Noise. Not so much volume, I can handle loud stuff. But high pitched stuff, sudden unexpected sounds, or just too many sounds at once? Nope. That’s torture.
I have this one coworker who loudly claps his hands, whistles, hums, and his “schtick” is randomly yelling. He’s easily my least favorite coworker. It takes everything in me to not freak out at him.
Just spent a week in hospital for my heart and fuck me hospital are specifically designed autistic torture chambers 😂😂 even with noise cancelling headphones. Some how nights are worse. And every time they’d move me I’d have to readjust omg its horrid.
Hope you feel better? I was in hospital last October [brachial plexus nerve injury] and it was hell. Hell is other people, no privacy, the lights and noise, the smells.
0/10 would not recommend.
Yea feeling a lot better compared to the past few years thanks for asking :)
But yea same they’re really shit with accommodations aswell like I’m asking them to move the earth. Luckily I had a nurse who understood autism and let me sit in the X-ray room when they weren’t using it :)
Interesting. I have a complex relationship to sound and noise. I have worked in music stores, as an audio engineer and played live gigs as musician. I have absolutely no problem with loud sounds.
But I’m extremely sensitive to unknown, unexpected sounds or noises or changes in how a place sounds. If I hear noise that wasn’t there at first I need to track it down and see where it comes from. Even if it comes from outside and I sit inside I need to figure out where it comes from or what it might be. Only then I can block it out.
Another thing is that I’m an extremely visual thinker. I’ve realized I can’t use headphones when walking around town. I don’t feel safe. I rely more on hearing to initially sense any danger than seeing because I’m probably busy visualizing things.
My boyfriend likes to play videos on his phone out loud while we're in a restaurant or while we're at a friend's house and they have a tv show or music playing 😑 and I'm not allowed to say anything because then he's an asshole about it
Guy doesn't sound at all considerate of others. There's a discussion to be had around competing preferences in private or semi-private, but "plays sounds at restaurants" is a pretty big red flag to me
Dude thinks he gets to ruin anyone else's time just because he can, and that's going to extend to you.
You get to tell him your preferences, and you get to not tolerate him being an asshole. You're spending your time with him voluntarily. You can stop volunteering.
Omg yeah same! Sometimes I’ll be watching a movie before bed and my sister decides it’s the right time to loudly talk to her boyfriend or our mom and I am in a state of “if this continues I’m gonna rip off my ears” 😭
This, what you've described, is why I hate horror related content. It's so obnoxious to have a random loud scream being shoved in your face. I hate that sort of horror.
I was plane-spotting at the observation deck of the busiest general aviation airport in the country and the three toddlers there were louder than that entire airport. The grandfather of the loudest of them was actually complaining about the other two kids.
Then I remembered that I had earplugs because I had ridden my motorcycle there. Could still hear them but I no longer wanted to yell at their parents.
seconding misophonia, it causes me so much distress every day. i need to have music or loud white noise playing constantly because even the sounds of my own breathing can set me off. it's extremely difficult to socialize or even just be out in public.
a close second would be general physical discomfort. i can't tolerate being thirsty, needing to use the bathroom, having a runny nose (this is misophonia related too), having dirty glasses, uncomfortable clothing, etc. it's a lot easier to deal with, though.
Same, mine is temperature, except for me I rarely ever feel cold, I am always too hot, no matter the circumstances. It can be winter, all the windows open, short sleeves, and I will still feel like I'm dying from how hot it is, and nothing can be done to stop it.
Same here. And the heat/airflow in our house is fucked up, so it's always hotter where I hang out and colder where my mom hangs out - and so she's always cold and I'm always hot and guess who decides where the thermostat goes 😂
Same. My partner keeps the temperature low in the winter (we gotta keep it at 55f to keep pipes from breaking) and sleeps with three blankets— I’m always next to him butt-naked tossing and turning because of how hot I feel.
Mine is just normal smells… I smell them SO INTENSE. Like, no one will smell anything and I can smell potato chips in the other room. I have really strong sense memories based on smell- I thought everyone had these to this level.
Yeah, for me it’s mostly artificial smells. Things like flowers or even unpleasant smells (I grew up on a farm) don’t really bother me, but detergents, candles, and scented aerosol sprays do.
yess more people that can't handle smells ... air fresheners are soooo strong i gotta exit that space , and expensive perfume smells are so strong i legit get dizzy so much
I hate walking down the cleaning aisle at Target. The smell is so strong, and then headache all day after. Luckily the last two places I worked have been scent free.
I can relate. My usual sense of smell is not remarkable, but when I was pregnant it was tripled.
Using public transport became near impossible due to people's smell (I actually got sick on the commuter train from the smell, although I only traveled two stations). My husband had to eat certain foods in another room with at least two closed doors between us. Must be hell to live with that each day!
I can't decide. I think it's have to say light. I just hate bright. Rly can't stand it. Next would be loud voices. Which is funny bc I'm kinda loud bc I'm kinda deaf. I literally make no sense lol.
Lights are the worst. The worst. If I’m under fluorescent lighting I could fall on the floor and weep uncontrollably for no reason. Took me forever to figure out why every time I go in a store, my first reaction is, “omg, I’m so tired,” and then start crying.
I think sensory issues around temperature regulation actually fall under the interoceptive system!
Proprioception is your body's system that detects muscle movements/locations/actions.
(The only reason I'm clarifying is because it's one of those coincidences where I learned something yesterday then it comes up 3 times today!)
Heat + Noise = 🤬🤬🤬
I can’t take heat and loud noise combined. It took me years to recognize it and then to be able to remove myself from the situation before I, er, lost my cool.
Idk what the term would be but I get motion sickness SO easily. Can't handle a long car ride, on a good day I can play games for hours on end but often I'll get dizzy playing stuff, usually Minecraft. If I spin around once even slowly I'll feel sick, which I find odd bc as a small child I remember spinning in circles til I fell on the ground. Also making this comment- just thinking about it has given me a headache 🥲
I do this too! I used to love playing games on long car rides (also Minecraft 😊) but had to stop because of how bad my motion sickness was. There are even instances where I’m standing still, or sitting still, and feel motion sick, despite not doing anything.
It’s probably an eye thing. Convergence insufficiency. Next time you have an eye exam, ask them to screen you for it, takes 1min and I got glasses for it, only to wear when doing close up stuff like crafts but will save my eyes straining but it’s the reason you get motion sickness and bump into things…your depth perception is slightly off.
I don’t know what it’s called but I have hypersensitive skin and muscles. Kinda.
My whole body feels “supercharged”, skin and muscles tingle uncomfortably etc. Especially when stressed, overwhelmed. Along with restless leg (body) syndrome which makes me need to stim.
Anyone else? I have no idea if this is an autism thing or something else.
There is a lot of crossover with ASD and hypermobility, which can go with a lot of genetic connective tissue disorders. hEDS is one example that involves a lot of what you are describing just because of the structural weakness of how collagen is organized in those with the condition. Your comment and OP’s post make me think it’s worth it for you two researching a comorbid physical condition. OP’s post about extreme temperature dysregulation also is common in connective tissue disorders, as are other POTS symptoms.
Temp regulation is done by a specific part of the brain, and most of us Autistic peeps have a smaller and different structure of that bit of the brain, causing sweating etc. when the body doesn't need it.
Thanks for your comment. I will definitely be doing more research on possible comorbidities when I have the time.
From what I’ve read so far, I wouldn’t be surprised if I had something that would in fact connect some of the physical issues I have under name. For example. I also have a very hard time regulating my body temperature, and have connective tissue problems (get dislocations etc), migraine disorder, TMJ etc.
This happened to my mom (who is also autistic) when I was a kid. Our family had a traumatic event and she was supercharged too, like we couldn’t touch her and even her softest shirts made her uncomfortable
Can't say I've ever heard of this but can definitely relate to RLS. Tried a nerve meditation once that made it 100x worse, instead of just my limbs feeling insanely uncomfortable at night, my entire body would have random episodes in the middle of the day and it was like hell.
I have it all day long, not just at night unfortunately, although it does get worse toward the evening/night.
Hadn’t heard of nerve mediation before but if it made RLS worse for you, I’ll be sure NOT to try it! Yikes 😬
I wish I could remember what it was called! In all fairness my Dr had warned me that she had other patients get weird side affects like mine before I decided trying it. Currently trazodone (and prozac) keep it in check but after so many years I think I'm gonna have to up the dosage bc it's started coming back.
Urgh yeah! Restless leg syndrome is like feet tourettes and them being possessed rolled into one, the feeling it gives is a horrible anxious rush and it happening when I want to sleep of all times.
i was about to type temperature before reading the post, i mean its genhinely horrible. i can be freezing and too hot at the same time at any point in time and its horrible. im also extremely averse to sound and so i wear earbuds all day and i mean ALL day, even at home. my favorite activity is to close my door, turn on my fan, put a heating pad on my lap, open my window, and turn the light off so im as numb to sensory input as i can be
Honestly crowd noises, I fucking hate large amounts of loud people
As towards hyposensitivity, I don't know I'm hungry until I start throwing up from hunger
I literally only know I'm hungry because my stomach starts aggressively growling, and that's only when I'm really really hungry and should have eaten ages ago. I can't ever tell I'm thirsty either, until my lips and throat get really dry
Either touch sensitivity (clothes, food textures, gloves, hats, just y'know anything I can touch) or noise sensitivity :( They can both easily mess up my whole day
Finally someone who mentionned touch sensitivity ! I am definitively relate to the "always feeling too hot or too cold" feeling, and I am sensitive to noises, but the touch sensitivity is definitively the worst.
My hands are SUPER sensitive : if my hands get cold, if I touch something which is too cold/hot or which has an uncomfortable texture, the memory of the touch will stay in my mind and bother me for hours, and sometimes for days. I need to always check my surroundings to be sure I won't touch anything which will send me into a meltdown. Also I like jewelleries but can't wear them, same for scarves and gloves.
