, giving me the care I needed that the nurses were too busy to do. By looking after my eyes and skin properly she stopped me from going blind and being covered in scars, bless her soul).
      My misophonia was only mild to begin with. However, it got much worse, thanks to my dad.
      My dad has bipolar and can be emotionally abusive. Sometimes when I asked him to try to eat quieter, he would turn to me and start chewing as loudly and disgustingly as he could, a kind of cruel delight in his eyes. The rest of the time, even though I knew what I had was misophonia and showed him various articles explaining what it was, my dad would just call me silly and refuse to take me seriously. This is a man with mental illness of his own, which we all accept and support him for, so he should be more understanding, right? Nope. I’m 16 now, and he’s a lot better, but he still doesn’t really care whether he triggers me or not. Luckily, I have better avoidance strategies now.
      I didn’t realise until writing this now just how angry I am at him. Does anyone else have a similar experience?

      Reply
      • Zara

        Hi, Sarah, I’m so sorry about your experiences with misophonia. That really sucks.
        1. I’ve had misophonia since age 11 or so. My mom has it as well. My trigger sounds include (but definitely aren’t limited to) chewing, sniffling, and crackling, but what doesn’t make sense is that sometimes I’m also appealed to the sound of crackling. I have no idea why. I also generally have a larger reaction to family members making trigger sounds than if strangers do it, but I think that’s a common effect of misophonia.
        2. I’ve had a similar experience but much less emotionally-impacting. A certain close relative of mine gets angry at me every time I mention his chewing at the dinner table, saying things like “that’s ridiculous” and “I’m allowed to chew in my own house.” I think he does know that misophonia exists, but the fact that he doesn’t care makes me upset. I also have a sister who teases me about my misophonia, gets angry when I tell her to stop making loud trigger sounds, and obnoxiously chews in my face whenever I tell her to stop, but I guess that’s just what sisters do. Plus, my mom and I always seem to get into arguments about each other’s chewing, but we never actually get mad at each other.

        Reply
      • Kennedy

        Absolutely, My Dad eats like a pig and no one wants to be in the same room as him, but I am the only one with misophonia and Autism. He does not believe there is anything wrong with me and thinks I should be ‘over it’ by now. He repeats himself constantly, and I do mean constantly, sometimes he will say the same thing dozens of times, and it drives me to distraction, but when that is pointed out to him, he said “its conversation”, I don’t want conversation, it is all noise to me, and obviously the same thing over and over again is useless noise!! My sister used to make eating noises as she knew it drove me insane!!!

        Reply
    • Nick Andrews

      I’m totally with you on this.
      It’s like reading my own posting.

      Reply
    • Kit

      I hear you, so to speak. My own is triggered by gum popping, people saying “shhh,” people popping the sound of “p” (don’t EVEN repeat that phrase out loud), smacking when they’re eating. Horrible as a kid since my father and grandmother did it all the time. As an adult, I’d wear earplugs jammed into my ears when having dinner with them.

      When I was about 3, the librarian shushed me, and the sound irritated me so much that I started to cry. This, of course, made her shush me again, and so I started screaming. Finally, my older brother said I was lying on the floor, beating it with my fists and rolling back and forth, my face a disturbing purple. He had to carry me out.

      Finding out at the age of 73 that there was a name for this madness made me feel less alone.

      Reply
  2. Denise

    I have suffered from misophonia since I was 10 years old. I recall the trigger – family members eating. But this developed to include many other triggers. As I grew up I found ways to deal with certain noises; by not eating with the family, closing windows to block out neighbours noises, etc. When I was an adult I would ensure anytime I moved home I went somewhere that would alleviate one of my triggers (move out of a flat and into a house, out of a house in the city and into the country, etc.). However, whatever trigger I alleviated was replaced by a new trigger. My mind simply seeks noise disturbances. Recently I moved to an extremely peaceful place in the world. No traffic, no neighbours, no noise. Ten days ago, for no reason whatsoever, I developed another trigger – aircraft noise. I do not live near an airport, but I do live beneath a busy flight path. However, the planes are usually 5 miles up! But to me they sound like they are in my back yard. I have lived in this place for over three months and for reasons beyond me the trigger came on suddenly, without any previous annoyances with aircraft noise. I am now going crazy because I can hear every single plane, even in the house with all the windows and doors shut, the radio on, etc. I have sought a special type of counselling which begins tomorrow which is suppose to help me to confront the problem that causes these triggers, rather than trying to shut the triggers out with earplugs or headphones, closing doors or windows. I can no longer even go outside for a walk without feeling like I am going to go crazy. This is no way to live. And I can’t move house this time because there is aircraft everywhere, even over the Pacific Ocean! The reality is aircraft noise has always been there. My mind has just chosen to find another trigger since all the others have gone. If the treatment works I will let you know.

