Overstimulation: What It Is & How to Cope

What Is Overstimulation?

Overstimulation is a state of stress and overwhelm a person experiences when there’s too much going on in their environment. The brain has a certain capacity for processing sensory information, and overstimulation occurs when it reaches or exceeds this capacity. Each person’s capacity is a little different and is influenced by their genetics, personality, temperament, and life experiences.^2,3

At the physiological level, overstimulation involves a sequence of events that occur in the brain, central nervous system, and body. When you’re getting close to your brain’s ‘capacity’ for sensory input and other data, your amygdala detects this overload as a threat and activates the fight or flight response. This gets your nervous system involved, causing the release of stress hormones that cause the physiological stress symptoms.^4,6,8

While everyone becomes overstimulated occasionally, some people become overstimulated more easily and more often. Researchers believe that one’s environmental sensitivity determines how prone they are to overstimulation and that about 20-30% of people are highly sensitive people who are more deeply affected by outside stimuli.^1,3 When a person is overstimulated, they might feel overwhelmed, stressed out, or bothered by sights, smells, sounds, or other things happening around them.⁶

Overstimulation Vs. Hypersensitivity

Overstimulation is a state of being overwhelmed by your senses or by things happening in your environment and is something that everyone experiences on occasion. Hypersensitivity, on the other hand, is a trait that makes a person more sensitive to things in their external environment. This kind of sensitivity is sometimes called environmental sensitivity, sensory sensitivity, or neurosensitivity.^1,3

Some researchers believe there are highly sensitive people (HSPs) who have heightened senses or environmental sensitivities that explain why they are so easily overstimulated.^1,3,4 Highly sensitive people may be more affected by certain smells, sounds, sights, and other kinds of slight changes in their surroundings.

Signs of being a highly sensitive person include:^1,3,4

• You have keen senses (i.e. sight, smell, taste, etc.)
• You are easily stressed out or overwhelmed
• You respond poorly to being pressured or rushed
• You become anxious from loud noises, intense smells, or other sensory input
• You can’t watch scary or violent movies or shows
• You feel things more deeply and intensely than other people
• When you’re stressed, you notice physical symptoms

Signs & Symptoms of Overstimulation

The signs of being overstimulated can vary a little from person to person, but most people describe overstimulation as feeling similar to stress. Feeling irritable, stressed out, overwhelmed, restless, or on edge are common signs of overstimulation. In an overstimulated state, you might also notice physiological symptoms like muscle tension, a racing heart, sweating, or an upset stomach.^3,4

Most people also find that when they’re overstimulated, it’s harder to focus and even harder to relax. This is because overstimulation causes the nervous system to go into overdrive, flooding it with adrenaline, cortisol, and other stress hormones. This stress response puts a person into a fight or flight state that’s responsible for most of the physical and emotional symptoms they notice when they’re feeling overstimulated.³

Here are some of the signs and symptoms of overstimulation in adults:^3,4,5,6

• Feeling overwhelmed and stressed out
• Being unable to block out sounds, sights, smells, etc.
• Becoming more bothered by small environmental disturbances
• Feeling restless, keyed up, or on edge
• Difficulty sitting still or concentrating
• Racing thoughts and/or intrusive thoughts
• Physical or psychological discomfort or anxiety
• Feeling more irritable, frustrated, or agitated
• Strong urges to leave or escape
• Sweating, shaking, or hot and cold chills
• Feeling dizzy, disoriented, or confused
• Insomnia or other sleep problems
• Zoning out, dissociating, or not being able to focus your attention
• Racing heart and high blood pressure

In children, the signs and symptoms of overstimulation can show up differently. Common signs of overstimulation in children include:^3,4,5,6

• Complaining about noise, smells, sights, or other disturbances in the environment
• Covering their ears, eyes, or nose to dull sensory inputs
• Becoming cranky, acting out, or having tantrums
• Running away from specific places or situations
• Becoming more hyperactive, not listening or sitting still
• Crying or other emotional displays
• Shutting down, withdrawing, or refusing to talk
• Complaining of pain, aches, or physical ailments

Causes of Overstimulation

Overstimulation is caused by a normal sequence of events involving the brain and central nervous system. While anyone can become overstimulated when there are a lot of things happening at once around them, certain people become overstimulated more easily and more often.^1,3,4 It’s believed that a person’s sensitivity level is determined by both their genes and their environment.^3,5,6

Genetics accounts for about 50% of a person’s sensitivity to environmental stimuli, according to most experts.^1,3 Mostly, being highly sensitive and prone to overstimulation is believed to be caused by individual differences in the central nervous system (CNS). Being highly introverted or neurotic also makes you more likely to be highly prone to overstimulation, and early childhood trauma can, as well.^3,4,6

Is Feeling Overstimulated Normal?

