Some people experience extreme sensitivity, and are diagnosed with what is medically known as sensory processing disorder (SPD).
The disorder shows up in many small details, which can sometimes be deeply disruptive and prevent people from enjoying the ordinary details of life.
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Examples include clothing labels that cause itching, loud music, perfumes, and nausea, which make dealing with the everyday environment difficult.
What is sensory processing disorder?
Anyone can develop sensory processing disorder, according to the Cleveland Clinic, a condition in which the brain's way of receiving, organising and using the messages we get through the body's sensory receptors is disrupted, affecting everyday functioning.
For example, when you hear the sound of a lorry on the road, you jump back instinctively without thinking. You react automatically to the sound. With sensory processing disorder, this processing breaks down, causing problems in adapting to the signals we receive constantly.
How the disorder affects daily life
Sensory processing affects daily life in countless small ways that a person without the condition may never imagine. Here are some examples of everyday activities affected by the disorder:
Finding suitable clothes becomes exhausting
Some people with sensory processing disorder wear the same clothes in different colours, and repeat the same outfit every day once they find something that suits them. Some prefer clothes that are either very loose or very light.
Food is a problem
Eating involves texture, temperature, appearance, the sound of chewing, taste and smell. All the senses take part in eating, so if one of them is affected, it can influence every meal.
Leaving the house
Leaving home can be unsettling. Many people with sensory processing disorder describe the difficulty of leaving the calm of their homes to face the world. Going to school or work requires courage and endurance.
Personal care is complicated
People with sensory processing disorder report that their sense of touch can make everyday things such as brushing teeth or showering feel unpleasant or even painful, which makes personal care complicated.
Sleep difficulties
Some people struggle to sleep because of heightened auditory responses. When overstimulated, they cannot sleep, and when under-stimulated, they may sleep for very long periods.
If their blanket touches them, it can cause real pain. Such people often insist on 100% cotton sheets with a high thread count. They sleep under heavy quilts even in the middle of summer, because they need that weight to feel comfortable.
Emotional barriers
Sensory conditions genuinely affect these people's relationships with others. Overstimulation from sounds, sights and emotions creates a barrier in their emotional lives.
While growing up, these people often cannot talk about their condition to others, because it can seem illogical, which may lead to hurtful mockery.
Treating sensory processing disorder
Occupational therapy using the sensory integration approach (OT-SI) is considered the best option for sensory processing disorder.
This approach focuses on developing a sensory lifestyle that makes living with the disorder easier, by identifying the practices best suited to each person for starting their day, managing their work and regulating themselves throughout the day. Activities carried out at home and at work may be built into the occupational therapy.
For people who experience under-stimulation, intense activities such as running or martial arts can help. Strong physical exercise in activities that do not require social interaction are excellent alternative treatments. For people who feel overstimulated, reading, listening to music or gardening may help.
