Latest news with #sensoryoverload
RNZ News
2 days ago
- Health
- RNZ News
Overstimulation is a normal human response. Here's how to cope with it
By Kellie Scott , ABC Photo: 123rf It's 5pm. The dog is barking. The kids are screaming. The TV is blaring. And the oven is beeping. This is peak overstimulation for Meghan Flood. The 29-year-old from Blackwater/Gangulu Country in Central Queensland is a stay-at-home mum to children aged two and four. Her husband works long hours, and they have no family support, with their loved ones back in Tasmania/Lutruwita. "I struggle daily," says Meghan. Overstimulation, also called sensory overload, is when the brain receives sensory input at an intensity or duration that exceeds an individual's capacity to effectively process it, says Sara Quinn. She's a clinical psychologist and president of the Australian Psychological Society. It's not a diagnosable condition, Dr Quinn says, but an experience that is "very much dictated by a person's capacity". "What might be seemingly manageable for one person, or even positively stimulating for one person, may for another be an experience that is quite overwhelming or overloading and stressful." She says overstimulation is likely on the rise in modern life. "We're living in an increasingly technology driven world, with less time spent outdoors in environments that might be restorative." Meghan Flood says parenting two small children at home with a dog can be very overstimulating. (Supplied) Photo: Meghan Flood / Supplied Sensory overload reflects a mismatch between what the environment demands of somebody and their capacity to process it, says Dr Quinn. It can be related to light, sound, taste, touch, and smell. Dr Quinn says what causes overstimulation is highly subjective, but more typical triggers include loud sounds like music or fireworks, busy crowds, or strong smells. "For others, especially in children, we see the sensation of a particular type of stimuli on skin like scratchy material. Family coach Hélène Gatland says people may also experience overstimulation when there are too many demands at once, such as chores, work and "kids asking questions", or a cluttered or chaotic environment. Dr Quinn says things may lead to feeling teary, distressed, stressed, anxious and confused. "Other people might experience irritability, agitation and even anger." As people attempt to escape or mitigate overstimulation, their emotional state may change. "For children, it might manifest as a tantrum, meltdown, or withdrawal or anxiety in adults," Dr Quinn says. There can be physical signs, too, such as headaches, muscle tension, or fatigue, says Ms Gatland. Anyone can experience sensory overload, and what we can tolerate may differ from time to time depending on a range of factors, explains Dr Quinn. For example, when someone is fatigued or stressed. It can also be associated with mental health conditions, and neurodivergence such as autism and ADHD, says Dr Quinn. "Someone with anxiety might have heightened sensitivity … as we know for people with neurodivergence there can be difficulty filtering sensory input, which might lead to being more easily overstimulated. "We know that individuals who are in throws of dementia, actually experience impaired sensory integration." Meghan says sensitivity to overstimulation has increased with each child she's had. Ms Gatland says parenting young children can be a really demanding, noisy time of life. "You only stop when you sleep, if you can go to sleep. "It's a 24-hour job … and if you don't have time to rest, it gets much harder." People in high-pressure jobs might find sensory overload common, she says. "If you have to do lots of decision-making at the same time, or you have a meeting and someone is calling you and someone else is asking you a question - that can be very overstimulating." Noise-cancelling headphones can also be helpful for people triggered by noise. Photo: Getty Images Meghan says her strategy for dealing with sensory overload is locking herself in the bedroom. "But it's just a band-aid," she says. Ms Gatland says taking micro-breaks, even pockets of five minutes, can help people experiencing overstimulation. "Step outside, sit in the car for a minute alone. "If you can take five minutes just to tap into your nervous system, using techniques like breathing or massaging yourself, that will help calm you." Noise-cancelling headphones can also be helpful for people triggered by noise, she says. Earplugs may suffice. "It's about lowering your sensory input - turning off the TV when no-one is watching and it's not helping the household." Tidying up cluttered spaces, whether at work or in the home, may also help, as well as dimming lighting, and creating "nice" spaces to be in. Dr Quinn says creating visual "quiet" can be as important as adjusting sound. She recommends reducing our digital exposure, by putting our phone on do not disturb and turning off app notifications when suitable. And spending time in nature will help improve intentional restoration, Dr Quinn says. "Taking off your shoes, walking barefoot on the grass. Taking a walk around your back garden. Even small things, like having plants around your workspace." For parents who can't be alone in that moment, take the kids outside with you, she suggests. Ms Gatland encourages people to communicate what they need to those around them, whether it's their kid, partner, or colleagues, for example. She says it's helpful to remember overstimulation is a normal human response. "It's not a failure, it's your body telling you to pause and recharge, not push through." Those who need more support should talk to their GP or reach out to a psychologist, says Dr Quinn. "Primarily we want to shift them from a sense of loss of control towards greater psychological flexibility … and give them strategies to manage stress." - ABC
ABC News
2 days ago
- Health
- ABC News
What does it mean to be overstimulated?
