“[People with ADHD] often are hypersensitive in one of the sensory domains: sound, touch, or smell,” says Ned Hallowell, M.D., author of Driven to Distraction (#CommissionsEarned).
It is an attribute common in people with ADHD. Symptoms of hypersensitivity include being highly sensitive to physical (via sound, sight, touch, or smell) and or emotional stimuli and the tendency to be easily overwhelmed by too much information.
ADHD seems to exacerbate and exaggerate everything — especially our senses. If you taste, smell, or hear in extremes, you're not alone. Here are common ADHD hypersensitivities — and expert recommendations for dialing them down.
People with hypersensitivity tend to be easily overwhelmed by both physical and emotional stimuli. This can lead to strong reactions like anger, rage, or even physical reactions like headaches and rashes. All too often, people with hypersensitivity are made to feel crazy.
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 ...
While not all people with ADHD have sound sensitivity and not all with sound sensitivity have ADHD, the sensory issue is often comorbid (ADHD doesn't cause sound sensitivity, but they are comorbid due to other conditions such as autism or misophonia).
Sensory issues and sensory processing disorders are prevalent in people with ADHD. Although scientists are still researching the exact correlation, research has shown that kids and adults with ADHD are more likely than neurotypical people to experience sensory overload.
Symptoms of overstimulation
Overstimulation typically happens when one or more of your senses is overstimulated. Symptoms may include: sensitivity to certain textures, fabrics, clothing tags, or other things that may rub against the skin. unable to hear or focus over background sounds.
For many adults and children with ADHD, sensory overload can affect the impression we make, how we are perceived, and our relationships. A quick exit from a party, avoidance of social situations, or the sharp tone we employ in the moment may make some people think we are rude, distant, or upset with them.
Mood swings are common in people with ADHD. People with this disorder can be hypersensitive, too. That means sensations, like touch, that may feel normal to another person can feel too intense for someone with ADHD.
One of the side effects of living with ADHD is hypersensitivity. If you're hypersensitive, there are times when you can't block out what's bothering you. It may be something you touch, smell, or taste.
Emotional sensitivity in ADHD may present as passionate thoughts, emotions, and feelings more intense than anyone else. Their highs are higher, and their lows are lower than the average person. People with ADHD experience stronger emotions, whether positive or negative.
They might feel badly about the way their symptoms affect others, or they might not care. Although there are differences in brain function to consider, ADHDers can also be just like neurotypical people in that they can have varying levels of empathy.
Overstimulation is a daily reality for many people with ADHD. We feel too much — physically and emotionally. We struggle with emotional regulation, impulsivity, and big feelings. Many of us also experience sensory sensitivities, reacting strongly to sights, tastes, smell, and more.
According to peer-reviewed studies, there's a possibility that people with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder can experience pain from sounds 🎹. Hyperacusis, a disorder in loudness perception, happens when some people with ADHD can feel physical pain because of noise, especially loud noise 🔔.
ADHD stimming is when a person with ADHD displays self-stimulatory behavior by repeating certain sounds and movements unconsciously. There are many different examples, including lip biting, rocking back and forth, humming, teeth grinding, or chewing gum.
For many adults living with ADHD, overwhelm can shut them down and keep them from moving forward.
Misophonia is often an ADHD comorbidity. Individuals with ADHD frequently have a hypersensitivity to environmental stimuli – sights, smells and sounds. When they are unable to filter and inhibit their responses to incoming stimuli, everything becomes a distraction.
There are many reasons why kids with ADHD have meltdowns. They have difficulty managing impulses, so it may be difficult for them to delay their needs or to hear the word “later.” They've yet to learn how to handle these emotions and express them appropriately because they're kids.
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.
Yes. ADHD can be considered neurodivergent because it's a neurodevelopmental disorder that changes how you think and process information. Scientists believe these differences are due to the unique structure and chemistry of the ADHD brain.
Adults with ADHD are more likely to be anxious and sad. Untreated, these conditions may make your emotional control worse, so it is smart to address these professionally.
Why it happens. If you live with ADHD and find that you're more sensitive to criticisms and critiques, then you might be experiencing rejection sensitive dysphoria (RSD). RSD is “a near ubiquitous experience for ADHDers,” says Joel Schwartz, PsyD, an ADHD clinical psychologist in San Luis Obispo, California.
Often, patients are comforted just to know there is a name for this feeling. It makes a difference knowing what it is, that they are not alone, and that almost 100% of people with ADHD experience rejection sensitivity.