Sensory Issues: When Things are Too Loud, Too Scratchy...and more
Do you have sensory issues? A surprising number of people with ADHD also suffer from hypersensitivity and sensory issues. What bothers you? Have you found ways to work around them?
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Melissa on -
Reading through comments I realize day noise might be why I get more upset easier. When loud tvs are on and my kids are noisy I get really grumpy and tend to yell at my kids more.
Melissa said:I thought I was nuts. At night there has to be total silence or I can not sleep. Not including the tv I love falling asleep to the tv. Snoring,heater,dripping water,any sounds outside,my purring cat. So annoying and can wake me right up. Its so bad and it drives me insane.
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Permalink Reply by Julie on -
Hello, Im very new to this forum and love it (thank you Terry) ...very informative and people who speak 'my language' at last!! :)
Well what a relevation this thread was for me as this topic is close to my heart..
NOISE
~Cant concentrate if theres ANY noise (no matter how low) going on
~Have to have the car radio/tv/noise etc turned off if Im having a conversation with someone as I cant focus on both at the same time
~Love a silent house
~Seldom play music
~Must have silence to sleep (no fans or the slightest distraction)
~Always very aware of background music in public places
SMELLS
~Have always been overwhelmed by perfumes/strong scents/household sprays/room or car air freshners etc.....Cant stand them! Even deodrants are often too much!
CLOTHES
~Always worn soft and comfy (Im OK with jeans and tight things but only for going out events)
.....Was reasuring to see Im not the only one!!
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Permalink Reply by silverwings002 on -
I had heard that scientist found that different homes and appliances give off a low frequency hum that resonates with certain people and irritates certain people. I've wondered if different places I've lived have been better or worse for me.
On a side note, I've noticed that often I respond unusually quickly to medications [non ADD], sometimes I get used to them quickly [immune], some meds I dont respond to very well, and sometimes I have strong reactions [side effects] from meds. Like I cannot take birth control pills/meds without estrogen in it, I have horrible side effects. The shot made me bleed for months [lightly].
I still think there could be something underlying ADD, causing it, or some forms of it. It just seems that varying parts of life comes out the same, like not only does it take me a long time to process information but also to process food or to see a sickness start. Everything seems delayed in my world, not just my thoughts and focus. Any thoughts? Was I clear in my description? It was hard to explain.
Also, my daughter went from being rather sensitive, nerve wise, to being extremely extremely sensitive. Before this happened, suddenly, she went thru some changes. She dveloped Diabetes Type 1, she moved from her dad's to me, and she started puberty a bit. Does anyone have any ideas or insight into this? It is so bad, I cnnot hug her most of the time, she cannot handle even the thought of it. Anyone seen this before? Thanks.
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Permalink Reply by Julie on
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silverwings002 said:I had heard that scientist found that different homes and appliances give off a low frequency hum that resonates with certain people and irritates certain people. .
I really relate to this slverwing...I hear certain tv/stereo humming when on standby mode and in order to find mental peace from the distraction will have to switch them of at the plug....No one else appears to notice but me!!
I have no knowledge yet with the second part of your comment :)
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Permalink Reply by Tricia on
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AMEN! You summed it up for me!
Mindy said:NOISE! I can't stand it when there is too much noise...not the volume, but too many different things making it. If my children are talking and the television is on...forget it! I'll snap...get very angry. Sometimes I can feel it happening and turn the offensive things off to focus on one sound, but sometimes it overwhelms me before I realize what is happening. I feel so "everywhere" at once. My dad likes to have the radio on in the kitchen with the television on in the living room...I can hardly stand to visit!!!!
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I cannot listen to the radio in the car, the TV is always too loud for me, AND My biggest pet peeve is co-workers who insist on using the speaker phone in the cubes around me! OMG - Do you not realize that everyone around you doesn't want to listen to the moronic conversations you have with your children and boyfriend and brothers and sisters!!!
Julie said:Hello, Im very new to this forum and love it (thank you Terry) ...very informative and people who speak 'my language' at last!! :)
Well what a relevation this thread was for me as this topic is close to my heart..
NOISE
~Cant concentrate if theres ANY noise (no matter how low) going on
~Have to have the car radio/tv/noise etc turned off if Im having a conversation with someone as I cant focus on both at the same time
~Love a silent house
~Seldom play music
~Must have silence to sleep (no fans or the slightest distraction)
~Always very aware of background music in public places
SMELLS
~Have always been overwhelmed by perfumes/strong scents/household sprays/room or car air freshners etc.....Cant stand them! Even deodrants are often too much!
CLOTHES
~Always worn soft and comfy (Im OK with jeans and tight things but only for going out events)
.....Was reasuring to see Im not the only one!!
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Permalink Reply by Jess H on -
Definitely! I was surprised and intrigued to learn a few years ago of the association between ADD and sensory issues.I'm hypersensitive to fabrics (they must be soft) and can't stand the way 3/4 sleeve shirts feel. I'm also really sensitive to (and intolerant of) extremes in temperature.
