Overstimulation is a state of feeling overwhelmed by the situation you are in. This might take the form of physical or emotional discomfort and feeling like your brain is frozen or you're unable to think or process anything that's happening.
Symptoms of Sensory Overload in ADHD
Headaches, dizziness, or light-headedness. Feeling ill, faint, or nauseous. Increased anxiety and stress. Irritability and agitation.
When people with ADHD become overstimulated, they may be unable to focus as environmental factors or sensations crowd their brains. Moreover, people with ADHD and sensory overload may be unable to quickly “switch gears” in terms of the activity in which they are taking part.
All the time? Overstimulation is a daily reality for many people with ADHD. We feel too much — physically and emotionally.
Some people who are overstimulated may experience extreme emotional or even physical discomfort. They may display extreme irritability, anxiety, or fear. Some may voice their discomfort by crying or throwing tantrums. Or, they may even show aggression.
On a physical level, you can experience a racing heart, sweatiness, and dissociation (feeling outside of your own body). Mentally and emotionally, you can feel overwhelmed, close to panic or anger, and unable to think straight.
For many adults living with ADHD, overwhelm can shut them down and keep them from moving forward.
If you have ADHD as well, this “shutdown” might sound familiar to you, too. You don't know where to start, there's too much to do, and you feel as though nothing can be done, because even just thinking of doing what you need to do feels like an insurmountable task.
Overstimulation is not only a symptom of ADHD; it's often seen in autistic people as well. People with ADHD and autistic people may display similar signs of hyperactivity when overstimulated, such as being extra reactive to sensory input (i.e., becoming fascinated by a specific object or fixating on a sensation).
Stretch, jump, go up and down the stairs, walk around the block – anything to release pent-up energy. Exercise produces feel-good hormones, such as endorphins, that help us destress and relax. To make moving a priority, schedule a walk with a friend whose conversation you enjoy and whose energy is uplifting.
Attention Magazine October 2021
To reduce the effects of overstimulation, we may try to cope by going quiet or avoiding eye contact. For many adults and children with ADHD, sensory overload can affect the impression we make, how we are perceived, and our relationships.
People with ADHD feel emotions more intensely than others do. When they feel happiness and excitement, it makes them more interesting and engaging. But strong emotion has its downside as well. People with ADHD are impulsive.
SPD is more commonly talked about as a feature of childhood ADHD, but it's important to recognize that adults experience it, too. The prevalence of sensory sensitivity among adult ADHDers may be as high as 43% for females and 22% for males.
Similarly, people with ADHD can also experience 'meltdowns' more commonly than others, which is where emotions build up so extremely that someone acts out, often crying, angering, laughing, yelling and moving all at once, driven by many different emotions at once – this essentially resembles a child tantrum and can ...
Adults with ADHD may find it difficult to focus and prioritize, leading to missed deadlines and forgotten meetings or social plans. The inability to control impulses can range from impatience waiting in line or driving in traffic to mood swings and outbursts of anger. Adult ADHD symptoms may include: Impulsiveness.
Common ADHD-Related Problems
Impulsive spending or overspending. Starting fights or arguing. Trouble maintaining friendships and romantic relationships. Speeding and dangerous driving.
ADHD burnout is often something a little deeper. It refers to the cycle of overcommitting and overextending that leads to fatigue in people with ADHD. It involves taking on too many tasks and commitments, and then the subsequent exhaustion that happens when we're unable to fulfill all of our obligations.
When people with ADHD are activated, they are often plagued by self-sabotaging, negative internal talk that prevents them from believing they can do things. It can be conscious or unconscious and can keep folks from setting, working towards, and reaching goals. It holds them back from doing what they want to do.
Anyone can experience it, but some people with ADHD struggle more with sensory processing, which means they receive too much information and have difficulty sorting them all out, resulting in an emotional outburst that can affect people around them 😭.
Autistic people are neurodivergent, which means they exhibit atypical behaviors compared to neurotypical folks. One such example is what's known as an “autism meltdown,” which is an emotional response to sensory overload.
ADHD and Sensory Processing Disorder
Lack of self-regulation: People with ADHD often struggle to regulate their emotions or reactions. Because of that, a sensation that is a minor irritation to neurotypical people can result in an outburst for people with ADHD.
Two types of medications are typically used to treat sensory overstimulation: gabapentin and/or benzodiazepines, particularly clonazepam. My doctor says that first generation antihistamines (the ones that make you drowsy) can also be helpful.
What are the symptoms of overstimulation? “Common symptoms of overstimulation include irritability, stress, agitation, insomnia, loss of focus, overwhelming feelings and thoughts, and anxiety,” Hoang says. “It may be difficult to block out or ignore sensory input. One may experience uncomfortable feelings in the body.”