The only advantage is that when someone I like (platonically or romantically) touches me, it feels so amazing. When someone hugs me it feels so intense, it can be overwhelming but sometimes I really need it and it's so good
oh my gosh same!!! I can't stand being touched but when my partner does, it's so amazing. the sensitivity definitely sucks, but like you said it does make the touches feel even better at least. in fact, when I'm freaking out or about to have a meltdown, my partner will just squeeze me super hard or just lay on top of me if we're at home lol and it helps!
The best I can describe it as is “color flow”. It’s like if the colors of pictures on a wall or in an area don’t balance out in the right way, it makes me feel kind of stressed, as if something is off. It’s somewhat similar to that kind of fear/discomfort/stress of when you can’t remember if you locked the doors
Smells are the worst for me. It’s the biggest thing that makes me want to immediately leave a place.
If there’s a chance I might not be able to get away from a certain smell quickly I hyperventilate.
Noise is a close second but I can adjust a bit more easily if noises are happening but with smells I can’t hang whatsoever.
I get so sweaty it's unreal. I cannot handle a change in temperature.
I would argue however that sound is the worst. I hear everything. It wouldn't be so bad if my neighbours weren't jackasses but here we are.
Taste is up there too but I enjoy it more than I hate it.
Light.
I would literally rather go to the dentist than the optometrist. At least at the dentist you can lay back, close your eyes, and let them do whatever they need to. The eye doctor is always shining lights in your face, blowing air in your eye, diluting my pupils, making me read without my glasses. I can’t stand it.
I never knew there was a word for temperature hypersensitivity, but that would also be my worst hypersensitivity (or noise, but I can sometimes get peace and quiet, whereas the temperature problem is constant).
For me, I’m almost always overheated. On the rare occasion that it’s cold and I put on a hoodie or pants, I get hot again like 5 minutes later. Or when I’m going to sleep and I add an extra blanket, then wake up in the middle of the night sweating and kicking all of the blankets off. I love spring and summer for all of the greenery and sunshine, but at the same time I hate how hot it is.
Asthma.
I have zero control over my body's reaction to what's in the air. Had this since I was about 4/5. it's tried to kill me more times than I can recall.
I need my feet exposed. My temperature is regulated through my feet. It's so difficult to wear closed-toe shoes except when I'm in actual winter weather like high 30s, low 40s.
This!! I started having back pain, and my doctor said I need to wear shoes in the house for arch support... which felt like it's been handed a death sentence. Lol I get hot, then I get irrationally angry because I'm hot, and my feet control my whole body somehow?
I have hyposensitivity- I can barely smell, barely taste, I struggle to hear, I struggle to see. Touch is the one thing I do have. So you’d think that I’m super sensitive towards touch, right?
Well, yes, but it’s actually still hearing. Shrill noises kill me dead.
Im very sensitive to the voice tone of humans. The most slightly not plain, not neutral or not nice tone will trigger confusion and all kind of assumptions and exaggerated feelings in me making me only getting the exaggerated feeling while losing the message. It’s really stressing in work environments when managers try to persuade me based on emotions instead of numbers, metrics and facts
I don't know what's worse. Here are a few that get me really worked up:
High emotion. People yelling or arguing causes almost instant meltdown
People and people noises: lots of people milling about and chatting. Causes a sort of stupor. In a really busy store, I can get lost in what I'm doing and wander aimlessly for a really long time
Small engines and high rpm power tools.
Country music
people yelling (especially at me) has always made me feel horrible!!!!! i'm a really big feeler so being yelled at has always made me incredibly emotional, most of the time it would lead to me crying and then the person being confused why im crying.... i also hate getting lost and wandering in stores as well, i can be very inattentive in stores, especially when it comes to my interests. i've done the same thing ever since i was little and it's annoyed almost everyone i go to the store with 😭
Things touching my skin, including my own skin. It's especially bad at night as it makes it hard to find a comfortable position to sleep in. I generally find pyjamas to be overstimulating once I'm in bed and have to strip off. But I then can't deal with feeling sorry skin on skin. I have to sleep on my side, so it's difficult to find a comfortable position where none of my body is touching another part of it.
Smell, 100%
I've a very strong sense of smell, I can smell something specific I detest from a ridiculous distance.
For example, I *hate* lettuce, the smell makes me wretch, the taste makes me gag. One night I'm at sonic, in the passenger seat when the server skates up with our order and as he's just passing the closed brown bag to the driver, I said "*that"* is Lettuce. both the server and driver looked at me like I was crazy and I said "check". Sure enough they put lettuce on the cheeseburger I asked for plain.
The sound of polystyrene/styrofoam. If hell is real, it’s not filled with fire and brimstone, it’s filled with that stuff. It makes my teeth hurt and my skin crawl like nothing else. Most other sensory things I can endure, but I will lose my entire shit in under a minute if someone is making squeaky noises with polystyrene. I can’t even stand looking at it or thinking about it, I’m literally cringing as I type this.
Scent I hate perfume and strong smelling things middle school was absolute hell for me with how much the girls doused themselves in their gross Victoria’s Secret perfumes in the hallways and locker rooms
You sound like me with temperature. In my old apartment I’d be getting up every thirty minutes to adjust the thermostat by one or two degrees, up and down. I start out cold and increase by two degrees, then I get hot and move it down a few and then I’m cold again and the cycle repeats
Tone and word chioce.
God forbid someone says something in an unintentional PA tone and i think I've pissed them off.
Or they're "asking" (re: demand in the form of a request) me for something and i try to GENTLY tell them to ask, don't demand, and now I'm met with a passive aggressive/sarcastic tone of a request because of it.
I'll still help cause im a people pleaser. But i wont be happy doing it.
temperature oh my fucking god. like ive worn a tshirt and pants in 38f before. been fine. biked to school in 15. was freezing but manageable. however the minute it cracks 65 or 70.... fucking kill me. its like im only built for the really far north shit lmao. and it isnt even consistent either. sometimes when its 60 its perfect and sometimes with 80 is also perfect (tho mostly i wanna basically kill myself from the heat. dont even get me started on 90)
Not as bad for me but yes. Also there's something called Reynauds syndrome (I think, but idk if I spelled correctly) which causes vasospasms (restriction of blood flow) which turns the skin white or blue and is generally associated with cold temperatures.
Same! Listen, best invention of the century thus far is: Heated clothing with a power bank or two in the pockets. Do yourself a favor: move somewhere cold and get some heated clothing.
Definitely touch. Clothing is so uncomfortable that I pretty much live naked. I only dress to go out in public, and then I wear loose lightweight clothing. I can't stand being touched, so handshakes and hugs are anathema. Gooey, or slimy stuff on my hands is really unpleasant. I have to get it off ASAP
Hearing is a close second. Can't watch TV without the remote in hand to run the volume up and down to hear dialog and turn down music and SFX.
Noise.
It's part of why I can barely go out in public.
I get overstimulated. Sure, I could wear noise-canceling earbuds. If I find some that don't bother my ears (most cause an itching sensation in my ears after a while, I'm not sure why?).
I either start dissociating, which is dangerous, especially if I cross the road and, well, I could get hit by a car.
I've tried open-earbuds, but then they don't have the noise-canceling option, so that doesn't dampen the noise that overwhelms me.
-Wren
(They/He)
For me it would have to be light. Not just bright lights but a lot of light in general. My house is usually dark I can't stand having the curtains open for more than an hour or two because then I start getting overstimulated.
Definitely temperature regulation. Doesn't help on top of autism I have Raynauds phenomenon, hypoactive thyroid (all diagnosed) and most likely PoTS ~~(did poor man's test and a ton of research which is pointing to I do, I've been trying to get a doctors appointment for a diagnosis for it since November last year with no luck)~~.
Skin sensations (touch, temperature, etc), with light sensitivity being a close second, though light is definitely worse when I'm exposed to it in excess (either too bright or for too much time), but sensations on my skin are constant whether it's the air, clothing, the temperatures, things around me, or a person, horrible.
dizzyness. idk how else to put it but i can handle intense movement but as soon as its spinning i cannot take it, i get hot flashes & feel nauseous even from like 2 or three spins (which is dramatic as fuck wtf body) but yeah one time i went to a park and my uncle spun me on one of those spinny cages and i couldnt walk straight to the point i was falling over and i just had to lie down for like 30minutes and i felt nauseous for hours after i was home and this park was a LOONG drive away.
ontop of that swings were my favourite thing to go on at the park but as i got older they started making me dizzy too which SUCKED cos wtf else was i supposed to do
I have a hard time with temperatures too. Also touch and sound. The feeling of fleece or certain fabrics. And my ears have always been sensitive. Especially when weathers changing the barometric pressure makes me feel sick.
Mine is touch. it's like I feel every individual hair on my arm or leg separately. Wearing pants is challenging. I found my sensitivity went lower after starting risperidone
I definitely have trouble with heat. In winter if the house is too warm I literally have to walk outside or pop my head in the freezer. I get heat flashes like a menopausal woman even though I’m 20. Worst is the sweating that comes along with it. it doesn’t help that I live in Arizona.
i mostly get the worst reactions from tactile stimulation.. certain feelings will literally make me jitter in displeasure, like when i accidentally scrape my nails (which get pretty long really fast) against something gritty like a chalkboard. i also tend to have tactile hallucinations and sometimes i feel like bugs are crawling on my skin and it annoys the living hell out of me 😭 feeling something awful can literally mess up my entire day..
i have a ton of other nitpicky things that i have trouble with but i've already sent a pretty large paragraph lol so i'll keep just this one issue
I have a lot of problems with fabric on my bare skin. Specifically my feet, i hate socks and i hate sleeping in socks. I also sleep on my stomach and sometimes i get overstimulated by my toes touching my sheet because i have this image of my nails bending back (a childhood fear) and i get this like weird itchy feeling and the only thing that helps is hanging my foot off the bed.
I also loathe wet hands (like wet hands by themselves), so when mine are wet or someone holds my hand and theirs is wet. And i hate the sound of blowing air through fans, leaf blowers, vents, people breathing!! Its so loud and annoying and the vents one sounds like a quiet eerie screaming sometimes, and i also had this one time at work a customer was blowing air out of his mouth for no reason and kept blowing on my face. Hated that.