Most of the time, overstimulation is not a cause for concern. Your nervous system has built-in mechanisms to regulate itself and return to normal. Most of the time, this happens automatically within a few minutes, depending on how overstimulated you were.^4,5,6 Going to a quiet place and using relaxation techniques (like mindfulness and deep breathing) often help this process happen faster.⁹

Does Overstimulation Decrease With Age?

Some people find that overstimulation gets better as they get older, but this is not always the case. Health problems, cognitive decline, and major life changes can increase the risk of overstimulation as a person ages. Even becoming less active and social can cause someone to become more easily overstimulated as they age.^2,3,7 Because there are so many different factors that can influence sensitivity to one’s surroundings, each person may have different experiences with overstimulation as they age.

Which Conditions Are Linked to Overstimulation?

Certain medical and mental health conditions can increase a person’s sensitivity, including autism, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), schizophrenia, and other sensory processing disorders. People who have one of these conditions may be more sensitive to certain types of sensory input (like noise, light, or texture), or they may have multiple sensitivities.^2,3,4,9,10

Here are some common conditions that can cause overstimulation:^5,9,10

1. ADHD

ADHD affects a person’s ability to concentrate and focus and makes people more prone to becoming distracted. For this reason, people with ADHD often become more easily overstimulated by noises, movements, and other distracting things happening around them. For example, a person with ADHD might be unable to concentrate on their work when there is background music playing or when someone is having a hushed conversation on the other side of the room.¹⁰

2. Autism

Individuals with autism have abnormalities in their brains that disrupt their ability to process information. Sensory processing is also abnormal in people with autism, which is why they tend to become more easily overstimulated and disturbed by sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and other environmental changes.¹⁰ At the most extreme level, someone with autism may become highly agitated and aggressive when they’re overstimulated.

3. Sensory Processing Disorder

People who are diagnosed with sensory processing disorder become easily overstimulated because their brain does not process sensory information in a normal way. This disorder is usually diagnosed in children who have strong and unusual reactions to certain kinds of sensory inputs (i.e. sounds or textures). Sometimes, this affects only one sense, and other times, it affects multiple senses.¹⁰

4. Schizophrenia

People who are diagnosed with schizophrenia sometimes have abnormal sensory processes that cause them to become more easily overstimulated. Sights, smells, sounds, tastes, or feelings can become distorted. In some cases, people with schizophrenia may even have vivid sensory hallucinations that cause them to perceive things that aren’t really there. The abnormalities in the brain related to schizophrenia are believed to cause sensory processing issues in some people with the disorder.⁹

5. Anxiety Disorders

Having an anxiety disorder can also cause people to become more easily overstimulated. People with anxiety disorders have a heightened sensitivity to certain kinds of stressors or anxiety triggers and become easily stressed and overwhelmed when facing them. In an anxious state, people are already feeling highly stimulated, so it doesn’t take much to push them into an overstimulated state.^3,5,8 Individuals with certain phobias, such as phonophobia, will also be easily overstimulated.

6. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Traumatic events trigger the fight or flight response in the body, causing the release of certain high-energy hormones and chemicals like adrenaline and cortisol. People with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) experience this same fight or flight response each time they’re reminded of the traumatic event. When this happens, they also become hypervigilant and more sensitive to their environment, and also more prone to becoming overstimulated.^4,5,7,8

How to Cope With Feeling Overstimulated

Everyone has a slightly different baseline regarding how sensitive they are and how much input their mind can handle at one time. This baseline changes frequently in response to a number of factors. For example, you probably notice that your tolerance is lower on days when you’re stressed out, sick, or sleep-deprived, which means it will take less than normal to overwhelm you. While you can’t control all of these factors, there are some ways to lower your risk for overstimulation with healthy coping skills and lifestyle habits.⁵

Here are ten tips on how to cope with feeling overstimulated:^5,9

1. Identify Your Triggers

Knowing what your overstimulation triggers are can help you anticipate situations where you’re likely to become overstimulated. When you have identified what triggers your overstimulation, you can often anticipate and plan for situations where it’s likely to occur. This preparation can lessen your anxiety and help you make a plan to use healthy coping skills and support.⁵

2. Gradually Expose Yourself to Triggers

Avoiding your overstimulation triggers isn’t always possible, and even when it is, can actually worsen matters. While avoidance coping can bring temporary feelings of relief, it can worsen anxiety and make you feel less capable of handling overstimulating situations in the long run. That’s why exposing yourself to your triggers is a good idea, but it’s a good idea to do so slowly and gradually, starting with smaller triggers and working your way up to bigger ones.

