When this happens, your brain becomes overwhelmed. In some people, it feels as though their brains have become ‘stuck.’ Their brain becomes unable to prioritize which pieces of sensory information it should focus on first. Your brain may struggle to interpret all of this information at the same time. Sometimes, there is competing sensory data coming to your brain from your environment.
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It then instructs your body on how to react to these stimuli. In turn, your brain interprets this information. Your senses relay information from your surrounding environment to your brain. The human brain functions like a highly complex organic computer system. So, what is sensory overload on a neurological level? One of which is the under-diagnosis of women due to male-centric diagnostic criteria.Īdults with certain medical conditions may also be more likely to experience sensory hypersensitivity. There are still many barriers to this process. Yet, they may not be aware of why they are overwhelmed by certain stimuli until they are officially diagnosed by a professional. In certain groups, this prevalence can even range from 80–100%.Īdults with undiagnosed attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism may also be especially prone to sensory overload.
Studies show that 1 in every 6 children have sensory processing difficulties. This is because children's brains are still developing and learning how to sort through different kinds of stimulation.
However, it is particularly prevalent in children. Or your vision could feel overloaded when exposed to bright fluorescent lights.Īnyone of any age can experience sensory overload from time to time. Thankfully, there are coping strategies for sensory overload.įor example, your sense of hearing may become overwhelmed when exposed to very loud music. This overstimulation of the senses can be overwhelming and exhausting. It’s when your senses take in more information than your brain can process. This overstimulation happens because of external stimuli in your environment. Sensory overload is when one or many of your senses become overstimulated.