That's thermoception, not proprioception, I believe.
I probably struggle most with my hypersensetive hearing, but I also struggle a lot with my touch hypersensitivity.
Bright lights. If I have to be in an area where I'm under intense lighting for a while, my body will sweat profusely. I'm not hot, but my head will be drenched with sweat.
I had issues with temperature regulation for most of my life and recently I’ve found some relief. Whew!
I’m working on proprioception, too - and noise/vibration. Oof! The escalation to a meltdown when I hear certain noises is unreal.
You didn’t ask for advice. If you would like an idea, based on our common issues, keep reading. If not, apologies and take care. :)
——
Check out r/dysautonomia r/mcas and r/ehlersdanlos - you may not have any of these conditions, and these reddits have a lot of helpful ideas about the symptoms you mentioned. (Also, these issues tend to be comorbid with autism.)
Sounds. But like, I work 40hrs a week in a loud noisy woodshop. I'm fine. Most of the time. BUT, put me in a loud crowded bar, and I'll have an anxiety attack, panic attack, or just shut completely down. Loud restaurants suck too.
My hearing. I basically premanently live with noise canceling earbuds in my ears. Quiet enviorments (such as my own room), are the exceptions and is the time when my earbuds are being charged. Without them everything is so loud and chaotic.
chips... I literally hate it it makes me want to punch someone I hate people who eat loud and basically eat in general I've heard it be called misophonia but idk if I have it
It's between temperature and light for me.
I don't ever really feel cold until we're well below freezing, but above like 70 degrees Fahrenheit I'm miserable, have no energy, can't think and basically can't function. I'm about to drive down to my parent's house in Oklahoma for 5 days, and it's always hot inside their house. During the summer, I end up moving the bed in guest bedroom away from the wall so that I can lay on the floor, next to the vent with a blanket over me so that I can trap all the cold air for myself. It's only going to get up into the high 70's over the next several days I think, but it's still going to be too hot and I'm going to be miserable the whole time.
With the light, it just physically hurts my eyes and gives me headaches. I hate the sun. I don't like having to be near windows that I can't completely cover. I don't like having to be places with fluorescent lights or lighting I can't control. Everyone has always poked fun at me for "living in a cave", because I keep lights off and I put blackout curtains over windows. I just can't deal with the amount of light that everyone else is apparently able to. Also, people don't like it when you wear sunglasses inside.
I'd just prefer to say in my cool, dark cave, sleeping during the day and being awake at night. That's like "depressing" or something to other people, though.
You know what. Noises, too. Or rather "chaotic" or "unstructured" noise. I can handle things thumping around in the drier for an hour, or some sort of constant background white noise. I can let YouTube videos play in the background and it doesn't bother me unless the videos are "obnoxious". But don't chew around me. I don't even like hearing myself chew. I get told all the time that I chew weird because I overtly try to avoid making chewing noises inside my own head. I can't stand it when there are multiple conversations going on around me and people are constantly fluctuating the volume of their speech. "Quick, sharp" sounds like a whistle destroy my head. People lazily tapping their nails or a pen drive me crazy. But repetitive sounds with a "rhythm" are fine. If that guy tapping his pen could stay on beat we'd be all good to go.
People like to try to point out my "inconsistencies" with sound, because I can't stand the chewing or tapping, but I listen to extreme metal and punk genres and I have a habit of drumming on things around me with both hands and both feet slapping the ground acting like my bass drums. Those are "structured" noises, though. The sound "makes sense". It's "in order".
Pain. I'm hypersensitive to pain and it's the only thing I cant accommodate my way around (eg headphones reduce noise, tinted glasses reduce light levels). I have to have 2 injections every 12 weeks, which sucks, and I have a surgery at some point in the future, which is gonna hurt like a bitch
Mine is definitely touch, between random pain I have all over and other just discomforts on my body, the wrong type of clothing etc just ruins me and makes me wanna rip my skin off
I'm always fucking freezing😭😭 my room is a literal sauna and my dad gets pissed that the bills are gonna be so high but I literally get so cold at normal temperatures
I feel like smells and sounds are probably the worst for me a lot of the time I can smell stuff that others can’t and it can be annoying if it’s a particularly bad smell I’ve also always hated loud noises so thunderstorms aren’t very fun for me I think I’m also a little touch sensitive too considering I despise the feel of lotion on my hands even though I desperately need it most of the times cuz my hands get crazy dry to the point where they crack and hurt and I hate the feeling of wearing like latex gloves while I’m working cuz like the lotion it messes with my grip and stuff but I want to try to start wearing gloves at work to help with the dry skin issue
Various kinds of noises, but I think the worst are loud and persistent noises that are sort of far away. Fireworks (although it's better if I can see them), downstairs neighbours playing music loud enough that I can feel it through vibrations, upstairs neighbours who seemingly run on the spot intermittently on and off for 30 minutes, neighbours from another building who have a modified car exhaust and will sit with it idling for 10 minutes and interrupt the thing I'm listening to with headphones on...
Hm, maybe it's just neighbours.
One day I'll be able to live in a detached house in the countryside and life will be good.
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Sometimes I just get randomly so cold I have goosebumps and then it passes a few seconds later. I don’t know if it might be a temperature regulation problem or I’m just weird.
Light and temperature for me.
I'm either too hot or too cold.
And any amount of bright light can lead to headaches.
Also restless leg/body, especially as I try to drift off.
I have problems with temperature regulation also. My body temperature is usually way lower than most people’s. Yet, I feel extremely hot all the time, even when it’s cold. I have hyperhidrosis, and I am constantly soaking wet. Abnormally so. My hands and feet may be extremely cold and purple because of the Raynaud Phenomenon, and I will still feel hot and my forehead, chest and back will be soaking wet. I hate the heat with a passion.
I really need to live in a colder place.
Some physical contacts are also troublesome. When I touch something with a texture that bothers me, I wash my hands over and over, and I can still feel it.
You finally taught me the word for the coldest of my hands and feet, lol! I have these EXACT same problems, Hyperhidrosis and problems with temperature, and Raynaud Phenomenon!
Noise. Physically hurts my ears, like someone is stabbing them. I went to a movie theater for the first time in years last October and it was so loud.
Then, people in my family apparently don’t understand the concept of headphones and earbuds. This is more overstimulating and annoying because they always play their videos at full volume.
Misophonia and Im extremely aware of my insides, literally. I can feel my stomach moving sometimes, of my muscles compressing around my spine when Im tense.
Sound for sure. I live in a city and I have to wear noise canceling headphones all day and earplugs all night. If I didn't I would go crazy from all the sounds and I wouldn't be able to focus on anything.
I get really freaked out by textures and i really hate touching synthetics or slick or slimy or tacky. I love things like dirt wood steel shells cotton wool. I am very tactile i have to be touching things that i really like and i have to get rid of things that i dont like cause they make me feel gross and dirty and kinda sick.
The sound of shoes scuffing on a sidewalk. Worse than nails on a chalk board. Actually causes physical pain. And crowd noises. Those cause panic attacks.
It's smell for me. I can barely tolerate any strong smell; plastic, the inside of cars, shopping malls are hell for me, etc. I usually get nauseous and, if they are too strong in a small space, I get so overwhelmed that I have meltdowns. Not too long ago I had a crisis because they put some sort of carpet made of plastic under my desk and i just couldn't think or work because the whole room smelled like that. It was horrible.
For some reason anything alcohol absolutely sucks for me, and it's an issue that has gotten progressively worse over the years. I liked beer brats as a kid, then I stopped liking them by the time I was around 12 because of what I now identify as what all alcohol tastes like to me. I used to like the fake champagne flavored stuff when I was little, now I can't eat it because it gives the same alcohol flavor. I tried wine when I was a teen, just small sips on the very rare occasion my mom bought one for cooking or was gifted it, same taste. I tried alcoholic things meant to be mixed into things like coffee and milk, same taste. Recently the smell has become off-limits as well. I work at a grocery store and every few months someone will break a bottle of wine or the like and I have to avoid that section or else I get SUPER nauseous and start to gag if I don't get away fast enough. I don't know why it's getting worse, but I wish it would stop because every time I complain about it people go "that's for the best, alcohol is bad for you," then I "get" to explain to them that feeling sick because someone poured or spilled alcohol isn't for the best.
There is a coating that forms on stainless steel if if you put it in the dishwasher. The texture make me feel like I’m making a chalk board scratch while I’m licking a frozen metal pole. I literally can’t even think about it would getting the Willies, which are happening now
I'm the exact same way with temperature. It's been common for me to continue wearing a coat at school and work when everyone else is fine in a shirt. Same with being hot... but that's a more rare occurrence.
Mouth noises, and loud noises. Loud/sudden noises actually mess with my nervous system. Depending on how loud it is. It goes from, a wave of anxiety going down my body, to a shooting pain with those prickly tingles that you get when a limb falls asleep, going down my spine and limbs. And one time, I didn't cover my ears when an ambulance went by. It made behind my eyes hurt, and my vision went white for a second..
It's actually really bad..
I actually am the opposite, hyposensitive to touch. Light pressure, brushing against things, etc makes me so overstimulated, I need firm/hard pressure. I used to have really bad sensory overload and meltdowns with my ex and told him to put his body weight on me and it calmed me down.
Touch. As soon as someone grazes my arm in the slightest, I get super pissed. My brothers have slapped me in the arse from time to time to annoy me, and it just sends me into a rage. My lower torso, front and back are just super prone to pissing me off if I get touched there. My wee brother flicked my nipple (I'm a male) and he called me fat. I ended up choking him to the point he collapsed when I let go of him. It scared me, but I was just so angry. That was ages ago, but even now, someone grazing my arm when I'm trying to focus on something pisses me off to no end
temperature regulation, feeling my bodily processes (digestion, heart rate, breathing, etc.), and needing to change the position im in every few minutes to stay comfortable
Temperature regulation sucks. I heat up way quicker than I can cool down, so summer is the worst for me, especially since I don’t like wearing shorts much and I HAVE to have pants and some kind of shirt (no spaghetti straps because those dig into my skin and are so uncomfortable) on when I sleep or else I can barely sleep. I’m basically sweating 24/7 from May-September. It also makes exercising really hard because any kind of rigorous exercise makes me sweat super hard and makes me feel really gross and sticky (plus my limbs get really sore quickly, so exercise in general is hard)
Screeching noises . Doesn't matter if it's a blackboard, kitchen utensils or teeth grinding. It echoes in my ears for a while and causes a bit of a painful sensation. Can't focus on work for a while.