    Reply
    • Allergic to Sound

      Hi Denise, thank you for your comment. What type of counselling are you signing up for? It’d be very interesting to hear.

      Reply
    • James

      Hello,

      I am going through the same thing – it is because they have changed the way they fly in the flight paths – so, although you may have heard planes before you wouldn’t have heard as many planes (they have concentrated the routes – they follow the same line as the one before and so one). I am the same, I can’t stand the noise. I have become depressed over it – I, like you, feel trapped to what I should do.

      Reply
    • James

      Hey, I have the same issue. I started to notice aircraft noise around 2014, before I didn’t . It makes me go crazy when I hear it! I hate it so much, I can hear it all the time now. I get so angry when I hear it when trying to sleep. I feel like shouting. I have had break downs because of that noise to. It is making me so depressed,so much I had to leave my job.

      Reply
    • Beckie Weinheimer

      Denise, I am the same about planes. Some websites say planes aren’t triggers. I live half time in NYC. I go crazy with sirens honking cabs, etc. Then half year in a small coastal town in Midcoast Maine. I’ve lived there 8 years and only started to notice the planes last year. How did the therapy go? I’m losing it. There are as you said planes everywhere!!n And I probably can’t find a quieter place to live.

      Reply
      • Kathy

        Did either of you figure out how to deal with the planes? It is driving me insane. It makes me want to sell my house and move.

        Reply
  3. Sreve Wright

    Gulping!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Reply
    • Tim Hill

      Thank god!! Literally couldn’t find anyone else who’s triggered by gulping!

      Reply
      • Rubygirl

        Haha, just watch me try to partake in a sit-down meal with my family. I’m jumpier than a cat on a hot tin roof. It’s all I can do to control the rage. I used to lash out at my mom if we were working in the kitchen and she decided to take a bite of carrot or apple. I thought it was my fault, like why can’t I grow up and stop reacting this way. I have missed more family mealtimes than I would like to admit. It was easier to skip the meal than cause a rip-roaring, hair-pulling, screaming fight because everyone thought I had a short temper.
        This intolerance for noise has not gone away and in some ways it’s gotten worse BUT I can say without a doubt that I could deal with it BETTER after I went through DBT. I tried to train myself to think of the gulping, slurping, crunching, etc etc as just another everyday noise. It helped some, but its strenuous work.
        I had no idea this was even a ‘thing’ until this morning. I am seriously so comforted!!!

        Reply
      • Josh

        Ditto, on the gulping – makes me crazy

        Reply
  4. Eve

    Why isn’t my trigger sound on their? Do I just have a really rear case of misophonia? Has anyone ever had a ringtone as a trigger sound?

    Reply
    • Allergic to Sound

      Hi Eve, this isn’t an exhausted list by any means and there are several sounds on there which trigger me and other misophones which I haven’t put down. It’s just a guide to give you an idea of some of the most common ones.

      Reply
    • Rose

      I get triggered by so many things not ontis list but my misokinesia is worse than my misophonia e.g. My misophonia triggers:
      Chewing sweets and other things that involve a lot of spit in the mouth
      Clapping
      Clicking
      Sound of hands against skin
      Gulping
      My mum singing without music
      The noise from finger sucking

      My misokinesia triggers:
      Face touching or stroking
      Plucking hair off face
      Feet or legs moving rapidly while sitting
      Finger sucking
      Biting nails
      Picking teeth
      Rubbing lips
      Really anything to do with touching the face
      Fiddling with hair
      Fiddling in general

      Reply
      • Anne

        My misokenesia is also worse and face or lips touching drives me insane. However, I only have it with very close people so my husband is the main one. It used to be my dad but since not living with him for years, it doesn’t bother me any more. Weird ! I wonder if men generally move more with hands/face than women as none of my female relatives/friends bother me in this way. My poor husband is always fiddling with his hair, rubbing his thumb and index finger while watching TV. My dad used to move his foot up and down while watching TV. It is unbearable. My husband also likes to listen to music on his headphones on aeroplanes but taps, mouths along with his music etc so sitting next to him is unbearable. I now book separate seats. He cannot understand me and calls me neurotic. I feel ashamed but the overwhelming feeling of annoyance and stress it causes me makes me find as many avoidance strategies as possible. Wonder why I have this.

        Reply
  5. Shelby

    Wow – Thank you so much for putting all this together. I have suffered from this for as long as I can remember but always just thought it was an abnormal thing only I suffered from. Therefore, I never reached out to a doctor about it. However, now I feel comfort in knowing I am not alone, and the confidence to seek treatment.

