Auditory Anxiety Symptoms (2024)

Causes

1. The Stress Response (acute stress)

Anxious behavior, such as worry, activates the stress response, causing many body-wide changes that prepare the body for emergency action – to either fight or flee.[1][2]

Visit our “Stress Response” article for all the changes caused by the stress response.

Some of the stress response changes include:

• Quickly converts the body’s energy reserves into “fuel” (blood sugar) so that we have an instant boost of energy.
• Increases nervous system activity so that we can more quickly detect and react to danger.
• Heightens most of the body’s senses to be more keenly aware of and reactive to danger.

To name a few.

The higher the degree of the stress response, the more dramatic the changes.

Since these survival changes push the body beyond its balance point, stress responses stress the body. As such, anxiety stresses the body.

The stress response affects our hearing in a specific way. When we’re in a high-stress/high-danger situation, the brain gives us only the information it deems important for survival.

Consequently, priority is given to visual information over auditory information, called the McGurk Effect: what you see overrides what you hear.[3][4]

Since hearing is the least important when in danger, it’s somewhat suppressed called “auditory exclusion.” As stress increases, hearing can diminish.

As such, sounds can seem softer and muffled when a stress response is active.

2. Hyperstimulation (chronic stress)

Too frequent activation of the stress response, such as from chronic worry, can cause the body toremain in a state of semi-stress response readiness we call “stress-response hyperstimulation” since stress hormones are powerful stimulants.[5][6]

Visit our “Hyperstimulation” article for more information about the many ways hyperstimulation can affect the body and how we feel.

Just as an active stress response (acute stress) can affect hearing, hyperstimulation (chronic stress) can, as well, but in more dramatic ways.

For instance, chronic stimulation (hyperstimulation) can overly stimulate our senses, such as hearing. A hyperstimulated auditory system can make sounds seem softer, louder, distorted, fuzzy, warbly, shimmery, change in pitch, and the many variations of auditory anomalies.

Hyperstimulation also hyper-excites the nervous system, which can cause errors in sensory perception and interpretation.[7][8]

Any combination of these factors can create auditory symptoms, such as the ones mentioned.

Many anxious and chronically stressed people notice changes in their hearing due to how acute and chronic stress can affect auditory processing.

2. Other Factors

Other factors can stress the body, causing and contributing to this symptom, such as:

Medication

Prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) medications can mimic, cause, and aggravate anxiety symptoms, including those affecting hearing.

Talk with your doctor and pharmacist about your medication if you aren't sure if its playing a role in your symptoms, including this one.

Visit our Medication article for more information.

Recreational Drugs

Many recreational drugs can cause and aggravate anxiety symptoms. Especially those that affect the nervous system, which includes our senses such as hearing.

Visit our Recreational Drugs article for more information.

Stimulants

Stimulants bring about their stimulating effect by secreting stress hormones.

Increasing the body’s stimulation can cause and aggravate existing anxiety symptoms.

Visit our Stimulants article for more information.

Sleep Deprivation

Going without adequate sleep can affect the body in many ways, such as:

• Prevents the body from sufficiently refreshing itself
• Stresses the nervous system
• Impairs brain function
• Increases blood pressure
• Increases blood sugar
• Increases moodiness
• Increases cortisol to compensate for feeling tired (cortisol is a powerful stress hormone)

These effects can cause and aggravate anxiety symptoms.

Visit our Sleep Deprivation article for more information.

Fatigue

Fatigue can cause and aggravate many anxiety-like symptoms, such as:

• Difficulty thinking
• Foggy head
• Lightheadedness
• Dizziness
• Unsteadiness
• Pain
• Heart palpitations
• Trembling
• Memory loss
• Muscle weakness
• Shortness of breath

To name a few.

Visit our Fatigue article for more information.

Hyper and Hypoventilation

Over and under breathing can also cause anxiety-like symptoms and aggravate existing symptoms.

Visit our Hyper And Hypoventilation article for more information.

Low Blood Sugar

Low blood sugar, even within the normal range, can cause anxiety-like symptoms. Low blood sugar can also aggravate existing anxiety symptoms.

Visit our Low Blood Sugar article for more information.

Nutritional Deficiency

Nutritional deficiencies, such as low vitamin B and D, can cause anxiety-like symptoms. Nutritional deficiencies can also aggravate existing anxiety symptoms.

Visit our Nutritional Deficiency article for more information.

Dehydration

Dehydration can also cause anxiety-like symptoms and aggravate existing anxiety symptoms, such as:

• Concentration problems
• Lightheadedness
• Dizziness
• Fatigue
• Headaches
• Involuntary panic attacks
• Muscle twitching
• Heart palpitations

To name a few.

Visit our Dehydration article for more information.

Hormone Changes

Hormones affect the body in many ways and can affect each other. Hormone changes can cause anxiety-like symptoms and aggravate existing anxiety symptoms.

Visit our Hormone Changes article for more information.

Pain

Pain stresses the body, especially chronic pain. If the pain is in the high degree range, it can cause and aggravate hyperstimulation.

If you are anxious, hyperstimulated, and symptomatic, pain can aggravate them all.

Visit our Pain article for more information.