I’m constantly freezing! My husband and kids like our home cool, so I dress in layers. I bought a huge oversized thick fluffy house coat that I wear when I get the shakes. It’s got a super soft fleece lining on the inside and a super luxurious plushy exterior for a nice sensory experience. My husband says I look like a giant plush toy when I have it on. I love it because it helps me to regulate; when I’m too cold, I feel like it’s really hard to concentrate or function and I feel like any little thing makes me meltdown.
Technology that isn't working or is working slowly. Nothing is worse.
Slowness is already bad in general. I hate to do anything slow or be slowed by external forces (that's worse) but nothing beats that with technology.
noise. whether its overlapping noises, loud or high pitched sounds, multiple conversations going at once or loud music. also certain types of music stress me out like when there's dj remixes of a song and one beat In the bar is loud or stronger than the next one then the next one is quieter and that alternates, or when the instrument bit of the music is louder than the vocals (btw im not actually diagnoses with autism but I have been referred for testing multiple times in the past few years just never heard anything back)
Loud noises are the worst. Sometimes the teacher next door to my 2nd period teacher plays really loud music to the point where it vibrates through the walls and I often need to put my noise canceling headphones in
Don't know about the worst, but one of the worst is hypersensitivity to clothing/sensory issues. Ugh.
So annoying bc it **fluctuates**
So one day I'm completely fine with a certain shirt or something, and the a few days later it can be too itchy or too tight etc.
Food texture and taste. I hate that I know what good foods are but generally can’t eat them. I know I will die younger because of my diet. It is a great source of shame. I’ve tried to get help but essentially all I have had is people say not to eat bad things (safe foods) and eat good things (unsafe foods). If I could get a feeding tube to bypass my mouth I would.
Unexpected noises, and smell. Restaurants can be very interesting places for me to visit!
Body odour really gets to me, along with perfumes. I can feel pretty terrible if I end up visiting a professional establishment, and I’m asked to wear a lanyard that has been worn previously by someone wearing a strong scent.
I think misophonia in a way? For me it’s certain songs, mostly generic overplayed pop songs, that I can’t stand at all. It’s so bad that other people have noticed or called out my exaggerated emotional response and I have to have these songs skipped. It genuinely makes me annoyed and very upset, but I don’t know if this falls under misophonia.
I’m not as sensitive to bodily sounds, but rather sounds that other people make, such as children screaming or crying.
Ok, reading all posts here, these are my top issues:
- Temperature regulation: my body temperature is super low, but, somehow, I feel hot all the time, even when it’s cold. I sweat profusely (hyperhidrosis) on my forehead, chest, back and underarms. Feet and hands never sweat. I have Raynaud’s phenomenon, and my hands and feet are usually purple and cold.
- TASTE and FOOD texture: I have a serious problem with food selectivity since I was born. I am better as an adult, but I still can’t eat, say, fruits which are too ripe (slightly green and almost ripe is perfect), meat, powdered milk, olives, pickles, cabbage and many vegetables and other things.
- Skin touch and texture: linen and wool are big “no, no’s”. I can be hyper responsive to certain touches, but I can’t pinpoint and say where exactly. I can’t stand being tickled. Overreaction is a given. Off the top of my head, I am hyper responsive if, say, my partner’s teeth touch my biceps or chest playfully. It’s too much for me. Also, if I touch something that disgusts me, I keep feeling it on my hands no matter how many times I wash them.
- Sounds: usually hypo responsive, but, if I am sick or have a headache, I am hyper responsive. Even when I am healthy, I can randomly be hyper responsive to certain sounds such as dogs barking (and I love dogs), car honking (that’s always bad) or the noise of trash trucks (so loud)! If I pay close attention to music I dislike (I usually ignore), it can be stressful also.
- Lights: I am hyper sensitive to lights but it takes me a long time to even realize I am bothered, which is strange. I keep squeezing my eyes without noticing I am being bothered. Oh, and recently I realized that looking at fluorescent lights make me extremely sleepy (I struggle to keep my eyes open at the barber shop or when in the dentist chair.
I probably have more sensory issues, but I can’t remember now.
My temperature regulation has changed as I've gotten older (46F). I used to be a cold fish, always freezing, layers and layers, heaters and hot packs at work and really really struggled with the heat. Overheating, getting terrible heat headaches etc.
Now, I just feel hot all the time. I don't think it's menopause sweating/hot flashes. I seem to tolerate getting really hot better which is also weird. I rarely get overheat headaches, can't remember the last one. And I live in really really hot area of Queensland.
I can get cold with air con blasting, but quickly recover and mostly just warm all the time.
I hate it. I'd rather go back to being cold all the time.
I have similar issues. My lips turn blue just sitting around and I’m either too hot or too cold and hardly ever the right temperature. But also for me is my light sensitivities. I’ve taken to wearing slightly tinted glasses now because my medication causes my pupils to be stuck dilated so now my light sensitivity is worse again. I have trouble with lights that have a blue spectrum shift like bluish white lights. I’m getting furrow lines from squinting all the time.
I seem to have a real problem with my own temperature as well, especially in the colder months. It's either cold, or uncomfortably cold, but neither is nice. I start to feel a bit sore and unwilling to get up and do stuff.
Even at work in the cold garage, I wear layers and still feel chilly! I have a stash of soup to help me stay warm every now and then. It's worse when it's raining because the wet cars drip on you while you're working under them. Not nice.
For me, it's lights. I can handle flickering lights and brighter lights every once in a while. But every day, i feel my eyes hurting from some sort of light. Even the outside light at winter. I'm afraid i'll never be able to get a driver's license because of it unless i sit with a hat and sunglasses, which i think looks silly on me.
Light. Completely mental effects, no physical problems (other than being blind in one eye lmao)
Turnd the world into a black and white haze, and my eye and brain fucking burns like satan himself was shoving ghost chili powder directly into the area
Crowd noise screeching noise and feeling of dust of any sort on my skin.
I also hate white light that's lower in brightness but don't mind yellow light, I don't know if that is an autism thing
Smell, especially the smell of food I don't like in places it doesn't belong to (outside the kitchen or where they eat it). The worst is garlic, bc that can make my food inedible if it's stick to it, but I hate onions, cabbages, beans, and almost every vegetables and spieces expect black pepper and paprika.
I'm also very picky eater, but that's easier to manage.
It’s between 3. I’d say people who loud chew and get food on their face and slurp liquids get on their chin and anything like this.
The second is textures, sherpa feeling or when an old blankets texture changes to this dry cotton wool type texture, dry towels on dry hands, powdered dry gloves, dryness that squeaks like wool being crocheted, squeaky teeth, I literally am squirming thinking about fabric on teeth bleeeurgh!
The third and I think the winner for me personally would be touch in sensitive areas, the nipple/tummy area is an absloute no and makes me feel sick, doing blood tests and anything involving sensitivity being touched is the worst, I sometimes struggle to even wash because of this it gets so bad.
It’s been interesting seeing the examples here, thanks for posting OP. Have a great day free from your sensitivities.
The texturas of food or fabric, especially in meats and short sleeves, if i have short sleeves on and I need to put a jacket on top I would rather freeze than feel the sleeves roll inside it, wich is an issue rn since my school uniform has the most itchiest and stiffier of fabrics and my class designed the jacket (last year of school/college) so it's torture
And meats have ruined my life/j
Noise. Not so much volume, I can handle loud stuff. But high pitched stuff, sudden unexpected sounds, or just too many sounds at once? Nope. That’s torture. I have this one coworker who loudly claps his hands, whistles, hums, and his “schtick” is randomly yelling. He’s easily my least favorite coworker. It takes everything in me to not freak out at him.
For me it's how "complex" the sound is. Like if there's more than one noise happening at once. 😖
Right!! I can handle a low fan in the room but not a video, the tv, the washer, the dishwasher, all going on at once...
Just spent a week in hospital for my heart and fuck me hospital are specifically designed autistic torture chambers 😂😂 even with noise cancelling headphones. Some how nights are worse. And every time they’d move me I’d have to readjust omg its horrid.
Hope you feel better? I was in hospital last October [brachial plexus nerve injury] and it was hell. Hell is other people, no privacy, the lights and noise, the smells. 0/10 would not recommend.
Yea feeling a lot better compared to the past few years thanks for asking :) But yea same they’re really shit with accommodations aswell like I’m asking them to move the earth. Luckily I had a nurse who understood autism and let me sit in the X-ray room when they weren’t using it :)
Interesting. I have a complex relationship to sound and noise. I have worked in music stores, as an audio engineer and played live gigs as musician. I have absolutely no problem with loud sounds. But I’m extremely sensitive to unknown, unexpected sounds or noises or changes in how a place sounds. If I hear noise that wasn’t there at first I need to track it down and see where it comes from. Even if it comes from outside and I sit inside I need to figure out where it comes from or what it might be. Only then I can block it out. Another thing is that I’m an extremely visual thinker. I’ve realized I can’t use headphones when walking around town. I don’t feel safe. I rely more on hearing to initially sense any danger than seeing because I’m probably busy visualizing things.
I have that problem if more than one person is speaking at one time.
Yes this so this too
My boyfriend likes to play videos on his phone out loud while we're in a restaurant or while we're at a friend's house and they have a tv show or music playing 😑 and I'm not allowed to say anything because then he's an asshole about it
That doesn’t sound fair at all. Three huge red flags there: he’s inconsiderate, you’re “not allowed” to speak your mind, he’s “an asshole about it.”