    Reply
  6. michele shingler

    I am so glad i am not alone with this ridiculous condition. mine started when i was about 14 or 15 when i started to notice my mum speaking when eating with food in her mouth which used to fly out, it was disgusting and hated meal times. Then i could hear her breathing when doing her sewing with her mouth open, so she was the trigger in this. When i left home things got better but gradually started to come back. I couldnt stand people licking their fingers whilst eating, or smacking their lips,going to the cinema now i have to sit in the back row cos the sound of people eating popcorn and rustling their bags makes me wanna chuck it over their head lol, so cant have anybody sitting behind me in cinema. We got a dog, the poor dog was only doing doggy things but when he got excited he breathed and panted and i couldnt stand it, i hated hearing him eating. I hate popping noised in peoples throat, its a nightmare, and writing it down sounds so ridiculous, my children laugh at me and say im a nutter, but its only certain sounds, im fine with everyday noises, just people and dogs and their noises.

    Reply
    • OG

      Holy mother I hate popcorn! No one understands. I ALWAYS sit in the back row and it always bothers me to hear people rustling in popcorn like cows.

      My misophonia started with my mother’s singing voice. She would sing all the time, even in closed spaces (eg. Her driving me somewhere). And I don’t mean singing along to music. Just singing. Her voice is horrible! She is guttaral and doesn’t care for melody, and had this disturbing tick where she would drag out certain parts of the song. I probably started noticing it in my teens and I swear to God she did it just to torment me. I already had a bad relationship with her (she was kind of abusive) so the noise triggers felt like another kind of attack. She was also fond of picking her teeth with a toothpick (visual trigger!) and rubbing her feet together when seated. I hated my mother for a long time because she was either trying to control me or triggering me with her disgusting behavior. No wonder I’m so messed up. I wonder if I have PTSD.

      Reply
      • Jasmine

        Wow, I have this exact experience. My mom is an okay singer, but she would sing all through the night and play piano at 4 am. It just made me so angry and I threw stuffed animals at the wall, slammed doors, etc. She also does that foot rubbing thing and it used to drive me insane. I’d try to joke about it to get her to stop, like “are you trying to start a fire?” But I hated it.

        Reply
  7. Ian

    Can music (all types) be a trigger?

    Reply
    • Tim

      I’ve definitely had times when music is as much a trigger as other sounds. For me it depends on my level of tiredness & mood.

      But yes, some songs trigger the anger response for me too.

      Reply
  8. Tim

    I used to wonder if my hearing had been affected by a Cicada (120db) chirruping about 30cm from my ear during a camping trip as a child.

    When I think back, I remember not being able to sit at the dinner table with some other sound source (TV, radio), since the sound of eating drove me nuts. As an adult it’s easier to control the impulse.

    Something which I wonder if other Misphonia folks have – at my age of 40-something, I still have full hearing range equivalent to a child. But when in crowds (bars, restaurants) I struggle to hear the person sitting next to me – because I can hear _everything_ going on in that bar. I can’t tune in on any one thing. I think this exasperates my Misphonia, making it more pronounced in quiet situations.

    Reply
  9. Bernadette McConnell

    I too have misophonia. My triggers are bus driving and cars. Chewing and mouth clearing, breathing. I have been looking for this for all my life and only recently found out what was wrong with me. Now I can learn to manage it

    Reply
  10. alexandria

    im concerned when anyone is shaking their foot back and forth or tapping or anything remotely similar that i feel a rage build up and all i want most in the world is to make it stop. right now someone in my class keeps moving their leg and have been for the past few hours and all i can think of is how badly i want it to stop. i have been sitting white knuckled since the beginning of class at 7:30 in the morning, my chest feels heavy and my brain feels like its going to explode. I am getting fidgety to distract my self from this person but nothing seems to be working. Am i overreacting? sorry if there is bad grammar or capitalization etc. i am in a furious rage over this

    Reply
  11. sowinglight@gmail.com

    My trigger set seems to have nothing to do with food. I can’t handle humming, fake laughing, tapping, whiny pitches to the voice, crying (loud), kids playing noisily. I don’t know if that falls under misophonia, but I do have physiological reactions to these sounds. My stomach starts to hurt, I get nauseated, and my vision starts to get a little fuzzy. I swear, when I hear those sounds, it’s like all the other sounds in th world fade and the trigger sounds literally seem amplified. The ironic thing is that I’m a middle school English teacher. LOL. But my students are fine, for the most part. It’s smaller kids that stress me out. LOL! (Including my own two, ages 4 and 7).

    Reply
    • Magali

      Whiny pitches to the voice is one of my trigger sound too! Especially that voice that people use when imitating each other, or when whimpering (even if genuine… it still just makes my blood boil!)

      Reply
  12. Christa

    I can’t stand chewing sounds (carrots and apples are the worst). sucking teeth and sniffles. Certain types of music, clocks ticking (other people are not even aware of the clock when to me it seems the loudest sound in the room!!), heavy breathing, alarms, motorcyles…..
    My mood changes instantly from friendly to rude if I can’t manage the sound by either removing myself or making it stop.

