The Causes Of ADHD Sound Sensitivity
For many people with ADHD, extreme sensitivity to sensory input can be a fact of life. While ADHD does not necessarily cause sound sensitivity, some individuals may experience misophonia, hyperacusis, or generalized hypersensitivity to olfactory, visual, auditory, food-related, and physical stimuli.
Misophonia generally refers to a condition in which one has a decreased tolerance of and aversion to certain triggering sounds, such as the sound of chewing or yawning. Hyperacusis, which is also known as hypersensitivity to sound, usually involves a reduced tolerance for sounds with average intensity, such as clapping. As for hypersensitivity, one may experience sensory overload in response to various kinds of stimuli.
For those with noise sensitivity ADHD, sounds with certain frequencies may be more unnerving than others, potentially prompting emotional reactions like irritation, overwhelm, exhaustion, and a sense of feeling unwell. Generally viewed as a sensory processing issue, hypersensitivity may be triggered by physical and emotional stimuli. Often, therapy can be an effective way to address sound sensitivity and general hypersensitivity.
Types of sensitivities
There tend to be many types of sensitivities, which can affect each individual differently.
Types of external stimuli that may provoke discomfort and unease in certain individuals may include the following:
Visual stimuli: Bright lights, flickering lights, neon lights, certain patterns, pictures, color combinations, and anything else that is visually striking to the individual
Olfactory stimuli: Body odor, cleaning supplies, nail polish removers, perfumes, deodorants, and incense
Auditory stimuli: Unexpected noises, such as knocking on the door, repetitive sounds like a dripping faucet, a beeping alarm, church bells, or ticking clocks, loud noises like sirens, drums, a dog barking, a baby crying, and blaring music, and specific sounds like using a nail file, writing on a chalkboard, the scraping of a chair, or the stirring of a cup of coffee with a metal spoon
Physical stimuli: Clothing labels, certain fabrics, or turtleneck-style sweaters
Food-related stimuli: Certain textures like fatty meats, strong odors like fish, curry, and vinegar, and unfamiliar spices or food colorings
Each person may react differently to stimuli, and triggers can be highly subjective.
ADHD and auditory sensitivities
Noise sensitivity may be described as the "physiological and psychological internal states of an individual that increase the degree of reactivity to noise in general."
Those with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) may be more sensitive to sound, according to research findings. ADHD sound sensitivity can be linked to increased ADHD symptoms, especially inattention and distractibility.
ADHD and misophonia
Researchers have also suggested a possible link between ADHD sound sensitivity and misophonia, a condition that generally makes one less able to tolerate certain sounds. Those with misophonia may be distressed by common sounds, such as yawning or chewing, which may act as triggers for a strong emotional response.
However, studies indicate that disturbing sounds, such as blaring sirens or screaming, had a similar effect in those with and without the condition. They also found that the part of the brain associated with fear, emotions, and long-term memories was often activated in response to the trigger in people with misophonia. This indicates that triggers may be associated with early negative experiences and responses.
A person with misophonia, which literally means "hatred of sound," may experience various emotional responses to a specific sound, including the following:
- Disgust
- Irritation
- Aversion
- Impatience
- Anxiety
- Stress
- A sense of entrapment
- A fight, flight, or freeze response
Common triggers could include fabric swooshing or rubbing, yawning, chewing, sniffling, coughing, sneezing, tapping, clicking, and scratching.
Treatment options for misophonia usually include cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and auditory distraction using white noise. CBT can help one learn how to manage the condition by addressing unhelpful thoughts and behaviors.
ADHD and hyperacusis
Another condition that may make some people with ADHD experience heightened sensitivity to sound is hyperacusis. Hyperacusis, which is also known as hypersensitivity to sound, may be described as a "reduced tolerance to sounds of average intensity, sometimes accompanied by painful sensitivity to ordinary environmental sounds, with perceptual, psychological and social dimensions."
This disorder can also skew one's perception of loudness. For example, high-pitched noises and clapping may be perceived as painfully loud, potentially causing anxiety and distress. In more extreme cases, a person may develop phonophobia, which can be defined as fear and avoidance of situations or environments where they may encounter these sounds.
While the causes of hyperacusis are still being studied, studies of children with ADHD suggest it may stem from alterations in the central nervous system related to hyperactivity "following an increase in the gain of auditory and extra-auditory pathways and to greater anxiety or emotional response to sound."
The condition may also be more prevalent in those with neurodevelopmental disorders like ADHD. Treatments for hyperacusis may include CBT and sound therapy, which usually attempts to "retrain the auditory processing center" to accept and respond to certain sounds.
Symptoms of sensory overload
According to Neurodivergent Insights, a website run by a psychologist diagnosed with autism and ADHD as an adult, the symptoms of sensory overload can include those listed below:
- Increased sensitivity to specific sounds with certain frequencies, loud noises, and background noise, which can impair your ability to function
- Experiencing distress in environments with flickering lights
- Increased difficulty focusing when there are a lot of sensory stimuli
- Feeling overwhelmed or agitated in crowded or busy places
- Having an aversion to certain fabrics
- Feeling distressed or irritated when encountering certain smells, such as nail polish, cleaning supplies, deodorants, or perfumes
- Feeling unwell or having an aversion to particular food textures and tastes
- Experiencing fatigue from sensory processing
- Feeling irritated, overwhelmed, agitated, or physically unwell in environments with a lot of sensory stimulation
At the same time, being highly sensitive is not necessarily a disorder in and of itself. However, some helpful strategies may be required to manage distress and responses to triggers.
Therapy to manage sensitivities
Learning how to manage hypersensitivity may reduce the effect of sensory and emotional overload. A therapist may support you during the process of fostering your mental health and well-being. However, if attending in-person sessions is inconvenient or adds another demand to your schedule, you may want to consider online therapy. BetterHelp, for example, can enable you to have sessions with a licensed therapist by phone, videoconference, or online chat.
A meta-analysis and systematic review that looked at online interventions for ADHD suggested that virtual therapy could be effective in improving attention deficit and social function. The meta-analysis evaluated six randomized controlled trials involving 261 people with ADHD.
Takeaway
Dripping faucets, itchy clothing, and flickering lights can make it nearly impossible to concentrate on anything else, depending on your sensitivity to them. Researchers suggest that sensory processing challenges can impact the severity of ADHD symptoms. Learning how to manage hypersensitivity may reduce the effect of sensory and emotional overload. A therapist may support you during this process with online or in-person therapy sessions.
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