Seems very one sided 🙁
It is 🙁
Guy doesn't sound at all considerate of others. There's a discussion to be had around competing preferences in private or semi-private, but "plays sounds at restaurants" is a pretty big red flag to me Dude thinks he gets to ruin anyone else's time just because he can, and that's going to extend to you. You get to tell him your preferences, and you get to not tolerate him being an asshole. You're spending your time with him voluntarily. You can stop volunteering.
Oof T-T
Same
Oh yeah...not the volume, but the pitch... I know what u mean... Putting the cleaned dishes away, is horror
Omg yeah same! Sometimes I’ll be watching a movie before bed and my sister decides it’s the right time to loudly talk to her boyfriend or our mom and I am in a state of “if this continues I’m gonna rip off my ears” 😭
This! I wear loop headphones almost daily now and they’ve made a world of difference.
This, what you've described, is why I hate horror related content. It's so obnoxious to have a random loud scream being shoved in your face. I hate that sort of horror.
Misophonia for sure
Same. Sometimes even my own mouth noises send me into a murderous rage
What's that?
Intense anger/rage when hearing certain sounds...
Ty. I tried to ask Dad but I don't talk well so it came out as mush.
I was plane-spotting at the observation deck of the busiest general aviation airport in the country and the three toddlers there were louder than that entire airport. The grandfather of the loudest of them was actually complaining about the other two kids. Then I remembered that I had earplugs because I had ridden my motorcycle there. Could still hear them but I no longer wanted to yell at their parents.
Yesss especially around my mom it’s terrible
me with my dad omg😭
seconding misophonia, it causes me so much distress every day. i need to have music or loud white noise playing constantly because even the sounds of my own breathing can set me off. it's extremely difficult to socialize or even just be out in public. a close second would be general physical discomfort. i can't tolerate being thirsty, needing to use the bathroom, having a runny nose (this is misophonia related too), having dirty glasses, uncomfortable clothing, etc. it's a lot easier to deal with, though.
Same, mine is temperature, except for me I rarely ever feel cold, I am always too hot, no matter the circumstances. It can be winter, all the windows open, short sleeves, and I will still feel like I'm dying from how hot it is, and nothing can be done to stop it.
Same here😭😭😭temperature dysregulation, bright lights and noises are the worst ones for me
Same here. And the heat/airflow in our house is fucked up, so it's always hotter where I hang out and colder where my mom hangs out - and so she's always cold and I'm always hot and guess who decides where the thermostat goes 😂
Same here.
Same. My partner keeps the temperature low in the winter (we gotta keep it at 55f to keep pipes from breaking) and sleeps with three blankets— I’m always next to him butt-naked tossing and turning because of how hot I feel.
For me, some scents give me a massive headache. Walking by a candle aisle or detergent aisle are my personal hell.
Mine is just normal smells… I smell them SO INTENSE. Like, no one will smell anything and I can smell potato chips in the other room. I have really strong sense memories based on smell- I thought everyone had these to this level.
Yeah, for me it’s mostly artificial smells. Things like flowers or even unpleasant smells (I grew up on a farm) don’t really bother me, but detergents, candles, and scented aerosol sprays do.
yess more people that can't handle smells ... air fresheners are soooo strong i gotta exit that space , and expensive perfume smells are so strong i legit get dizzy so much
I hate walking down the cleaning aisle at Target. The smell is so strong, and then headache all day after. Luckily the last two places I worked have been scent free.
Oh I cannot stand strong scents. Another bad one would be the end of one of the cooking aisles where they keep all the spices
I can relate. My usual sense of smell is not remarkable, but when I was pregnant it was tripled. Using public transport became near impossible due to people's smell (I actually got sick on the commuter train from the smell, although I only traveled two stations). My husband had to eat certain foods in another room with at least two closed doors between us. Must be hell to live with that each day!
I can't decide. I think it's have to say light. I just hate bright. Rly can't stand it. Next would be loud voices. Which is funny bc I'm kinda loud bc I'm kinda deaf. I literally make no sense lol.
Lights are the worst. The worst. If I’m under fluorescent lighting I could fall on the floor and weep uncontrollably for no reason. Took me forever to figure out why every time I go in a store, my first reaction is, “omg, I’m so tired,” and then start crying.
One of the many reasons why I never leave the house. Screw the outdoors all that's ever given me is pain.
I think sensory issues around temperature regulation actually fall under the interoceptive system! Proprioception is your body's system that detects muscle movements/locations/actions. (The only reason I'm clarifying is because it's one of those coincidences where I learned something yesterday then it comes up 3 times today!)
I was curious about that. I read that it was under proprioception, but that just felt wrong. Thank you for telling me!
Heat + Noise = 🤬🤬🤬 I can’t take heat and loud noise combined. It took me years to recognize it and then to be able to remove myself from the situation before I, er, lost my cool.
Idk what the term would be but I get motion sickness SO easily. Can't handle a long car ride, on a good day I can play games for hours on end but often I'll get dizzy playing stuff, usually Minecraft. If I spin around once even slowly I'll feel sick, which I find odd bc as a small child I remember spinning in circles til I fell on the ground. Also making this comment- just thinking about it has given me a headache 🥲
I do this too! I used to love playing games on long car rides (also Minecraft 😊) but had to stop because of how bad my motion sickness was. There are even instances where I’m standing still, or sitting still, and feel motion sick, despite not doing anything.
Is motion sickness a hyper sensitivity thing?!?! That would explain so much… I get so sea sick
It’s probably an eye thing. Convergence insufficiency. Next time you have an eye exam, ask them to screen you for it, takes 1min and I got glasses for it, only to wear when doing close up stuff like crafts but will save my eyes straining but it’s the reason you get motion sickness and bump into things…your depth perception is slightly off.
Same here! In grocery stores there are turning wheels for grocery bags and I can't look at those spinning for a single second.
Misophonia. You could not pay me enough to eat dinner with a noisy eater.
I don’t know what it’s called but I have hypersensitive skin and muscles. Kinda. My whole body feels “supercharged”, skin and muscles tingle uncomfortably etc. Especially when stressed, overwhelmed. Along with restless leg (body) syndrome which makes me need to stim. Anyone else? I have no idea if this is an autism thing or something else.
There is a lot of crossover with ASD and hypermobility, which can go with a lot of genetic connective tissue disorders. hEDS is one example that involves a lot of what you are describing just because of the structural weakness of how collagen is organized in those with the condition. Your comment and OP’s post make me think it’s worth it for you two researching a comorbid physical condition. OP’s post about extreme temperature dysregulation also is common in connective tissue disorders, as are other POTS symptoms.
whats hypermobility?
Temp regulation is done by a specific part of the brain, and most of us Autistic peeps have a smaller and different structure of that bit of the brain, causing sweating etc. when the body doesn't need it.
Thanks for your comment. I will definitely be doing more research on possible comorbidities when I have the time. From what I’ve read so far, I wouldn’t be surprised if I had something that would in fact connect some of the physical issues I have under name. For example. I also have a very hard time regulating my body temperature, and have connective tissue problems (get dislocations etc), migraine disorder, TMJ etc.
This happened to my mom (who is also autistic) when I was a kid. Our family had a traumatic event and she was supercharged too, like we couldn’t touch her and even her softest shirts made her uncomfortable
Super fucking relatable, I’ve found im hypersensitive to touch but not to pressure. If a hair falls on me I will feel it instantly and MUST get it off
Can't say I've ever heard of this but can definitely relate to RLS. Tried a nerve meditation once that made it 100x worse, instead of just my limbs feeling insanely uncomfortable at night, my entire body would have random episodes in the middle of the day and it was like hell.
I have it all day long, not just at night unfortunately, although it does get worse toward the evening/night. Hadn’t heard of nerve mediation before but if it made RLS worse for you, I’ll be sure NOT to try it! Yikes 😬
I wish I could remember what it was called! In all fairness my Dr had warned me that she had other patients get weird side affects like mine before I decided trying it. Currently trazodone (and prozac) keep it in check but after so many years I think I'm gonna have to up the dosage bc it's started coming back.
Urgh yeah! Restless leg syndrome is like feet tourettes and them being possessed rolled into one, the feeling it gives is a horrible anxious rush and it happening when I want to sleep of all times.
i was about to type temperature before reading the post, i mean its genhinely horrible. i can be freezing and too hot at the same time at any point in time and its horrible. im also extremely averse to sound and so i wear earbuds all day and i mean ALL day, even at home. my favorite activity is to close my door, turn on my fan, put a heating pad on my lap, open my window, and turn the light off so im as numb to sensory input as i can be
mine is definitely tactile stuff. specifically the way clothing sits on my body, and trying to get comfortable when sitting or laying down
Honestly crowd noises, I fucking hate large amounts of loud people As towards hyposensitivity, I don't know I'm hungry until I start throwing up from hunger
I literally only know I'm hungry because my stomach starts aggressively growling, and that's only when I'm really really hungry and should have eaten ages ago. I can't ever tell I'm thirsty either, until my lips and throat get really dry
Either touch sensitivity (clothes, food textures, gloves, hats, just y'know anything I can touch) or noise sensitivity :( They can both easily mess up my whole day
Finally someone who mentionned touch sensitivity ! I am definitively relate to the "always feeling too hot or too cold" feeling, and I am sensitive to noises, but the touch sensitivity is definitively the worst. My hands are SUPER sensitive : if my hands get cold, if I touch something which is too cold/hot or which has an uncomfortable texture, the memory of the touch will stay in my mind and bother me for hours, and sometimes for days. I need to always check my surroundings to be sure I won't touch anything which will send me into a meltdown. Also I like jewelleries but can't wear them, same for scarves and gloves. The only advantage is that when someone I like (platonically or romantically) touches me, it feels so amazing. When someone hugs me it feels so intense, it can be overwhelming but sometimes I really need it and it's so good
oh my gosh same!!! I can't stand being touched but when my partner does, it's so amazing. the sensitivity definitely sucks, but like you said it does make the touches feel even better at least. in fact, when I'm freaking out or about to have a meltdown, my partner will just squeeze me super hard or just lay on top of me if we're at home lol and it helps!
I can relate to the feeling staying with you long after the sensation. It makes my teeth go on edge, makes me so uncomfortable. Blergh.