3. Use Relaxation & Mindfulness to Calm Down

Relaxation and mindfulness skills geared towards anxiety can help to reverse the effects and signs of overstimulation more quickly. Diaphragmatic breathing, grounding skills, and even just tuning into the sensations in your body can all help you tune out external stimulation and become more focused on internal stimulation.

4. Focus Your Full Attention on One Thing

The more you focus on something, the less mental bandwidth your mind has to concentrate on things in your environment. That’s why you can sometimes prevent overstimulation by getting completely engrossed in a task or activity that requires a lot of attention. The more intensely you focus on something you’re doing, the less likely you are to get overwhelmed by outside distractions.

5. Find a Quiet Place to Calm Down

Overstimulation tends to happen in busy, loud, crowded, and chaotic environments, so going somewhere calm and quiet is one of the best strategies to cope with overstimulation. Try to find a place that’s private, quiet, and dimly lit to allow your senses time to reboot. For most people, this only takes a few minutes. You can also use this place for short periodic breaks to prevent overstimulation before it happens.^5,9

6. Manage Your Stress With Regular Self-Care

If you are a person who struggles with overstimulation, it’s important to keep your stress levels low. High levels of toxic stress are taxing for your body, brain, and nervous system and can lower your threshold for overstimulation. Prevent this by monitoring your stress levels closely and increasing your self-care during times of high stress.^1,3

7. Declutter & Organize Your Surroundings

When you’re highly sensitive to stimuli, it usually means you’re more dramatically affected by even slight changes in your surroundings. Messy, dirty, or cluttered spaces are more likely to negatively impact the mood and mindset of someone who is prone to overstimulation.⁶ Prevent this by keeping your home and office neat, organized, and tidy.

8. Be Physically Active to Channel Restless Energy

Exercise can decrease anxiety, and boost mood and energy levels. It may also help people who struggle with overstimulation by providing them with a healthy outlet for excess nervous energy generated by their nervous systems. If you’re prone to overstimulation, it’s a good idea to make physical exercise a part of your regular routine.

9. Get Support From Others

If you are easily overstimulated, it’s a good idea to communicate this to the people you spend the most time around. That way, they may be more respectful of your needs and preferences, including helping you keep shared spaces clean or quiet. They may also be more understanding during times when you’re feeling overwhelmed or overstimulated and better able to support and help you.^5,9

10. Find Sensory Tools to Filter Out Stimuli

A lot of people who become overstimulated often have found certain sensory tools to help them filter out stimuli that they’re highly sensitive to. For example, carrying earplugs or earbuds around can help people who are highly sensitive to noise, and carrying essential oils or a face mask can help people who are very sensitive to smells.^5,9

When to Seek Professional Support

People who struggle with frequent sensory overload often struggle with high levels of stress, anxiety, and irritability.^3,5,9 If these become debilitating, it may be important to seek the help of a professional counselor or mental health specialist who can help you develop some strategies to cope.

Signs that may indicate a need for professional treatment for overstimulation include:^5,9

• Interruptions in your daily functioning or routine
• Avoiding people, places, or situations, you need to see or visit
• Relationship problems or conflicts related to overstimulation
• High levels of chronic stress, anxiety, or frequent panic attacks
• Inability to concentrate or complete projects & assignments for work or school
• Frequent mood swings, irritability, anxiety, or other emotional issues
• Difficulty learning, remembering, or retaining information because of sensitivity

Sometimes, overstimulation is caused by or related to an undiagnosed mental health condition that must be diagnosed and treated by a licensed mental health clinician.^5,10 Many people begin their search for treatment online, using a free therapist directory that allows them to narrow their search by location, insurance, and specialty. Online therapy services can also be a good option for people who have trouble leaving home because of their sensitivity to external stimuli.

In My Experience

Everyone seems to have a slightly different degree of sensitivity to external stimuli. People who are highly sensitive to their environment become overstimulated more easily and more often. This can show up as physical or emotional stress, anxiety, or general feelings of overwhelm when exposed to busy, chaotic, noisy, or highly stimulating environments. Sometimes, overstimulation is linked to an underlying mental health diagnosis, but in many cases, it’s not. Understanding your sensitivity level can help you prevent overstimulation and cope with it in healthier ways.