Does the tag on the back of your shirt itch? Does loud music make your head pound? Is the smell of perfume simply nauseous to you? Well, these are just a few examples of sensory issues in adults (and children), where the brain may have trouble receiving and responding to information processed by our senses.
Sometimes, these sensory issues are classed under the broader label of Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD). We’ll get into more of that later. In this easy guide, ONE Intervention will quickly break down for you:
- What are sensory issues in adults and children
- Types of sensory issues in adults and children
- What is sensory overload
- How to cope with sensory overload.
Sensory issues affect up to 20% of the world’s population, according to this article by Healthline. So, it’s really important that we educate ourselves about what it is, in order to better support our loved ones. Or, if some of the issues sound familiar to us, it’s crucial that we learn more about them so that we can better understand how to accommodate our own neurology.
Alright, without further ado, let’s dive right into Your Helpful Guide To Sensory Issues In Adults!
What Are Sensory Issues In Adults And Children?
First things first – what are sensory issues, exactly? Well, our eight (that’s right, eight! learn more about it in this article) senses work tirelessly to perceive the information around us. The brain processes this information.
But sometimes, the brain has trouble receiving and responding to the information provided by our senses. That’s when sensory issues occur. These sensory issues can occur in adults, as well as children – it’s not something that you can ‘grow out of’, because the root cause lies in our brain structure.
Sensory issues are also sometimes known as Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD). They mean the same thing. However, it should be noted that SPD isn’t a formal diagnosis listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Volume 5 (DSM-5). This is unlike other neurological disorders, such as autism or ADHD.
Nevertheless, it’s quite common for autistic people or people with ADHD to experience sensory issues. Hence, sensory issues could be a symptom of other neurological disorders, although it isn’t formally diagnosed as a neurological disorder itself.
Types of Sensory Issues In Adults And Children
Sensory issues in adults (and children) can occur in any of the eight senses, with any variation of intensity. For example, you could have an overly-sensitive hearing but an under-sensitive sense of taste. Basically, sensory issues occur on a spectrum.
The exact cause of sensory issues has not yet been identified. However, researchers speculate that there’s a genetic component, and that the brain structure plays a significant part in these issues.
Nevertheless, scientists generally agree that sensory issues can be classified into the following groups: Hypersensitivity and hyposensitivity.
Hypersensitivity
Hypersensitivity means that the individual is very sensitive to sensory information. This can feel overwhelming and uncomfortable. In the most extreme cases, hypersensitivity can cause the person to feel physical pain.
According to this article by Addittude, many adults with sensory issues compare the feeling of hypersensitivity to being ‘assaulted, attacked, or invaded by everyday experiences.’
These can include feeling overwhelmed, or having strong aversions to:
- Bear hugs (hypersensitivity to touch and pressure)
- Strong scents, like perfume or detergent (hypersensitivity to smell)
- ‘Mushy’ textures, like bananas (hypersensitivity to touch and taste)
For some adults with sensory issues, their hypersensitivity can interfere with their everyday functioning. It’s true that in some cases these hypersensitivities can be ignored – but not all the time, and it’s not comfortable at all.
Think of ignoring these hypersensitivities like ignoring an ache in your body. Sure, you can grit your teeth and power through it, but it’s still going to bother you. And you’ll probably feel even more drained afterwards.
And for children, the hypersensitivity can be doubly overwhelming. This is because they haven’t yet learnt how to regulate their emotions or develop coping mechanisms for their hypersensitivity.
Hyposensitivity
In contrast, hyposensitivity refers to under-sensitivity. This means that a person with hyposensitivity will crave input. For example, this could be in the form of deep-pressure hugs or taking showers with extreme temperatures.
People with hyposensitivity, especially children, need to be more careful than those without hyposensitivity. This is because they could get injured but not feel the pain of the injury. Left untreated, the wound could worsen.
According to this medically-reviewed article by WebMD, some symptoms of hyposensitivity include:
- Confusion when name is called (auditory hyposensitivity)
- High threshold for unpleasant smells (olfactory hyposensitivity)
- Difficulty with depth perception (visual hyposensitivity)
A person with hyposensitivity might appear more clumsy, because they are unable to sense their body in relation with the space around them. Or they might have issues with realising their own strength, since they’re unable to properly perceive the pressure they’re using.
What Is Sensory Overload?
Sensory overload occurs when there’s too much sensory input for the brain at once. The noise, lights, smells and sights can overwhelm someone with sensory issues.
For example, you could be walking through a crowded street. You’d notice the flashing traffic lights (sight), the noise of the traffic itself (sound) and the push of the crowds (touch.) For an adult with sensory issues, all these sensations put together can be simply too overwhelming. This results in sensory overload.
There’s no single physical or emotional reaction that indicates a sensory overload. This is because every person with sensory issues has a different tolerance. It’s kind of like pain management – the point at which ‘painful’ becomes ‘too painful’ is different for everybody.
However, there are some common signs that you can look out for to determine if what you’re experiencing is sensory overload:
- A general feeling of stress and anxiety
- Confusion that can seem almost paralysing
- Dizziness
- Sweating
- Tightness in the chest.
Cleveland Clinic has an article that goes into further detail about the symptoms of sensory overload, if you’d like further reading.
How To Manage Sensory Overload?
Sensory overload can be extremely overwhelming for adults with sensory issues. In some cases, it can be paralysing or even result in a panic attack. However, there are ways to manage sensory overload.
Avoid Or Mitigate Triggers That May Cause Sensory Overload
This may seem obvious enough. However, it’s an extremely effective way to cope with all sensory issues in adults (and even children), including sensory overload.
As mentioned earlier, people with sensory issues can be particularly over- or under-sensitive to certain sensations. The best way to prevent sensory overload is to avoid putting yourself in such situations.
For example, if fluorescent lights are too bright and distracting, you may want to consider installing warmer lighting. Or if the smell of perfume is too overwhelming, you could request for your loved one to stop wearing it.
In the case where such triggers are unavoidable, then the next best thing is to mitigate the triggers. For instance, we talked about how walking through a busy street can be extremely overwhelming for an adult with sensory issues.
Let’s say you needed to go through that street for work. Well, you could leave the house slightly earlier to avoid the crowds. You could also perhaps wear noise-cancelling headphones to block out the sound of traffic. And if the sunlight or shophouse lighting is too bright, you may want to wear tinted glasses.
Small actions such as these can drastically reduce the chance of sensory overload occurring.
Coping With Sensory Overload
However, sometimes sensory overload can still occur – despite our best efforts. In which case, the only thing we can do is to cope with it until the overload passes.
Some effective methods could be:
- Deep breathing exercises
- Meditation
- Guided imagery
The idea is to stay grounded throughout the sensory overload, until you can extract yourself from the situation.
To be clear, none of these methods will remove the possibility of a sensory overload occurring in the future. In fact, that’s not possible for an adult with sensory issues. This is because the root cause of sensory issues lies with brain structure. Short of altering that, you can’t really ‘solve’ the problem of sensory overload.
However, it’s very possible to manage sensory overload and make the experience less overwhelming than it would be without said coping mechanisms.
And that’s the end of this guide to sensory issues in adults! Do you have any questions? Are your own experiences of sensory issues different from what were detailed in this article? ONE Intervention would love to hear from you! Drop us a comment below 💬👇