About Sensory Sensitivity

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Hi everyone,

I’ve been reflecting on some sensory sensitivities I’ve experienced throughout my life, and I’m curious to hear if others have had similar experiences.

For instance, when I was a child, I went through a phase where I refused to take off my shoes—even while sleeping. If someone tried to remove them, I would immediately wake up and cry. Eventually, this shifted to a sensitivity with socks; I didn’t like taking them off at night and would get really upset if someone tried. Even now, I feel uncomfortable if I’m not wearing socks when I sleep.

I’ve also always been extremely sensitive about cutting my nails. As a child, I hated when they were cut too short because the feeling of my nails rubbing against surfaces would make me feel extremely uncomfortable. I would complain if they were too short and eventually found ways to manage this myself as I got older, like leaving them slightly longer and smoothing the edges.

Another big thing is the sound of utensils scraping on metallic surfaces like pots or pans. It’s an unbearable noise for me, and I always cover my ears when I hear it. I used to think everyone felt the same way, but I’ve noticed that no one else in my family reacts like I do.

One detail that really surprised me recently came from my mom. She reminded me that, during a period when I was younger, I would get extremely upset at the sound of my dad chewing his food. Apparently, I used to completely shut down and look miserable at the table. My mom even came up with the solution of giving me cotton to put in my ears during meals, and I would quietly leave the table to do that. The thing is, I have no memory of this! It made me realize how much I’ve forgotten about social interactions or events from my childhood. I always thought I had a good memory, but I’ve been noticing lately that I’m particularly bad at remembering social interactions.

Recently, I’ve realized I might be more sensitive to sounds and lights than I thought. For example, the hum of the refrigerator has become really distracting and almost intolerable. I’ve started wearing noise-canceling headphones at home to block it out. I’ve also been using them in crowded, noisy environments like malls, which have become much more overwhelming for me lately. The combination of bright lights, loud sounds, and crowds exhausts me much faster than it used to.

Have any of you experienced similar things? Especially with sensory sensitivity increasing over time? I’d love to hear your thoughts and how you manage these situations.

My personal take is this:
Every one on the Autistic spectrum has both hypo-sensitivities and hyper-sensitivities. Some brain circuits are turned up too loud and others down too quiet (metaphorically speaking).

But everyone has a different set of sensitivities.