    Reply
  13. Helen

    I’ve been struggling with misophonia for as long as i can remember. I once tried to compile a list of all of my triggers and ended up with ten pages of listing and had still not named them all. Misophonia, in almost all instances for me, results in intense emotional and physical pain that I cannot hide. In most cases i end up scratching, hitting, or hurting myself in some way to lessen the pain of the sounds.

    Reply
  14. Janey

    I have just found this name to my condition!! I control freak family members on slurping tea and slurping soup and god help me, the endless scraping clean of yogurt containers or jam jars. I snapped 20 years ago in an exam due to someone chewing their gum with their mouth open…snap! I can’t tolerate advertising on the radio, drives me insane. I have left restaurant because someone 4 tables aways is sniffing their snot or worse…the noodle slurp!!! I have stopped dead in my tracks walking to let the “Shoe Shuffler” pass far far far away in front of me….

    I wear ear plugs at work at the first sip of slurped tea from another cublice of my highly highdrated co worker. Sigh* One can go nuts…!!! I get agitated amd angry and can’t focus and need to block out the sound… Sorry, so sorry to read about the stories of some with physical pain….

    Reply
  15. Jan

    Tapping, shuffling, clicking, any repetative sounds; children crying, screaming, whining or running around making other “howler monkey” noises. (It’s that high-pitched, nails-on-the-chalkboard sound that will send me instantly to the brink of insanity); loud or repetative music or T.V.; foot shuffling/scuffing; music for which I can only hear the bass portion because someone has it cranked up so loud at a distance; I play online games and I have to turn off the music and really adjust the ambiant and effect sounds to tolerate it. My house is silent most of the time, the radio in the car is barely audible and I can only sleep with a white noise machine. I have a really tough time going to stores that insist on playing loud music. I’ve really got to get some ear plugs or something, because it just seems to be getting worse!

    Reply
    • Jim

      go through exactly the same thing and triggers, plus I live with Tinnitus… Not fun

      Reply
  16. Tori

    Hello everyone. For once the daily mail was useful – it led me here!

    I had no idea this condition existed but is exactly what I experience every day. I thought I was to be honest pretty bonkers or weird.

    I’m not sure when it started. The odd thing is I’m partially deaf from birth and have worn hearing aids all my life (in my 30s now). My aversions or triggers are more specific to repetition, I become anxious and angry when I hear tapping or someone moving their leg continuously, crisp eating (but more the rustling of packets) rustling of plastics, repetitive coughs and people talking really loudly on the phone and some versions of really loud music. When they occur I am often desperate to find a diplomatic way to let that person know that their actions are really distressing – but we all have a right to live and do as we please, so I don’t say anything.

    Because I wear hearing aids I find it difficult to wear ear phones as the practicalities of taking them in and out especially when I am out and about and need to hear train announcements etc. Most of the time I grin and bear it and feel pretty uptight and down afterwards. I then end up being really tired from being so wound up for that short period of time. It’s refreshing that sadly there is more of us out there and it’s impressive to see research into this, especially when we still know so little about the brain. Thank you for setting this up.

    Reply
    • Allergic to Sound

      Hi Tori, welcome! You’re not at all bonkers or weird (or at least no more than the rest of us ;)) Do check at the article on here about misokinesia as it sounds like you may have this too.

      Reply
  17. Emily

    Thank you for your amazing website. I am currently 15, but my Misophonia started when I was 13. At first, I was only sensitive to eating sounds. Now, however, I have nearly 40 triggers. I have most of them written down, but some are just now forming. I haven’t told my family about all of my triggers, and the few I have mentioned seem to slip their minds since they are everyday sounds, such as chewing gum or biting nails. I personally didn’t really know what Misophonia was until I started researching a few days ago. For the past two years I just thought that it was something wrong with me. I try to keep silent as much as I can and I constantly have earbuds in. Although I am young, I am very glad to know what it happening in my brain. This website has been extremely helpful for allowing me to learn more about myself. Thank you for all of your hard work! It has helped me greatly and is beginning to inspire me to share my triggers with my family. It will be a long process, but I think it will be worthwhile.

    Reply
    • Allergic to Sound

      You are very welcome Emily! So glad you’ve found it helpful.

      Reply
  18. Elaine

    Thanks for a great website, i feel a comfort knowing there are others with Misophonia.I have suffered with Misophobia and avoid meal time with “Noisey eaters” for as long as i can remember….All eating noises seem to affect me, Biting, chewing, Swallowing, Gulping, Licking Lips,,,I have reactions to loud breathing, people talking to themselves for example counting or reading in a whisper…I react to repeative movements, moving legs, tapping feet, moving hands, playing with coins in pocket…i do explain to people and no one really understands, family and close friends understand as they see i am not joking and am in alot of pain with everyday noises that others dont even register as sound as it has no impact.i tend to walk away from all situations where i think there might be uncomfortable noise for me or if i hear noise that annoys me i walk away from it….It can be a unsociable phobia as i avoid social gatherings unless i know who is attending and know the way they eat…certain people i now make repeative movements, i cant sit and relax with these persons as it makes me very anxious…so again i walk away…i have never seen anyone change habits to suit me,,i guess i dont give them the chance as i remove myself from the situation!!Anyhow its nice to have this forum to discuss with other people who understand.