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Permalink Reply by Paula M Taylor on
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yikes.... I was just searching for this very thing. Answers anyway. I would probably fare better on my meds if I didn't get so hypersensitive when it is wearing off.I yell at my kids for every little thing sound they make. droning, moaning, pounding, screaming, laughing pecking. I hear everything, all at once. and then I claim when someone is saying something to me I can't hear them. seriously. so everyone yells or talks to soft. my allergies bother me. and my clothes bother me my glasses bother me. it is a montage of many things I am looking for ways to cope. the only thing I have found so far is to stay home so that my frustrations don't go public. my kids aren't harrassed by me in front of someone who doesn't know me.
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Permalink Reply by Lynette Ellis on -
My daughter whom has ADHD has major sensory issues. The way clothing feels, the types of food she eats...etc. But as I have come to grips with many things I have realized some of my own too.
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Permalink Reply by Tonya on -
I have a very bad one, When you get the washing machine and the dryer going at the same time It makes me nuts. then if you add the dishwasher too aaaahhhhhhh. The tv makes it worse too. I have no idea how to make it better either. We have a very small house and 4 kiddos so there is no where to go to get away from it, just as soon as you think you do though the kids go wild and start screaming to go with it, or the crank the TV up to full volume and by that time I am looking for a hole to crawl into. But I just try to tune it out so that I can get something done. So if you have any ideas I am all ears, I want to be a better mother and wife and all around person, I now know what the problem is. I just have to find a solution and follow through with it.
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Permalink Reply by Lynette Ellis on
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Yes, noise that is one too! Crowded department stores can get to me quite quickly too, but not too bad as long as I am there without the kids.
Tonya said:I have a very bad one, When you get the washing machine and the dryer going at the same time It makes me nuts. then if you add the dishwasher too aaaahhhhhhh. The tv makes it worse too. I have no idea how to make it better either. We have a very small house and 4 kiddos so there is no where to go to get away from it, just as soon as you think you do though the kids go wild and start screaming to go with it, or the crank the TV up to full volume and by that time I am looking for a hole to crawl into. But I just try to tune it out so that I can get something done. So if you have any ideas I am all ears, I want to be a better mother and wife and all around person, I now know what the problem is. I just have to find a solution and follow through with it.
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Permalink Reply by Bobbi Wright on -
My friend asked me to check out this website... she said "This is so you, Bobbi". So I did. It's nice to know that I am not alone. I put a check mark by everything on this list. I just thought I was a little strange.
I love my children and husband, but I have this personal bubble around me, and when I tell them to get out of my bubble they think it is so cute to take an imaginary pin and pop it. I don't like the light sensual touches my husband gives me; I realize he is trying to be romantic, but honestly the touch is worse than fingernails on the blackboard. I have migraines and I take medicine for it often. But the silliest of things will set it off. Shopping in the store, people's noise at the store, the cart has a wobbly wheel or simply the kid's husband, barking dog, and multiple TVs going at the same time. When I have these headaches the sounds are so amplified. Is this normal? The fridge hums, and so do the computers. Please don't think about the microwave turned on. Sometimes my headaches can last up to a week, because I just need that darkened room, and quite!
I find most clothing uncomfortable. I don't mind jeans but I prefer light weight cotton pants (pj's) and a loose fitting top, but of course when venturing out in public women are required ( or preferred) to wear bras. I always feel that I am suffocating when wearing that contraption, or even a long sleeved shirt or jacket. Does anyone have this problem? What can I do about it?
I have found that I love being without socks and shoes. I do have a very expensive habit of buying socks almost every payday. If I do wear socks, they have to be brand new out of the package. I refuse to wear panty hose of any sort.
I have had multiple jobs, and decided the only ones that work are the ones that I am the only person working, or I have my cubicle and headsets to not hear the commotion around me. That of course doesn't help with the fluorescent lights. I have learned it is easier to just be the stay at home mom. I can control things a little better.
The doctor put me on medication last year for the migraines and anxiety. I don't think that I have depression as much as what "he thinks". It's more of like I get upset when I can't control the environment around me. I love a clean, clean (eat off the floor) type of home. By the way yep I am OCD. But my family just throws their belongings where ever there is an opening on the counter, table, end tables, entertainment center, or my favorite on the stairs. I can't keep it clean. Not even for 15 minutes after they come home. But there mess isn't as bad as that dog my husband brought home. The pet hair on my clothes when I haven't even touched the animal. Today alone, I have vacuumed and mopped twice, including the couch, chair, and yes I vacuumed the dog! (Don't worry, she is used to it, and I have a special attachment for it)
I need to get help either with the frantic keeping my house perfect, or with learning to deal with dogs shed, children need to be in your face, and a husband that thinks that the kitchen table at dinner is when it's time to empty all of his pockets.
Am I crazy or are there others out there that life is just full of things and people who are attempting to drive you crazy
Bobbi
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