Rather, it's a sense of overwhelm or overstimulation that does not feel manageable in the moment. People with this condition typically experience different triggers and symptoms. Some signs of a sensory overload reaction can include: Anxiety and an inability to relax. Irritability.
When you feel anxiety too often, your body may not have enough time to recover from stress response changes. This incomplete recovery can cause a state of 'stress response readiness. ' This is better known as stress-response hyperstimulation.
Inability to relax and enjoy the moment, or always expecting the worst. Feeling intimidated by or constantly worrying about the future. Racing thoughts or inability to turn off. Increased risk for substance abuse disorders.
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.”
Depending on the degree of stress response, it may take anywhere from a few moments to 30 minutes or so for an active stress response to end.
Difficult experiences in childhood, adolescence or adulthood are a common trigger for anxiety problems. Going through stress and trauma when you're very young is likely to have a particularly big impact. Experiences which can trigger anxiety problems include things like: physical or emotional abuse.
having a sense of dread, or fearing the worst. feeling like the world is speeding up or slowing down. feeling like other people can see you're anxious and are looking at you. feeling like you can't stop worrying, or that bad things will happen if you stop worrying.
Because your body produces stress hormones when you're anxious, your body ends up staying in a constant state of high alert. To keep your body operating at this high-stress level is draining – and makes you feel exhausted more often than not.
Constant worries running through your head. Feeling like your anxiety is uncontrollable; there is nothing you can do to stop the worrying. Intrusive thoughts about things that make you anxious; you try to avoid thinking about them, but you can't.
What Does Overstimulation Feel Like? 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.
There are many different things, or combinations of things, that can trigger sensory overload. They include: crowds, or tightly packed spaces. loud sounds, such a loud music, fireworks, a crowd, a festival.
Benzodiazepines most commonly used to treat anxiety disorders are clonazepam (Rivotril)*, alprazolam (Xanax) and lorazepam (Ativan). Also used are bromazepam (Lectopam), oxazepam (Serax), chlordiazepoxide (once marketed as Librium), clorazepate (Tranxene) and diazepam (Valium).
If you have anxiety, medication can help because the medicines used for anxiety alter the chemicals in your body and brain, reducing symptoms, and often helping you calm down and focus on other things.
One important step in reversing the anxiety cycle is gradually confronting feared situations. If you do this, it will lead to an improved sense of confidence, which will help reduce your anxiety and allow you to go into situations that are important to you.
Anxiety doesn't really vanish forever. It's just like any other feeling you have—sadness, happiness, frustration, anger, love, and so on. Just like you can't ever eliminate those emotions from your brain, you can't rid anxiety from your brain once and for all.