    Reply
  19. Kate

    This is a fabulous outlet! Even just to know you’re not alone.

    I feel like I have been dealing with this since I was very young – I have always gotten irrationally angry when eating with other – two members of my family are particularly noisy and I would always lash out at them in a nasty way.

    I think I generally have a better control over it now, however I work in an office and when sharing kitchen space with loud chewers I often have to physically remove myself, if I don’t have headphones handy.

    I also share a desk with a person who not only chews gum like a cow, but bashes the keyboard in a frantic way that makes me feel sick. SO typing has become a new problem for me. He also has a horrible habit of scraping tupperware when he eats (again, furiously fast and like a cow). Thank goodness for headphones!

    Reply
    • Allergic to Sound

      Great Kate, glad you find it helpful. Yes, headphones are our saviour!

      Reply
  20. Aaron

    Finally, there’s a name for bring bothered by noises! I’m not triggered by eating noises, music, vehicle or mechanical or repetitive fidgety noises, but children making sudden noises, conversation echoing in public places, and throat-clearing and coughing set off panic attacks.

    Reply
  21. Jake

    I have suffered from misophobia for as long as I can remember, that being primary school. I’m almost twenty by the time of this comment. First it was whispering, specifically those whispering to me. At first it was a cause of frustration and discomfort but now it is a major trigger and has me feeling genuinely violent. We are all aware that it is an overreaction and unreasonable. I sometimes fear that I am a danger to myself in these scenarios as the desire to hurt both myself and those making the noise is so strong and I’ve often verbally lashed out at those who whisper at me or make chewing noises. I cannot eat with my young brother in law as he does not eat with his mouth closed, not only do I find it gross but I have to excuse myself from the room as the thoughts that go through my head exposed to that noise are so disturbing when the subject is a child. This condition is without a doubt an impairment on my social life even though I consider myself extroverted. I’ve been hesitant to seek treatment as this condition has not been “officially recognised” or something like that.

    Reply
  22. Emily

    I have suffered from misophonia since 9 years old. Words and sounds that particularly trigger me are chewing sounds, and people going ‘shhh’. I remember when I was in class as a kid and kids were talking, the teacher would go ‘shh’ and I would feel like screaming or pulling my own hair out. I had no idea it had a name until now, I just thought it was something that happened to everyone. Thanks for making this, it’s nice to know other people have this too and to be able to talk to them.

    Reply
    • Allergic to Sound

      You’re very welcome Emily, I hope it helps. Remember you’re not crazy, or weird or bad and we’re all here for you. With the right mindset and coping mechanisms you can thrive with misophonia.

      Reply
  23. John Stormnoiser

    Hello
    I read lot of the comments, but can’t read everything, I identify myself with this.
    Since kid I have misophonia and i don’t even knew this was a thing, people began to talk to me about my overreactions, I’m never phisically agressive, but sometimes i throw objects in certain noisy things, and i jump and roll and even bite things when certain noises trigger me.
    Its a pain to me, lot things triggers me, its exhausting to live with people and in public spaces, more if you count i’m a schizoid person and whatever more disturbs i have.
    Things that trigger me mainly (still there is more):

    * I hate loud bangs and clicks (like doors, firework, objects falling and etc);
    * Repetitive rhythmic monotonous sounds (not if it is an harmonic music);
    * Why people yell when they are entertained? I hate yelling, i hate people drunk in street talking loud and yelling;
    * I hate a lot machine noises and mostly alarms, sirens and things like that, this is the ultimatum of my rage;
    * Certain packages and plastic sounds, squeaks;
    * Repetitive dumb sounds like some they put on youtube videos or cartoon or dumb musics (I mean those musics that were propositionally ridiculous, like when someone do some thing on tv and plays that small descending line “fonfon-fonfon”);

    I could write almost an infinite list, this is painful, its exhausting…
    And nobody understand this, and they barely talk about this in my country, so when i say i have misophonia, people don’t even consider and think i’m those guys that instead of “getting better” keep being annoying and defending himself with this “i’m misophonic” excuse, i gave up >:(.
    Nobody understand me and this makes my rage double, because i’m not just annoying with sound, i’m annoyed with how people lack understanding that two persons can have completely different reactions to reality, and i don’t listen sounds like they do.
    Animals sleep in extremely quiet and dark places to feel security, if that thing is genetic, i believe i have a genetic that makes me feel like old times survivors and wild animals, that, in the middle of forest, any small tic you hear could be a tiger going to kill you so you wake up in “danger mode”, but modern noises trigger this tribal gene on my, my theory, just theory.

