Do you often feel an inability to focus, irritable, anxious, frazzled, and restless? Whilst stress or lack of adequate nutrition may be one of the reasons for these feelings, it may be from another cause: overstimulation. This idea was first used to describe infants and young children, but overstimulation can occur in adults as well. This article will explore what overstimulation is, its symptoms, and strategies that can help overcome it.
This term refers to when your five senses (sight, taste, smell, hearing, and touch) receive more input than output. There are many different symptoms of overstimulation that include:
In some individuals, a meltdown from overstimulation can occur. This is when there is a build-up of emotions and the individual acts out by laughing, crying, yelling, and moving. These different emotions may be felt by the individual in a short space of time. It is similar to a tantrum that a child can have, but it is not limited to children. Adults, specifically adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or autism, are particularly at risk for these meltdowns.
There are many different factors that can contribute to overstimulation. These include internal and external stimuli.
These arise within your body and include:
These occur outside your body and include:
Whilst this list may seem short, there are many different day-to-day things that fall into these categories. Some common examples include:
Stress, specifically chronic stress, is another factor that can result in overstimulation. In response to stress, your body releases stress hormones such as cortisol. These hormones help your body manage the stress that it is experiencing. In chronic stress, your body cannot keep up with the body's demand for cortisol, and eventually, cortisol becomes depleted. This is when Adrenal Fatigue Syndrome (AFS) can occur. AFS is the non-Addison form of adrenal dysfunction, where the body's stress response system cannot keep up with life's chronic stressors.
The NeuroEndoMetabolic (NEM) Stress Response System also manages stress, and it is composed of six circuits of related organ systems. The Neuroaffect circuit is one of these circuits and is responsible for helping you to manage mental and emotional stress. In AFS, imbalances within the NEM system can start to occur, and if the imbalance is within the neuroaffect circuit it can cause symptoms such as anxiousness and challenges in falling and staying asleep. These symptoms can increase your risk of experiencing overstimulation.
Anyone can experience overstimulation; however, individuals who may experience it more frequently include:
Individuals with conditions such as ADHD, autism, and anxietyWhilst some of the symptoms such as anxiety and inability to concentrate may sound like ADHD and general anxiety, the symptoms tend to disappear after overstimulation passes. If you have ADHD or general anxiety, the symptoms experienced generally do not disappear. However, even in the case of ADHD and general anxiety, with the help of certain lifestyle and nutritional strategies, the symptoms and frequency of overstimulation may be reduced.
This refers to the ability to regulate your own feelings, especially during intense emotions. Learning to self-regulate your emotions can take time and includes the following steps:
Social media includes a variety of different stimuli such as different sounds, colors, and different filters. By mindlessly scrolling through your social media, you are exposing your brain to hundreds of different stimuli. Limiting the amount of time on social media can help to reduce the amount of stimuli that your brain is exposed to.
One way to do this is to remove social media apps from your home page on your phone. This will prevent you from mindlessly opening the app. You can also try logging out of the app or adding a time management app to give you a notification or block social media if you spend too much time on it. If this is not working, deleting your apps can also work.
This not only includes your phone but also your computer and tablets. By reducing the amount of time you spend on these devices, you are reducing the amount of stimuli. Limiting screen time can be a challenge, but one way to limit screen time is to switch off or remove devices after a certain time. Another way to increase your awareness regarding screen time is to use a time-tracking app that tracks your screen time and provides you with weekly reports.
Open-plan office spaces are increasingly popular, but the constant chatter and movement can be overstimulating. If you are in one of these setups and can choose your space, opt for a workstation that is quiet with less foot traffic if possible. Using noise-canceling headphones can also help to reduce the chatter of others and can help increase your focus. If you like having a form of sound whilst you work, choose calm music to have as background noise.