It's 5pm. The dog is barking. The kids are screaming. The TV is blaring. And the oven is beeping. This is peak overstimulation for Meghan Flood. The 29-year-old from Blackwater/Gangulu Country in Central Queensland is a stay-at-home mum to children aged two and four. Her husband works long hours, and they have no family support, with their loved ones back in Tasmania/Lutruwita. "I struggle daily," says Meghan. Overstimulation, also called sensory overload, is when the brain receives sensory input at an intensity or duration that exceeds an individual's capacity to effectively process it, says Sara Quinn. She's a clinical psychologist and president of the Australian Psychological Society. It's not a diagnosable condition, Dr Quinn says, but an experience that is "very much dictated by a person's capacity". "What might be seemingly manageable for one person, or even positively stimulating for one person, may for another be an experience that is quite overwhelming or overloading and stressful." She says overstimulation is likely on the rise in modern life. "We're living in an increasingly technology driven world, with less time spent outdoors in environments that might be restorative." Sensory overload reflects a mismatch between what the environment demands of somebody and their capacity to process it, says Dr Quinn. It can be related to light, sound, taste, touch, and smell. Dr Quinn says what causes overstimulation is highly subjective, but more typical triggers include loud sounds like music or fireworks, busy crowds, or strong smells. "For others, especially in children, we see the sensation of a particular type of stimuli on skin like scratchy material. Family coach Hélène Gatland says people may also experience overstimulation when there are too many demands at once, such as chores, work and "kids asking questions", or a cluttered or chaotic environment. Dr Quinn says things may lead to feeling teary, distressed, stressed, anxious and confused. "Other people might experience irritability, agitation and even anger." As people attempt to escape or mitigate overstimulation, their emotional state may change. "For children, it might manifest as a tantrum, meltdown, or withdrawal or anxiety in adults," Dr Quinn says. There can be physical signs, too, such as headaches, muscle tension, or fatigue, says Ms Gatland. Anyone can experience sensory overload, and what we can tolerate may differ from time to time depending on a range of factors, explains Dr Quinn. For example, when someone is fatigued or stressed. It can also be associated with mental health conditions, and neurodivergence such as autism and ADHD, says Dr Quinn. "Someone with anxiety might have heightened sensitivity … as we know for people with neurodivergence there can be difficulty filtering sensory input, which might lead to being more easily overstimulated. "We know that individuals who are in throws of dementia, actually experience impaired sensory integration." Meghan says sensitivity to overstimulation has increased with each child she's had. Ms Gatland says parenting young children can be a really demanding, noisy time of life. "You only stop when you sleep, if you can go to sleep. "It's a 24-hour job … and if you don't have time to rest, it gets much harder." People in high-pressure jobs might find sensory overload common, she says. "If you have to do lots of decision-making at the same time, or you have a meeting and someone is calling you and someone else is asking you a question — that can be very overstimulating." Meghan says her strategy for dealing with sensory overload is locking herself in the bedroom. "But it's just a band-aid," she says. Ms Gatland says taking micro-breaks, even pockets of five minutes, can help people experiencing overstimulation. "Step outside, sit in the car for a minute alone. "If you can take five minutes just to tap into your nervous system, using techniques like breathing or massaging yourself, that will help calm you." Noise-cancelling headphones can also be helpful for people triggered by noise, she says. Earplugs may suffice. "It's about lowering your sensory input — turning off the TV when no-one is watching