In animals, including humans, the startle response is a largely unconscious defensive response to sudden or threatening stimuli, such as sudden noise or sharp movement, and is associated with negative affect. Usually the onset of the startle response is a startle reflex reaction.
The Cause of Noise Anxiety
The main issue with noise anxiety is that it occurs because of a raised anxiety baseline, common with PTSD. Noise jumps the anxiety above the baseline, potentially leading to increased startle reflexes and possibly panic attacks.
Ligyrophobia, sometimes known as phonophobia, is the fear of loud noises. The fear is most common in young children but may occur in adults as well. Some people are afraid only of very sudden loud noises, while others fear ongoing noise.
In children and adults, intensity of the startle response may be affected by stress or anxiety. Onset of both major and minor forms of hyperekplexia is usually from birth, but in some patients it does not occur until adolescence or adulthood. Mild intellectual disability may also be observed.
SUMMARY: Sound sensitivity may be the result of trauma (including PTSD), or it could be a symptom of anxiety, known as “hypersensitivity,” that occurs when people are in an anxious state. For specific sound-related anxiety, exposure is one of the more effective ways to reduce its severity.
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).
If someone is stressed, or upset, it tends to increase the startle response. There's also a connection to anxiety. For anxious people, a higher startle response tends to be part of the personality profile. Or, the startle response could be tied to a specific anxiety, like fear of flying or fear of spiders.
A child who retains the Moro reflex will be hypersensitive to outside stimuli, startle easily, and may appear fidgety or restless — symptoms commonly seen in children with ADHD.
These symptoms can be observed in conditions such as anxiety disorder and stress reactions. Being easily startled would also be accompanied by other signs of stress and anxiety. If you are feeling nervousness or jumpiness that worsens or does not improve, talk with your doctor to determine the cause.
Hyperekplexia is a neurological disorder in which a person experiences an involuntary, excessive startle reflex when confronted with a stimulus such as a sudden noise or movement.
Noise anxiety symptoms are fear, distress, anxiety, irritation, or anger evoked by certain sounds. Physiological symptoms such as a racing heart, shortness of breath, sweating, and muscle tension may also occur.
Increased startle responses are excessive or evoked by stimuli that would not be effective in most people. This is identified most easily by loss of habituation. Increased startle reflexes are characteristic of a variety of disorders, including hereditary hyperekplexia.
Symptoms of PTSD vary from person to person, but some of the more common, symptoms include nightmares, hypervigilance, and a heightened or exaggerated startle response.
This physiological reaction, which is most commonly known as the "fight or flight" reflex, will occur in response to what may be perceived as a harmful event: an attack, a threat to survival, or more simply, to fear itself.
If your baby's Moro reflex doesn't go away after six months, this could be a sign of other problems such as a delay in the development of their motor skills or cerebral palsy.
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 ...
Atypical Presentation of ADHD Symptoms
Sleep disturbances (has trouble with sleep initiation, sleep deprived, can't wake up easily, etc.) Weak executive function (poor recall of information, internalizing language, controlling emotions, problem-solving, etc.)
Reducing your stress as much as possible can reduce nervous system reactivity. Controlled relaxed breathing can calm down the nervous system, making it less reactive. Avoiding simulants can also allow the nervous system to fear down. Getting good sleep can calm an overly reactive nervous system.
Generalized anxiety disorder can cause you to not sleep well, or feel jumpy or restless. You may have an upset stomach or heart palpitations, shakiness, sweating, a dry mouth, difficulty breathing or a lump in your throat.
Studies have shown that someone with PTSD will continue producing these hormones when they're no longer in danger, which is thought to explain some symptoms such as extreme alertness and being easily startled.
Autism is very distinct from ADHD, but the core symptoms of ADHD-Combined type, i.e., attention deficit, impulsivity, and hyperactivity, would appear to also be features of autism. ASD and ADHD are neurobiological disorders characterized by similar underlying neuropsychological “deficits”.
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.