    Thanks.

    Reply
  24. MD

    Cereal. Nuff said.

    Licking your finger to turn the page of a book.

    Reply
  25. Marissa

    Thank goodness I’ve found this. I have an endless list of triggers it seems however the worst one for my is throat clearing. I’m trying to find ways of helping it as it’s starting to hurt my relationship. Other triggers for me include eating, drinking, coughing, snoring, scratching, lawn mowers, tapping, trains, I could go on forever. I’m so thankful to know I’m not the only one who wants to lose it anytime I hear these noises.

    Reply
  26. Peter

    My daughter is 10. She has started having panic attacks when she hears her mum breath. It has got to the point that just thinking about it sets her off. It’s rapidly got worse. We are seeking counselling. This is heartbreaking.
    We are in the U.K. Anyone else ?

    Reply
  27. Pola

    Lip smacking and nose sniffing. I hate those two and those two are made at my work every day. I am suffering now, really.

    Reply
  28. Me too

    My family are quite tolerant now that they have read up on it, we play music at the dinner table. I hate eating with mouth open, lip smacking, clicking jaws, nail biting, snot snorting, noisy swallowing, crunchy foods (carrots, grapes, apples, hula hoop crisps), drumming fingers, pen clicking, knuckle cracking. My old boss at work used to do all of the above and I was so enraged by his impoliteness I avoided looking at him in meetings and out my finger I my ear. Also wore headphones to block his drumming and went out to lunch to avoid his eating (which he did while watching telly with headphones on) I am so happy I do not have to be in his presence any more, he triggered that over presence described in the other blog.

    Reply
  29. Im gonna throw this bag of chips out the window

    Oh god, reading the comments on this makes me feel so much better. I’ve suffered from misophonia since I was a preteen, and while I’ve known about it and have identified with it for over 2ish years now, still no one takes it seriously, including my girlfriend. Reminding her to close her mouth while she chews results in an eyeroll, or even her getting pissed at me. Even when she chews certain things with her mouth closed (like chips), the sound makes me want to tear my skin off and cry hysterically. I used to just have to just straight up leave the room when my roommate in my college dorm would eat so loudly not even earbuds would drain it out, and I find myself having to do the same sometimes now.
    She supports me in all other aspects of my mental health, but I’m met with anger anytime I bring this up or even slightly visibly express my extreme discomfort, as if she doesn’t even believe its a real thing. It makes me feel worse, and crazier, and makes me feel more contempt for her for making the trigger noises.

    Reply
  30. Timothy James Verret

    Right now, I am struggling with a neighbor who has the noisiest truck I’ve ever heard. Add to that, he leaves about 7-8 times a day and every time he starts that truck, I feel like I’m going to go nuts!!!! I want to talk to him but I need to deal with it, I guess, on my own. So much anxiety about this. I can leave my home so I don’t hear it so much, but I feel, “why should I leave? He just needs to do something about his noisy truck!!” So frustrating!

    Reply
  31. N

    I’m new to this and suffering from many of the above symptoms. Most of it is from neighbors – constant lawn mowing, weed trimming, chainsaws, compressors, machine noise, loud mufflers on cars/trucks. And work colleagues – cell phone videos, loud bursts of laughing, ripping packaging tape.
    A large part of the problem is the actual anticipation of stress, the dread of when will it come tomorrow – it ruins the night before a beautiful weekend, for example. That’s become difficult – not being able to enjoy the moments, the few minutes of quiet, and can’t concentrate or enjoy what I’m doing because I’m sick to my stomach waiting for the next bout to start.
    The worst is trying to deal with it while it’s going on. My ears are sore from wearing earplugs. I bought Bose Sleepbuds (awesome by the way) yet the birds at 5am still cut through the white noise, and then when I turn up the volume I miss the alarm, not to mention the louder setting affects my eardrums. I can’t just wear earplugs all day during my days off, it’s not reasonable to expect people to have to do that.
    I talked with one neighbor, which went ok I guess. And at work, I’ve already talked with my manager about the individuals who cause distracting noises which reduces focus and productivity. Manager is helpful but rarely around to experience the disruptions first hand.
    What I need to know is this:
    What has worked for you in conversations asking people to reduce the noise they are putting out? Has anyone talked with neighbors about consolidating machinery noise to certain days of the week?
    And what can I do during the incident? I feel like only a tiny part is in my control – research whether we can fight a new low-flying flight pattern, talk to a neighbor, talk to my manager, but with the parts out of my control where I just have to get through it, what else is there? Hypnosis? Psychologist? Saying some mantra over and over? Medication?
    Life ts too short to go through it like this, and I don’t want to be forced to leave my beloved family home just because of the inconsideration of other people. Plus I thought about what one person above said; they moved out into the middle of nowhere (which has crossed my mind often but is not an option) only to have to deal with the overhead flight pattern. I feel I’d never be able to get to true quiet anywhere anymore and my lifespan is running out, and all the good times when there was quiet and enjoyment are behind me. Any advice is appreciated.