and it's not helping the household." Tidying up cluttered spaces, whether at work or in the home, may also help, as well as dimming lighting, and creating "nice" spaces to be in. Dr Quinn says creating visual "quiet" can be as important as adjusting sound. She recommends reducing our digital exposure, by putting our phone on do not disturb and turning off app notifications when suitable. And spending time in nature will help improve intentional restoration, Dr Quinn says. "Taking off your shoes, walking barefoot on the grass. Taking a walk around your back garden. Even small things, like having plants around your workspace." For parents who can't be alone in that moment, take the kids outside with you, she suggests. Ms Gatland encourages people to communicate what they need to those around them, whether it's their kid, partner, or colleagues, for example. She says it's helpful to remember overstimulation is a normal human response. "It's not a failure, it's your body telling you to pause and recharge, not push through." Those who need more support should talk to their GP or reach out to a psychologist, says Dr Quinn. "Primarily we want to shift them from a sense of loss of control towards greater psychological flexibility … and give them strategies to manage stress."
WebMD
16-05-2025
- Health
- WebMD
Mania Super Senses
Changes in one or more of the five primary senses during a manic or hypomanic episode seems to be common among those of us with bipolar disorder. Sight is sharpened and hearing is amplified. Smell and taste are stronger and more intense. Some become hypersensitive to touch. We're often hesitant to talk about such perceptual changes. I know I was. I sat in medical screening rooms answering intake questions and thinking that I should be careful how much I shared for fear of being labeled schizophrenic. What I was experiencing was that everything was just more. Colors were more vibrant, like the difference between standard and high-definition television. I would go on walks and try to capture what I was seeing by taking pictures on my phone. I took dozens of pictures of the fields and meadows of a local nature preserve where I was dazzled by the delicate play of the light across the tall blades of grass. I loved the kaleidoscope of colors, from burnished golds and buttery yellows to tones of deep rich honey and chocolate. Those pictures look like a photo essay on the color beige now. I became obsessed with portrayals of enhanced senses in television and movies. One in particular was from the movie Man of Steel, in which a young Clark Kent is shown to be overwhelmed by the enormous sensory input created by his superpowers. It's like he had no sensory filters for the bombardment of sights and sounds he was trying to process. He had to learn to focus his attention by filtering out extraneous sensory noise. I also tried painting what I saw, and with paint I was better able to express the brightness of color and the interplay of light and shadows. In fact, Vincent Van Gogh had bipolar disorder, and in his paintings I feel a similar drive to capture what he was seeing. In my own paintings from that time, I remember thinking that I was able to achieve a radiance and a depth of color that I hadn't been able to achieve before. Not much is known about the specific brain mechanisms involved in sensory changes that occur with bipolar disorder. But I suspect that the secret lies with dopamine. Mania is associated with excess dopamine in certain brain regions. Intriguingly, sensory deficits are reported by many patients with Parkinson's disease, which involves dopamine deficits in some of the same brain regions where bipolar disorder patients have surpluses. I sympathize with those who don't want to take medication because they enjoy the sensory changes and natural high they get during manic episodes. They feel that mania gives them a creative edge backed by seemingly inexhaustible energy, and they don't want to lose it. Sometimes I wish I could recapture the heightened senses of my worst manic episode. The paintings of mine from that time that I felt had a special radiance don't sparkle for me like they did then.