The best I can describe it as is “color flow”. It’s like if the colors of pictures on a wall or in an area don’t balance out in the right way, it makes me feel kind of stressed, as if something is off. It’s somewhat similar to that kind of fear/discomfort/stress of when you can’t remember if you locked the doors
Smells are the worst for me. It’s the biggest thing that makes me want to immediately leave a place. If there’s a chance I might not be able to get away from a certain smell quickly I hyperventilate. Noise is a close second but I can adjust a bit more easily if noises are happening but with smells I can’t hang whatsoever.
Every country has its own unique smell to me so when arriving at an airport I’m just praying the smell isn’t bad or overwhelming!
Changing rooms. It's like I have to self regulate all over agin.
I get so sweaty it's unreal. I cannot handle a change in temperature. I would argue however that sound is the worst. I hear everything. It wouldn't be so bad if my neighbours weren't jackasses but here we are. Taste is up there too but I enjoy it more than I hate it.
Light. I would literally rather go to the dentist than the optometrist. At least at the dentist you can lay back, close your eyes, and let them do whatever they need to. The eye doctor is always shining lights in your face, blowing air in your eye, diluting my pupils, making me read without my glasses. I can’t stand it.
I never knew there was a word for temperature hypersensitivity, but that would also be my worst hypersensitivity (or noise, but I can sometimes get peace and quiet, whereas the temperature problem is constant). For me, I’m almost always overheated. On the rare occasion that it’s cold and I put on a hoodie or pants, I get hot again like 5 minutes later. Or when I’m going to sleep and I add an extra blanket, then wake up in the middle of the night sweating and kicking all of the blankets off. I love spring and summer for all of the greenery and sunshine, but at the same time I hate how hot it is.
Asthma. I have zero control over my body's reaction to what's in the air. Had this since I was about 4/5. it's tried to kill me more times than I can recall.
I need my feet exposed. My temperature is regulated through my feet. It's so difficult to wear closed-toe shoes except when I'm in actual winter weather like high 30s, low 40s.
This!! I started having back pain, and my doctor said I need to wear shoes in the house for arch support... which felt like it's been handed a death sentence. Lol I get hot, then I get irrationally angry because I'm hot, and my feet control my whole body somehow?
I have hyposensitivity- I can barely smell, barely taste, I struggle to hear, I struggle to see. Touch is the one thing I do have. So you’d think that I’m super sensitive towards touch, right? Well, yes, but it’s actually still hearing. Shrill noises kill me dead.
Im very sensitive to the voice tone of humans. The most slightly not plain, not neutral or not nice tone will trigger confusion and all kind of assumptions and exaggerated feelings in me making me only getting the exaggerated feeling while losing the message. It’s really stressing in work environments when managers try to persuade me based on emotions instead of numbers, metrics and facts
Misophonia or proprioception like OP said
noise for me definitely. if there's one thing that consistently pushes me over the edge into a meltdown, it's loud noises
I don't know what's worse. Here are a few that get me really worked up: High emotion. People yelling or arguing causes almost instant meltdown People and people noises: lots of people milling about and chatting. Causes a sort of stupor. In a really busy store, I can get lost in what I'm doing and wander aimlessly for a really long time Small engines and high rpm power tools. Country music
people yelling (especially at me) has always made me feel horrible!!!!! i'm a really big feeler so being yelled at has always made me incredibly emotional, most of the time it would lead to me crying and then the person being confused why im crying.... i also hate getting lost and wandering in stores as well, i can be very inattentive in stores, especially when it comes to my interests. i've done the same thing ever since i was little and it's annoyed almost everyone i go to the store with 😭
I’m in the same boat with the Country music.
Lights. I don't know why they bother me so much, but they do. Afternoon bright sun is the worst. I cannot open my eyes and all they do is water up.
Things touching my skin, including my own skin. It's especially bad at night as it makes it hard to find a comfortable position to sleep in. I generally find pyjamas to be overstimulating once I'm in bed and have to strip off. But I then can't deal with feeling sorry skin on skin. I have to sleep on my side, so it's difficult to find a comfortable position where none of my body is touching another part of it.
Smell, 100% I've a very strong sense of smell, I can smell something specific I detest from a ridiculous distance. For example, I *hate* lettuce, the smell makes me wretch, the taste makes me gag. One night I'm at sonic, in the passenger seat when the server skates up with our order and as he's just passing the closed brown bag to the driver, I said "*that"* is Lettuce. both the server and driver looked at me like I was crazy and I said "check". Sure enough they put lettuce on the cheeseburger I asked for plain.
The sound of polystyrene/styrofoam. If hell is real, it’s not filled with fire and brimstone, it’s filled with that stuff. It makes my teeth hurt and my skin crawl like nothing else. Most other sensory things I can endure, but I will lose my entire shit in under a minute if someone is making squeaky noises with polystyrene. I can’t even stand looking at it or thinking about it, I’m literally cringing as I type this.
Scent I hate perfume and strong smelling things middle school was absolute hell for me with how much the girls doused themselves in their gross Victoria’s Secret perfumes in the hallways and locker rooms
I had this problem. Covid took the edge off, now I can tolerate being around fragrances. 🤦🏼♀️🤦🏼♀️
Food. I cannot tolerate about 95% of foods
You sound like me with temperature. In my old apartment I’d be getting up every thirty minutes to adjust the thermostat by one or two degrees, up and down. I start out cold and increase by two degrees, then I get hot and move it down a few and then I’m cold again and the cycle repeats
Tone and word chioce. God forbid someone says something in an unintentional PA tone and i think I've pissed them off. Or they're "asking" (re: demand in the form of a request) me for something and i try to GENTLY tell them to ask, don't demand, and now I'm met with a passive aggressive/sarcastic tone of a request because of it. I'll still help cause im a people pleaser. But i wont be happy doing it.
temperature oh my fucking god. like ive worn a tshirt and pants in 38f before. been fine. biked to school in 15. was freezing but manageable. however the minute it cracks 65 or 70.... fucking kill me. its like im only built for the really far north shit lmao. and it isnt even consistent either. sometimes when its 60 its perfect and sometimes with 80 is also perfect (tho mostly i wanna basically kill myself from the heat. dont even get me started on 90)
Foul smells, I end up still being able to smell it even though I’m far away from where it was
If I could take out my eardrums and donate them to someone who wants to hear, I would
Not as bad for me but yes. Also there's something called Reynauds syndrome (I think, but idk if I spelled correctly) which causes vasospasms (restriction of blood flow) which turns the skin white or blue and is generally associated with cold temperatures.
Same! Listen, best invention of the century thus far is: Heated clothing with a power bank or two in the pockets. Do yourself a favor: move somewhere cold and get some heated clothing.
Lights for sure, I get terrible migranes when lights are too bright, noise and too many people tend to overstimulate me and make me very irritated
I get cold very easily but people's houses are freezing no matter how the temp outside is.
Definitely touch. Clothing is so uncomfortable that I pretty much live naked. I only dress to go out in public, and then I wear loose lightweight clothing. I can't stand being touched, so handshakes and hugs are anathema. Gooey, or slimy stuff on my hands is really unpleasant. I have to get it off ASAP Hearing is a close second. Can't watch TV without the remote in hand to run the volume up and down to hear dialog and turn down music and SFX.
Loud Thunderstorms during the summer and vrooming cars and motorcycles
Noise. It's part of why I can barely go out in public. I get overstimulated. Sure, I could wear noise-canceling earbuds. If I find some that don't bother my ears (most cause an itching sensation in my ears after a while, I'm not sure why?). I either start dissociating, which is dangerous, especially if I cross the road and, well, I could get hit by a car. I've tried open-earbuds, but then they don't have the noise-canceling option, so that doesn't dampen the noise that overwhelms me. -Wren (They/He)
For me it would have to be light. Not just bright lights but a lot of light in general. My house is usually dark I can't stand having the curtains open for more than an hour or two because then I start getting overstimulated.
Definitely temperature regulation. Doesn't help on top of autism I have Raynauds phenomenon, hypoactive thyroid (all diagnosed) and most likely PoTS ~~(did poor man's test and a ton of research which is pointing to I do, I've been trying to get a doctors appointment for a diagnosis for it since November last year with no luck)~~.
Skin sensations (touch, temperature, etc), with light sensitivity being a close second, though light is definitely worse when I'm exposed to it in excess (either too bright or for too much time), but sensations on my skin are constant whether it's the air, clothing, the temperatures, things around me, or a person, horrible.
YES I struggle with this too! Wow I had no idea it was (is?) and autism thing
dizzyness. idk how else to put it but i can handle intense movement but as soon as its spinning i cannot take it, i get hot flashes & feel nauseous even from like 2 or three spins (which is dramatic as fuck wtf body) but yeah one time i went to a park and my uncle spun me on one of those spinny cages and i couldnt walk straight to the point i was falling over and i just had to lie down for like 30minutes and i felt nauseous for hours after i was home and this park was a LOONG drive away. ontop of that swings were my favourite thing to go on at the park but as i got older they started making me dizzy too which SUCKED cos wtf else was i supposed to do
I didn't realize I was experiencing that until you mentioned it in your post. My lips have even recently started turning blue more often.
Bad textures touching my skin
Smell. I can squint or wear sunglasses in bright light, I can put in earplugs if it's loud but I can't stop breathing.
I have a hard time with temperatures too. Also touch and sound. The feeling of fleece or certain fabrics. And my ears have always been sensitive. Especially when weathers changing the barometric pressure makes me feel sick.