    Reply
  32. Kat

    There are so many “trigger sounds” for me, I could go on for days! In just the short 13 years of my life, I’ve had so many sound/touch triggered panic attacks, I can’t even count. Especially going to middle school. Everyone’s been there- the stressful environment, trying to get grades up, making friends, puberty….

    It all is ten times worse when the sound of a pencil tapping makes you want to rip open your skull and wring out your brain.

    I’m sure that my life experiences are nowhere near as bad as some of the other people I know, or don’t know. But I can relate so much to people not understanding me. Like at lunch, we have styrofoam lunch trays. Ugh, even now I’m starting to feel it. Everytime i feel it, hear it, I want to scream. I want to run, and I want to die.

    But what choice do I have? If I don’t get a tray, I can’t eat. I’ve aksed countless times if I can use just one plastic tray (clearly just sitting in the back of the kitchen) for a medical reason, even if I clean it myself. The answer is the same everytime – “No. There is no such thing as SPD anyways.”

    I could rant for pages about this. I don’t even know why I’m writing this. I’m home alone at 8:19. I don’t even know right now, just felt I needed to get this out. Not enough people understand the feeling of pulsing, throbbing pain that doesn’t just go away with tylenol and an ice pack. This pain is real, and deep.

    My last paragraph, I promise!!

    A lot of people, like my parents and teachers, view SPD and misphonia as something that I need to get over, or fix. I simply just, don’t understand the question. I mean, your’re not going to go up to someone with chronic back pain and tell them to fix it. It is a mental condition, yes, but that does not mean it causes physical pain.

    Sorry for the rant, probably no-one will read this anyways. Just needed to get that off my chest.

    Reply
  33. Anonymous

    I recently moved back in with my family temporarily and have started to hate meal times. All I can focus on is the sound of them chewing, lip smacking, sucking air through their teeth and breathing heavily while eating. I love eating out because the sounds in the restaurant usually drown out those horrible noises. My brother has always had a problem breathing through his nose so when he comes to visit, he chews with his mouth open – meals in this scenario are almost guaranteed to make me angry. When anyone approaches me while working, eating and trying to engage me in conversation, all I focus on are those sounds. I feel a combination of extreme anger and discomfort. I never feel like I want to physically hurt anyone in these scenarios but definitely feel the urge to shout at them. Anyway, thanks to whoever is reading (and relating?) this.

    Reply
  34. Anika

    I was reading these comments and was thinking about my triggers but the list is constantly growing:
    I can’t stand eating dinner with my family, I can’t be near some-one chewing food, drinking anything or swallowing anything. This makes mealtimes at school and home really hard.
    I can’t be near anyone with a cold, their coughing and the sniffling make me spiral
    I can’t stand to be near anyone who is brushing their teeth hard
    I can’t stand being in a classroom with the voices overlapping
    Anytime I hear any noise that triggers me, I immediately can’t hear anything else and I end up shouting at the person who is making the noise or I have to leave right away. The number of times I have lost control and shouted at an immediate family member is horrendous. My parents always get angry at me when I spiral and shout at me which makes me spiral even more. Some of the strategies that you recommend on your site have really helped me cope a lot more with everyday tasks.

    Reply
    • Allergic to Sound

      Hi Anika, I’m really sorry to hear about your triggers but thrilled that some of the coping strategies are having some positive impact, that’s great news.

      Reply
  35. Sonia

    My triggers are cutlery on plates, gulping, burping, loud chewing, nails on shiny paper. ugh it makes me mad to even think about it.

    Reply
  36. banana chips

    I feel the need to contribute to this comment section, even though being a random stranger on the internet, to let others know they are not alone in this and to get the word out that this is a real thing and that we are not crazy. Reading other people’s stories helped me feel better, and less alone. Reading some of these stories, I was just like wow, someone understands. I have to resort to the internet to find people like me, because in real life I literally don’t know a single person who goes through the things I go through. I am not comfortable talking about this to people that don’t have this condition. My family and my husband are the only ones who I eventually had to tell.. because they didn’t know what was going on with me when I wound suddenly go bonkers out of nowhere.. and obviously I had live with them and you can’t hide things forever.

    I was a normal kid up until middle school, forgot what age it was. There were sounds that started to bother me that had never bothered me before. My trigger sounds are coughing, sneezing, throat clearing, sniffling, dogs barking and snorting.

