Ptsd and sensory overload

[Gamergirldelux]

I feel you on this. Sometimes going outside in spring/summer is sensory overload for me. It's just too much light and colors and sound. I think I like the quiet because it means calm to me. If I hear loud noises (like people talking loudly or yelling) I get upset and need to get away because it's too much remember to self love out there. Praying for you all to have amazing strength each day.

 

[Deleted member 42433]

Cacophony causes me to cover my ears and rock instead of the way more rational action of finding a quiet space. People think I'm crazy.

 

[WishfulThinking123]

I grew up with undiagnosed Sensory Processing Dysfunction-it wasn't until I was an adult that I finally found the answer/reason for my "differences". Instead I grew up being labeled as overdramatic and too sensitive and my "expectations were too unrealistic." I am extremely sensitive to loud sudden noises such as balloons popping, fire works, and the sudden noises that emit from large trucks to name a few. I am also overly sensitive to touch- usually very sudden unexpected touch can throw me off balance such as getting bumped/jostled, something thrown at me, or even an unexpected pat on the back. I have become pretty good at hiding and suppressing these things/symptoms since I was made to feel so strange/different from just feeling things a little bit differently than the rest of the world. However, in times of stress my symptoms always become more unmanageable and worse. Since being diagnosed with PTSD I definitely appear to be bothered by these different sensations a lot more than usual. A little understanding would go a long way but, unfortunately my experience is people in general appear to seriously believe that everyone else feels/experiences life in the same way...if it hasn't happened to them they cannot possibly understand. This just doesn't compute in my brain I guess.. We were all created differently why would people think that we all experience sensation and life in the same way?

 

[lostforgottensoul]

It's been really bad for me. My dog licking drives me insane, as does my cat licking. Tv up "too loud", someone crushing bottles about make me go mad!

I use earbuds. They help some. I know of a vlogger with a 2 yr old with a Sensory disorder and they use noise canceling earphones not connected to anything when they are vaccuming and stuff.

Its certianly something PTSD can cause and it can be horribly maddening for sure!

 

[Sara G]

I have had PTSD for 30 years due to an abusive home life and an abusive marriage that ended in 2009. Four years ago I got married to a wonderful man that has hearing loss, loves onions and hot sauce, puts on super strong cologne and watches a lot of TV. Before we got married I didn't have a TV in the house, I'm allergic to onions so that was never a problem. My PTSD was so bad I couldn't work so I didn't get much experience being around other adults. My children and I spent most of our time outside playing somewhere quiet or at home using our inside voices. By the grace of God and counseling I am now stable enough to work and I have a very big loud family with the addition of my husband and his son. There is constant white noise at work that is incredibly loud, although I'm the only one that seems to think so. I manage a call center so I get overwhelmed by loud or high pitched voices. I can't handle repetitive movements or sounds (like someone tapping on my desk, an annoying laugh or a clock ticking). I often leave work with a bad head ache. At church I am overwhelmed by the sound system (kind of a problem when I'm on the worship team), crying babies, people sitting too close to me and anyone that is kicking any part of the pew I'm sitting on, it doesn't matter if they are 10 feet away from me. When I get home I am bombarded by noise, loud fans (all night long), what I can only describe as "yell talking", TV's turned up all the way, bass amp going nuts in my daughter's room, often the smell of my husband's chicken soup that smells more like garlic onion soup and everyone wanting to jump on me. I LOVE my family but it's becoming increasingly hard not to snap or make a bee line to my room and my ear plugs. I am triggered by sound, smell, taste and texture. Even with my ear plugs and blind fold I have trouble sleeping through the normal night time noise and low light from outside (I have black out curtains). Any change in the lighting in my room (car passing or cell phone charging) will wake me up. I'm kept awake by the sound of my own heart and the sound of my ear against my pillow. I know it sounds crazy but it really is loud. Anyway, I'm sorry for the long post. Thank you all for being so open about the problems you are having. It's nice to know that it's not a, me thing.

 

[HeadSpace]

Have just woken up. Birds chirping outside hurting my brain, causing gentle twisting tension in shoulders. Train comes past outside. Feel like I'm being pressed against wall by some thug. Dog barking in distance. Shut up just shut up. Neighbours have given their child a whistle as a toy. Morons. Earplugs in and the vibrations twist my shoulders and melt my brain. Creaky floorboards hurting me. Please don't move. Nobody move. Nobody do anything. Talk to partner. She bites her nails jamming my brain. Get up, walk around. Things feel too big or too small. Everything feels too close. Give me some space. Go outside like walking through turbulence on airplane. Go to shop. Too scared to go in. Trolley squashed me in last time. Argument with shop staff. Overloaded. Fell to ground screaming. Head hurts afterwards. Throat hoarse and bruise from fall. Just need space and a little peace and quiet.