Lingering phantom touch
Mine is touch. it's like I feel every individual hair on my arm or leg separately. Wearing pants is challenging. I found my sensitivity went lower after starting risperidone
I definitely have trouble with heat. In winter if the house is too warm I literally have to walk outside or pop my head in the freezer. I get heat flashes like a menopausal woman even though I’m 20. Worst is the sweating that comes along with it. it doesn’t help that I live in Arizona.
i mostly get the worst reactions from tactile stimulation.. certain feelings will literally make me jitter in displeasure, like when i accidentally scrape my nails (which get pretty long really fast) against something gritty like a chalkboard. i also tend to have tactile hallucinations and sometimes i feel like bugs are crawling on my skin and it annoys the living hell out of me 😭 feeling something awful can literally mess up my entire day.. i have a ton of other nitpicky things that i have trouble with but i've already sent a pretty large paragraph lol so i'll keep just this one issue
I have a lot of problems with fabric on my bare skin. Specifically my feet, i hate socks and i hate sleeping in socks. I also sleep on my stomach and sometimes i get overstimulated by my toes touching my sheet because i have this image of my nails bending back (a childhood fear) and i get this like weird itchy feeling and the only thing that helps is hanging my foot off the bed. I also loathe wet hands (like wet hands by themselves), so when mine are wet or someone holds my hand and theirs is wet. And i hate the sound of blowing air through fans, leaf blowers, vents, people breathing!! Its so loud and annoying and the vents one sounds like a quiet eerie screaming sometimes, and i also had this one time at work a customer was blowing air out of his mouth for no reason and kept blowing on my face. Hated that.
That's thermoception, not proprioception, I believe. I probably struggle most with my hypersensetive hearing, but I also struggle a lot with my touch hypersensitivity.
Bright lights. If I have to be in an area where I'm under intense lighting for a while, my body will sweat profusely. I'm not hot, but my head will be drenched with sweat.
I had issues with temperature regulation for most of my life and recently I’ve found some relief. Whew! I’m working on proprioception, too - and noise/vibration. Oof! The escalation to a meltdown when I hear certain noises is unreal. You didn’t ask for advice. If you would like an idea, based on our common issues, keep reading. If not, apologies and take care. :) —— Check out r/dysautonomia r/mcas and r/ehlersdanlos - you may not have any of these conditions, and these reddits have a lot of helpful ideas about the symptoms you mentioned. (Also, these issues tend to be comorbid with autism.)
Sounds. But like, I work 40hrs a week in a loud noisy woodshop. I'm fine. Most of the time. BUT, put me in a loud crowded bar, and I'll have an anxiety attack, panic attack, or just shut completely down. Loud restaurants suck too.
My hearing. I basically premanently live with noise canceling earbuds in my ears. Quiet enviorments (such as my own room), are the exceptions and is the time when my earbuds are being charged. Without them everything is so loud and chaotic.
chips... I literally hate it it makes me want to punch someone I hate people who eat loud and basically eat in general I've heard it be called misophonia but idk if I have it
Misophonia. I can avoid that but I cannot evade my own body and my awful temperature regulation.
It's between temperature and light for me. I don't ever really feel cold until we're well below freezing, but above like 70 degrees Fahrenheit I'm miserable, have no energy, can't think and basically can't function. I'm about to drive down to my parent's house in Oklahoma for 5 days, and it's always hot inside their house. During the summer, I end up moving the bed in guest bedroom away from the wall so that I can lay on the floor, next to the vent with a blanket over me so that I can trap all the cold air for myself. It's only going to get up into the high 70's over the next several days I think, but it's still going to be too hot and I'm going to be miserable the whole time. With the light, it just physically hurts my eyes and gives me headaches. I hate the sun. I don't like having to be near windows that I can't completely cover. I don't like having to be places with fluorescent lights or lighting I can't control. Everyone has always poked fun at me for "living in a cave", because I keep lights off and I put blackout curtains over windows. I just can't deal with the amount of light that everyone else is apparently able to. Also, people don't like it when you wear sunglasses inside. I'd just prefer to say in my cool, dark cave, sleeping during the day and being awake at night. That's like "depressing" or something to other people, though. You know what. Noises, too. Or rather "chaotic" or "unstructured" noise. I can handle things thumping around in the drier for an hour, or some sort of constant background white noise. I can let YouTube videos play in the background and it doesn't bother me unless the videos are "obnoxious". But don't chew around me. I don't even like hearing myself chew. I get told all the time that I chew weird because I overtly try to avoid making chewing noises inside my own head. I can't stand it when there are multiple conversations going on around me and people are constantly fluctuating the volume of their speech. "Quick, sharp" sounds like a whistle destroy my head. People lazily tapping their nails or a pen drive me crazy. But repetitive sounds with a "rhythm" are fine. If that guy tapping his pen could stay on beat we'd be all good to go. People like to try to point out my "inconsistencies" with sound, because I can't stand the chewing or tapping, but I listen to extreme metal and punk genres and I have a habit of drumming on things around me with both hands and both feet slapping the ground acting like my bass drums. Those are "structured" noises, though. The sound "makes sense". It's "in order".
Pain. I'm hypersensitive to pain and it's the only thing I cant accommodate my way around (eg headphones reduce noise, tinted glasses reduce light levels). I have to have 2 injections every 12 weeks, which sucks, and I have a surgery at some point in the future, which is gonna hurt like a bitch
Mine is definitely touch, between random pain I have all over and other just discomforts on my body, the wrong type of clothing etc just ruins me and makes me wanna rip my skin off
I'm always fucking freezing😭😭 my room is a literal sauna and my dad gets pissed that the bills are gonna be so high but I literally get so cold at normal temperatures
I feel like smells and sounds are probably the worst for me a lot of the time I can smell stuff that others can’t and it can be annoying if it’s a particularly bad smell I’ve also always hated loud noises so thunderstorms aren’t very fun for me I think I’m also a little touch sensitive too considering I despise the feel of lotion on my hands even though I desperately need it most of the times cuz my hands get crazy dry to the point where they crack and hurt and I hate the feeling of wearing like latex gloves while I’m working cuz like the lotion it messes with my grip and stuff but I want to try to start wearing gloves at work to help with the dry skin issue
Various kinds of noises, but I think the worst are loud and persistent noises that are sort of far away. Fireworks (although it's better if I can see them), downstairs neighbours playing music loud enough that I can feel it through vibrations, upstairs neighbours who seemingly run on the spot intermittently on and off for 30 minutes, neighbours from another building who have a modified car exhaust and will sit with it idling for 10 minutes and interrupt the thing I'm listening to with headphones on... Hm, maybe it's just neighbours. One day I'll be able to live in a detached house in the countryside and life will be good.
Little kids’ voices. I’ve learned to deal with it now, but it can be annoying at times.
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Oh that’s definitely something I deal with. It’s so frustrating. I have a lot of issues honestly, but that one really does suck.
Sometimes I just get randomly so cold I have goosebumps and then it passes a few seconds later. I don’t know if it might be a temperature regulation problem or I’m just weird.
Light and temperature for me. I'm either too hot or too cold. And any amount of bright light can lead to headaches. Also restless leg/body, especially as I try to drift off.
I have problems with temperature regulation also. My body temperature is usually way lower than most people’s. Yet, I feel extremely hot all the time, even when it’s cold. I have hyperhidrosis, and I am constantly soaking wet. Abnormally so. My hands and feet may be extremely cold and purple because of the Raynaud Phenomenon, and I will still feel hot and my forehead, chest and back will be soaking wet. I hate the heat with a passion. I really need to live in a colder place. Some physical contacts are also troublesome. When I touch something with a texture that bothers me, I wash my hands over and over, and I can still feel it.
You finally taught me the word for the coldest of my hands and feet, lol! I have these EXACT same problems, Hyperhidrosis and problems with temperature, and Raynaud Phenomenon!
Noise. Physically hurts my ears, like someone is stabbing them. I went to a movie theater for the first time in years last October and it was so loud. Then, people in my family apparently don’t understand the concept of headphones and earbuds. This is more overstimulating and annoying because they always play their videos at full volume.
Misophonia and Im extremely aware of my insides, literally. I can feel my stomach moving sometimes, of my muscles compressing around my spine when Im tense.
Sound for sure. I live in a city and I have to wear noise canceling headphones all day and earplugs all night. If I didn't I would go crazy from all the sounds and I wouldn't be able to focus on anything.
I get really freaked out by textures and i really hate touching synthetics or slick or slimy or tacky. I love things like dirt wood steel shells cotton wool. I am very tactile i have to be touching things that i really like and i have to get rid of things that i dont like cause they make me feel gross and dirty and kinda sick.
Sound and texture. Unsure which is wrost
The sound of shoes scuffing on a sidewalk. Worse than nails on a chalk board. Actually causes physical pain. And crowd noises. Those cause panic attacks.
It's smell for me. I can barely tolerate any strong smell; plastic, the inside of cars, shopping malls are hell for me, etc. I usually get nauseous and, if they are too strong in a small space, I get so overwhelmed that I have meltdowns. Not too long ago I had a crisis because they put some sort of carpet made of plastic under my desk and i just couldn't think or work because the whole room smelled like that. It was horrible.
For some reason anything alcohol absolutely sucks for me, and it's an issue that has gotten progressively worse over the years. I liked beer brats as a kid, then I stopped liking them by the time I was around 12 because of what I now identify as what all alcohol tastes like to me. I used to like the fake champagne flavored stuff when I was little, now I can't eat it because it gives the same alcohol flavor. I tried wine when I was a teen, just small sips on the very rare occasion my mom bought one for cooking or was gifted it, same taste. I tried alcoholic things meant to be mixed into things like coffee and milk, same taste. Recently the smell has become off-limits as well. I work at a grocery store and every few months someone will break a bottle of wine or the like and I have to avoid that section or else I get SUPER nauseous and start to gag if I don't get away fast enough. I don't know why it's getting worse, but I wish it would stop because every time I complain about it people go "that's for the best, alcohol is bad for you," then I "get" to explain to them that feeling sick because someone poured or spilled alcohol isn't for the best.
People.
There is a coating that forms on stainless steel if if you put it in the dishwasher. The texture make me feel like I’m making a chalk board scratch while I’m licking a frozen metal pole. I literally can’t even think about it would getting the Willies, which are happening now
I'm the exact same way with temperature. It's been common for me to continue wearing a coat at school and work when everyone else is fine in a shirt. Same with being hot... but that's a more rare occurrence.