    Whenever I hear these sounds, I get a sudden surge of anger and despair flowing through my body, like something bad is happening. Even though logically I know nothing bad is happening, it’s something that is out of my control. My body is on autopilot to react this way. If I am doing something and I hear one of these noises, I feel like freezing and stopping what I’m doing.. and fixating myself on that sound. I’ll wait a few minutes, let the anger despair settle, and continue. But if someone is sick and is coughing or throat clearing like every 10 minutes (I can tell how far apart someone’s coughs are when they are sick) I cannot be in the room with them or I will flip out and have a panic attack all to which a start ugly crying and shivering, and making a scene. I try to use headphones but they don’t work sometimes. I don’t have the expensive noise cancelling headphones. But it is better than nothing. I sleep with a noise maker or need a fan running in the background at all times or I will get anxiety.

    I isolate myself on my days off from work, which my misophonia is worse in my free time this is worse than when I am working. At least if I isolate myself, I won’t have a reaction. It’s lonely, and I don’t want to isolate myself, but I know I have to because I can go from being OK to the world is ending in seconds. You’re my friend up until you start coughing, then I hate you and want to rip your throat out. Holidays are depressing, because my family wants me to spend time with them and I say no sometimes because I know things will go eventually go horribly wrong.

    To anyone suffering from misophonia I hope you find I way to cope, like I am right now.

    Reply
  37. Veil

    I have been having a hard time with explaining this to those around me. Does anyone have any advice for how to explain misophonia to those who don’t have it?

    Reply
    • Allergic to Sound

      Hi Veil, great question.

      So the layman’s version is that misophonia is a neurological disorder. Your brain is super sensitive to certain sounds and those sound ‘triggers’ cause a physiological reaction in the body and mental distress (e.g. panic, disgust, anger).

      The longer, slightly more sciencey, version is that these sounds trigger your amygdala to send a distress signal. Your hypothalamus activates the sympathetic nervous system and hormones such as cortisol (the stress hormone), adrenalin and so on are pumped through your body. This can lead to a quickened heart rate, sweaty palms, that ‘freeze-fight-flight’ response and a flood of emotion.

      Reply
  38. David

    I hadn’t heard of Misophonia until today and I have to say I have it. Sounds in general don’t bother me but if I feel the sound is “Unnecessary” it irritates me Very Bad. It can make me angry enough to want to hit someone.
    Here’s a list of triggers for me…

    Lip smacking while eating or chewing gum.

    Kids these days that suck on a bottle while drinking and it breaking suction when they pull it away from their mouth.

    Someone humming bothers me but if they whistle it doesn’t ‍♂️

    Sucking loudly on a piece of candy drives me Nuts!!!

    It is Very hard for me to ignore one of the triggers listed above as well as many others I have once I hear them!! I have to get away or use something like songs on a radio turned up loud enough to drown them out.

    I am on medicine that does help but it doesn’t Completely stop it.

    Reply
  39. Bb

    Omg for me it’s the sound of fabric, rustling scratching… winter coats, cotton, qtips, loud things falling on the floor like my mothers cane, the sound of dry hands or skin, the feeling of my teeth touching together the feeling of someone touching my hands or feet and hearing the sound of our skin touching…

    Reply
  40. jess lee

    I’m very curious about a scratching trigger ?
    Like nails on a chalkboard but it happens with forks on plate and nails on the matte portable doors.
    Any type of scratching and squeaking send me into fight or flight, I once had to leave a class to throw up because of a calculator case scratching on the floor and I’ve never heard of people with this trigger so I’m very curious about thoughts on this

    Reply
  41. Emily Coffey

    Dear people suffering from misophonia,

    I am a neuroscientist starting to study misophonia in my auditory plasticity lab. We have collected a set of trigger sounds used in previous studies, but looking at your responses I do not think they cover everyone’s experiences.

    Is there anyone who would be willing to record us their most hated sounds, either recorded with your phone or pointing them out from free sound effect databases like the following?

    https://freesound.org/

    https://www.online-tech-tips.com/computer-tips/free-sound-effects/

    You can find me at: emily atsymbol flighteducation period net

    I hope we can help figure this thing out!

    Emily

    Reply
    • Allergic to Sound

      Hi Emily, it might be worth checking in with some other labs and seeing if they can share the love re: free sounds. I know UCL here in the UK have done a number of misophonia studies so could be worth contacting them. Dr Kumar and Mercede Erfanian have both worked on misophonia studies and might be able to point you in the right direction. Also Duke University have been working on Miso studies too: https://www.misophonia.duke.edu/

      Reply
  42. Carla Moore

    Wow! I thought that I was having some mental issues that no one had. My trigger noise is opening the tops of canned sodas in a quiet surroundings like the work office. It really rattles me!

    Reply
  43. darryl

    Fucking pork rinds!

    Reply
  44. darryl

    pork rinds!

    Reply

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