 

[lostforgottensoul]

@Headspace, that about explains it!

 

[EveHarrington]

Meds have helped dampen my sensory overload responses. I’m still reactive, just less so!

 

[HeadSpace]

Meds have helped dampen my sensory overload responses. I’m still reactive, just less so![/QUOTE...

Meds dampened my response to a few things, but not movement. People in my space or walking behind me still got to me, then one day when I was really stressed, in a crowd, but on meds, the screaming panic attacks started. Never experienced anything like it. I figure some drugs keep things below the surface but with enough pressure it all comes out more intensely. Felt like a scar being ripped open when it happened. Meds also made my thought processes flatter, less reactive, more neutral. One day I had a thought and was like did I just feel that, think that, or do that. Can't tell the difference. My thoughts were so flat things seemed less real. The imagined felt almost as real as the real. So I tapered off the meds. Pros and cons.

 

[Rachelann1227]

I'm another who can relate to the whole sensory hypersensitivity issue. Usually, and typically, it is sounds that are most overwhelming and distressing for me, and this can take the form of too much volume, or simply too many competing overlapping sounds and noises all of which feel as though they are ceaselessly clamouring for my attention, an attention I can't accurately divide well enough to cope with all of them.

Strangely, I also experience a different sort of sensory overstimulation, a sort of spatial invasion of my personal space where suddenly the world can feel too close, too full of "things", too intrusive of the basic space and oxygen I need around me in order to feel safe and functional. It's hard to describe, but can drive me to virtual panic, as it can feel impossible to even accurately identify, and therefore quite impossible to escape from.

I know to recognize extremely high and escalating levels of stress and anxiety when this "spatial overload" becomes a problem, they are usually the times I need to take active measures to remove myself from the world for a time if at all possible, because nothing good will happen if I persist.

Maddog

I get the spatial invasive thing...I start giving away things until the room is empty enough for my comfort.

 

[Barberian]

Almost 7 years later after my opening post. Thank you, everyone, who has joined in on the thread.

I still suffer from noise sensitivity and occasional hypersensitivity. Physical sensory overload is still a pain in the ask. I can't touch any soft foam, certain fabrics and textures still freak me out. The sensation is overwhelming. More on the OCD side - I can't get my hands sticky/oily/gritty or I start to freak out if I don't get them cleaned SOON. Visual overload isn't as much of a problem anymore. Before, looking at a wall of products at a store would overwhelm me. Now it is not as bad USUALLY. OCD tendencies about visual stuff can be a problem still. Patterns get me - if it is supposed to be symmetrical, it needs to be symmetrical. If it is supposed to be asymmetrical, it needs to be asymmetrical. Examples: a picture on the wall needs to be level. A desk needs to be square with the wall. A pattern on the carpet that alludes to being asymmetrical, needs to be actually asymmetrical - repeating patterns can trip this up.

One way I have found to cope with the noise is a pair of Bluetooth wireless active noise canceling headphones.

Admins, If I have broken the rules please delete this paragraph. - We are not supposed to link products from outside this site so I won't link. I will mention the headphones I did buy without the link or mention where I got them, which I think is legal here - Bluedio T4 Bluetooth active noise canceling headphones. The only reason I mention the brand is it is a great deal, and very effective for those who suffer from noise sensitivity. So many brands/items are of poor quality or not very effective.

They were only $33 (normally $57) on sale and are the best pair I've ever had (which is good). I did extensive Google searches for the best low-cost Bluetooth active noise canceling headphones and found the pair I bought. They are as good as earplugs without the speaking, breathing and swallowing noises earplugs cause. If I want to, I can connect them to my phone and stream music. They are not good for streaming video because of lag though. The headphones block out noises like airconditioning and fans, machinery, background noises from crowds and such which is a lot more noise than most people realize. I can still hear people talk around me, which they are designed for and is both good and bad depending on the circumstances. Just having them on blocks out some noise. Turning them on blocks out much more noise. I use them often and have them with me almost always when I leave the house. They have an advertised 13 hr battery time but have never timed this. I keep them charged "just in case". I'll be using them for something as simple as this upcoming Thanksgiving day at my son's house.

The reduced noise levels are more of a relief than I can put into words.

 

[EveHarrington]

Meds have helped dampen my sensory overload responses. I’m still reactive, just less so!

....and now I’m so desperate to get back on those meds!

This may sound stupid but my meds just dampened everything. I was actually able to enjoy caffeinated drinks again!