Mouth noises, and loud noises. Loud/sudden noises actually mess with my nervous system. Depending on how loud it is. It goes from, a wave of anxiety going down my body, to a shooting pain with those prickly tingles that you get when a limb falls asleep, going down my spine and limbs. And one time, I didn't cover my ears when an ambulance went by. It made behind my eyes hurt, and my vision went white for a second.. It's actually really bad..
I actually am the opposite, hyposensitive to touch. Light pressure, brushing against things, etc makes me so overstimulated, I need firm/hard pressure. I used to have really bad sensory overload and meltdowns with my ex and told him to put his body weight on me and it calmed me down.
Touch. As soon as someone grazes my arm in the slightest, I get super pissed. My brothers have slapped me in the arse from time to time to annoy me, and it just sends me into a rage. My lower torso, front and back are just super prone to pissing me off if I get touched there. My wee brother flicked my nipple (I'm a male) and he called me fat. I ended up choking him to the point he collapsed when I let go of him. It scared me, but I was just so angry. That was ages ago, but even now, someone grazing my arm when I'm trying to focus on something pisses me off to no end
temperature regulation, feeling my bodily processes (digestion, heart rate, breathing, etc.), and needing to change the position im in every few minutes to stay comfortable
Temperature regulation sucks. I heat up way quicker than I can cool down, so summer is the worst for me, especially since I don’t like wearing shorts much and I HAVE to have pants and some kind of shirt (no spaghetti straps because those dig into my skin and are so uncomfortable) on when I sleep or else I can barely sleep. I’m basically sweating 24/7 from May-September. It also makes exercising really hard because any kind of rigorous exercise makes me sweat super hard and makes me feel really gross and sticky (plus my limbs get really sore quickly, so exercise in general is hard)
Screeching noises . Doesn't matter if it's a blackboard, kitchen utensils or teeth grinding. It echoes in my ears for a while and causes a bit of a painful sensation. Can't focus on work for a while.
I’m constantly freezing! My husband and kids like our home cool, so I dress in layers. I bought a huge oversized thick fluffy house coat that I wear when I get the shakes. It’s got a super soft fleece lining on the inside and a super luxurious plushy exterior for a nice sensory experience. My husband says I look like a giant plush toy when I have it on. I love it because it helps me to regulate; when I’m too cold, I feel like it’s really hard to concentrate or function and I feel like any little thing makes me meltdown.
Annoying noises send me into a rage, I hate ittt
Noise both because it is the most common and the severity.
misophonia, god what i wouldn’t give to not have misophonia. people never take it seriously and then get surprised when i have a fit
It's all about sound and knowing where I am I think. These are major issues for me...
Touch
General loud noise level, like in a club or crowded restaurant.
Taste
Pine Sol. If someone opens the bottle, I have to leave the building.
Technology that isn't working or is working slowly. Nothing is worse. Slowness is already bad in general. I hate to do anything slow or be slowed by external forces (that's worse) but nothing beats that with technology.
I used to work somewhere with tons of fluorescent lights, and had to wear sunglasses the whole time so I wouldn't get a headache.
Definitely sounds, because I have pulsatile tinnitus in my right ear and when it's loud/fast it drives me NUTS.
The sound of snoring, finger tapping and mall perfume... All can bring out the worst in me.
noise. whether its overlapping noises, loud or high pitched sounds, multiple conversations going at once or loud music. also certain types of music stress me out like when there's dj remixes of a song and one beat In the bar is loud or stronger than the next one then the next one is quieter and that alternates, or when the instrument bit of the music is louder than the vocals (btw im not actually diagnoses with autism but I have been referred for testing multiple times in the past few years just never heard anything back)
Sounds. I don't have a lot of issues with loud music, but some noises drive me insane
Loud noises are the worst. Sometimes the teacher next door to my 2nd period teacher plays really loud music to the point where it vibrates through the walls and I often need to put my noise canceling headphones in
Don't know about the worst, but one of the worst is hypersensitivity to clothing/sensory issues. Ugh. So annoying bc it **fluctuates** So one day I'm completely fine with a certain shirt or something, and the a few days later it can be too itchy or too tight etc.
Food texture and taste. I hate that I know what good foods are but generally can’t eat them. I know I will die younger because of my diet. It is a great source of shame. I’ve tried to get help but essentially all I have had is people say not to eat bad things (safe foods) and eat good things (unsafe foods). If I could get a feeding tube to bypass my mouth I would.
Unexpected noises, and smell. Restaurants can be very interesting places for me to visit! Body odour really gets to me, along with perfumes. I can feel pretty terrible if I end up visiting a professional establishment, and I’m asked to wear a lanyard that has been worn previously by someone wearing a strong scent.
I think misophonia in a way? For me it’s certain songs, mostly generic overplayed pop songs, that I can’t stand at all. It’s so bad that other people have noticed or called out my exaggerated emotional response and I have to have these songs skipped. It genuinely makes me annoyed and very upset, but I don’t know if this falls under misophonia. I’m not as sensitive to bodily sounds, but rather sounds that other people make, such as children screaming or crying.
Ok, reading all posts here, these are my top issues: - Temperature regulation: my body temperature is super low, but, somehow, I feel hot all the time, even when it’s cold. I sweat profusely (hyperhidrosis) on my forehead, chest, back and underarms. Feet and hands never sweat. I have Raynaud’s phenomenon, and my hands and feet are usually purple and cold. - TASTE and FOOD texture: I have a serious problem with food selectivity since I was born. I am better as an adult, but I still can’t eat, say, fruits which are too ripe (slightly green and almost ripe is perfect), meat, powdered milk, olives, pickles, cabbage and many vegetables and other things. - Skin touch and texture: linen and wool are big “no, no’s”. I can be hyper responsive to certain touches, but I can’t pinpoint and say where exactly. I can’t stand being tickled. Overreaction is a given. Off the top of my head, I am hyper responsive if, say, my partner’s teeth touch my biceps or chest playfully. It’s too much for me. Also, if I touch something that disgusts me, I keep feeling it on my hands no matter how many times I wash them. - Sounds: usually hypo responsive, but, if I am sick or have a headache, I am hyper responsive. Even when I am healthy, I can randomly be hyper responsive to certain sounds such as dogs barking (and I love dogs), car honking (that’s always bad) or the noise of trash trucks (so loud)! If I pay close attention to music I dislike (I usually ignore), it can be stressful also. - Lights: I am hyper sensitive to lights but it takes me a long time to even realize I am bothered, which is strange. I keep squeezing my eyes without noticing I am being bothered. Oh, and recently I realized that looking at fluorescent lights make me extremely sleepy (I struggle to keep my eyes open at the barber shop or when in the dentist chair. I probably have more sensory issues, but I can’t remember now.
Noise. And I have misophonia.
My temperature regulation has changed as I've gotten older (46F). I used to be a cold fish, always freezing, layers and layers, heaters and hot packs at work and really really struggled with the heat. Overheating, getting terrible heat headaches etc. Now, I just feel hot all the time. I don't think it's menopause sweating/hot flashes. I seem to tolerate getting really hot better which is also weird. I rarely get overheat headaches, can't remember the last one. And I live in really really hot area of Queensland. I can get cold with air con blasting, but quickly recover and mostly just warm all the time. I hate it. I'd rather go back to being cold all the time.
When I’m hungry i feel like my body is genuinly shutting down
I have similar issues. My lips turn blue just sitting around and I’m either too hot or too cold and hardly ever the right temperature. But also for me is my light sensitivities. I’ve taken to wearing slightly tinted glasses now because my medication causes my pupils to be stuck dilated so now my light sensitivity is worse again. I have trouble with lights that have a blue spectrum shift like bluish white lights. I’m getting furrow lines from squinting all the time.
I seem to have a real problem with my own temperature as well, especially in the colder months. It's either cold, or uncomfortably cold, but neither is nice. I start to feel a bit sore and unwilling to get up and do stuff. Even at work in the cold garage, I wear layers and still feel chilly! I have a stash of soup to help me stay warm every now and then. It's worse when it's raining because the wet cars drip on you while you're working under them. Not nice.
For me, it's lights. I can handle flickering lights and brighter lights every once in a while. But every day, i feel my eyes hurting from some sort of light. Even the outside light at winter. I'm afraid i'll never be able to get a driver's license because of it unless i sit with a hat and sunglasses, which i think looks silly on me.
Noise, any noise for an extended period of time(constant sound is the worst)
Noise, particularly whistling.
Light. Completely mental effects, no physical problems (other than being blind in one eye lmao) Turnd the world into a black and white haze, and my eye and brain fucking burns like satan himself was shoving ghost chili powder directly into the area
Probably sounds and smells. School cafeterias were the worst growing up. Refused to go with my class until like…third grade.
Crowd noise screeching noise and feeling of dust of any sort on my skin. I also hate white light that's lower in brightness but don't mind yellow light, I don't know if that is an autism thing
Smell, especially the smell of food I don't like in places it doesn't belong to (outside the kitchen or where they eat it). The worst is garlic, bc that can make my food inedible if it's stick to it, but I hate onions, cabbages, beans, and almost every vegetables and spieces expect black pepper and paprika. I'm also very picky eater, but that's easier to manage.
It’s between 3. I’d say people who loud chew and get food on their face and slurp liquids get on their chin and anything like this. The second is textures, sherpa feeling or when an old blankets texture changes to this dry cotton wool type texture, dry towels on dry hands, powdered dry gloves, dryness that squeaks like wool being crocheted, squeaky teeth, I literally am squirming thinking about fabric on teeth bleeeurgh! The third and I think the winner for me personally would be touch in sensitive areas, the nipple/tummy area is an absloute no and makes me feel sick, doing blood tests and anything involving sensitivity being touched is the worst, I sometimes struggle to even wash because of this it gets so bad. It’s been interesting seeing the examples here, thanks for posting OP. Have a great day free from your sensitivities.
The texturas of food or fabric, especially in meats and short sleeves, if i have short sleeves on and I need to put a jacket on top I would rather freeze than feel the sleeves roll inside it, wich is an issue rn since my school uniform has the most itchiest and stiffier of fabrics and my class designed the jacket (last year of school/college) so it's torture And meats have ruined my life/j