If you find that there are a lot of things going on around you, or you feel the beginning signs of overstimulation creeping in, breathe. Breathing through your nose can help to activate the parasympathetic nervous system. This nervous system helps to activate the rest and digest response and helps to relax you. Practicing breathing exercises or meditation when you're calm can make this easier when you are under stress.
Sleep can help to assist in self-regulation and managing the stimuli that you are exposed to during the day. A lack of sleep, specifically deep sleep, can limit your brain's ability to self-regulate and process information, putting you at risk for overstimulation. To prevent this, try to get 7 to 9 hours of sleep every night.
If you are feeling symptoms of overstimulation, there are a range of different vitamins, minerals, and herbs that can help to relieve the symptoms. Many of these work in similar ways with many stimulating the release of brain hormones.
GABA is a brain hormone that your body naturally produces. Whilst some brain hormones excite the body such as adrenaline, GABA helps to calm the body down. This helps to reduce restlessness, anxiety, feeling of stress, and overwhelm, and it can help to improve sleep (1).
There are various different vitamins and minerals that are involved in the production of GABA or that bind to GABA receptors. Vitamin B6 is one that is required for the production of GABA. Without adequate amounts, GABA production will be low. A low amount of GABA in the body can increase feelings of anxiety, restlessness, and stress, thus increasing the risk of becoming overstimulated. Ensuring optimal amounts of vitamin B6 can help to ensure adequate production of vitamin B6 within the body.
Supplementation is another way of ensuring optimal levels of GABA in your body. Adrenal Calm is a supplement that not only contains GABA but also contains vitamin B6 and valerian root. This herb has been thought to activate the GABA receptors and can help to reduce anxiety and induce sleep (2).
Magnesium binds to GABA receptors, inducing a state of calmness. There are a range of different forms of magnesium available on the market. Mag Three is one supplement that uses three different forms of magnesium. These include Magnesium Taurinate, Magnesium Glycinate, and Magnesium Citrate. The combination of the different magnesium types helps to provide a range of different benefits such as promoting sleep, reducing anxiety, and reducing the occurrence of headaches that can result from overstimulation.
Whilst GABA is an important brain hormone, another one that can calm the body is the amino acid glycine. Interestingly enough, glycine may help not only to reduce anxiety but may also assist your brain in processing motor and sensory information such as movement, vision, and hearing stimuli (3).
Whilst there are some nutrients that can help to calm the body, on the other end of the spectrum, there are a range of different foods that can be stimulating to the body. If these foods are consumed in excess, it can contribute to feelings of overstimulation. These foods include:
Overstimulation is something that anyone can experience, and it is even more common in the modern world today. However, several different strategies can help to provide relief from overstimulation. These include:
Whilst these strategies can help, if you find that overstimulation is dictating your life and you cannot find relief from it, try unlocking the path to wellness with Dr. Lam's Adrenal Fatigue Recovery Program! In this comprehensive course, you'll gain insights into your unique stage of adrenal fatigue, learn the optimal use of supplements, discover nourishing foods, and explore beneficial exercises, all designed to guide you in making informed choices. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to sidestep the challenges Dr. Lam encountered, and embark on your own transformative journey to recovery today!
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Allen MJ, et al. "GABA Receptor." StatPearls, updated 2023 Feb. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK526124/
Yuan CS, et al. "The Gamma-Aminobutyric Acidergic Effects of Valerian and Valerenic Acid on Rat Brainstem Neuronal Activity." Anesth Analg, vol. 98, no. 2, 2004 Feb. pp. 353-8. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/14742369/
Lopez-Corcuera B, et al. "Glycine Neurotransmitter Transports: An Update." Mol Membr Biol, vol. 18, no. 1, 2001 Jan.-Mar. pp. 13-20. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11396606/
Overstimulation by itself is not a mental health condition; however, there are mental health conditions that can make you more likely to deal with overstimulation. These include ADHD, anxiety, and sensory processing disorder (SPD). SPD is when your brain's sensory processing is affected, resulting in you being more sensitive to stimuli.
