🌀Sensory Issues & ADHD: When the World Feels Too Loud (or Too Much)🌀

One of the lesser known ways ADHD can show up is through sensory sensitivity - when everyday sights, sounds, smells, or touches feel overwhelming. This isn’t just about being “sensitive” or “fussy.” For many of us with ADHD, our brains struggle to filter out background input, which means things other people can ignore often hit us like a freight train.

 

🔉 Sound Sensitivity🔉

For me, high-pitched sounds are the worst. If I’m trying to watch TV and a dog is barking outside? My brain doesn’t just notice the sound — it latches onto it, like a siren I can’t shut off. It becomes impossible to focus on anything else. One time, I kept hearing this faint, high-pitched buzzing for weeks. It was driving me mad. Turns out, it was my partner’s wireless phone charger — I could hear it from across the room, but he couldn’t hear it unless he held it to his ear. That’s how sensitive my ears are.

Sure, sometimes this super-hearing comes in handy (like when I find my phone on silent just by hearing it vibrate from the next room), but most of the time? It’s exhausting. Even holding down a simple conversation can be a challenge if there’s any background noise — whether it’s a TV, the radio, or just other people chatting nearby. My brain doesn’t filter those sounds out. I’m not actually paying attention to what anyone else is saying, but the noise itself pulls my focus away from the person I’m talking to. It’s frustrating, and I worry it sometimes comes across as rude or distracted, when really, I’m just overloaded.

 

👃 Smell Sensitivity👃

Bad smells are another big trigger for me. I’m not just talking about finding something unpleasant - I will actually throw up. Burps, farts, sewage, rubbish, wet dog - all those things hit me hard. The reaction isn’t something I can just “get over” or power through. It happens without warning, and it’s completely out of my control.

Because I work a mobile job, I’m in and out of different people’s houses all day. That means I can’t control the environment I’m walking into — which creates a lot of anxiety. The last thing I want is to get sick at a client’s house. But that’s the reality of living with this kind of sensory issue.

 

✋ Touch Sensitivity✋

Touch doesn’t affect me as much - but there are still some things that really set me off. Constant tapping drives me absolutely crazy. It might seem small, but when it keeps happening, it starts to feel unbearable.

Even brushing my back teeth is a struggle. The sensation is so intense it makes me gag - and sometimes I even throw up just from brushing. It’s not about being dramatic or picky - it’s a genuine sensory overload.

 

✨ The Upside: It’s Not All Bad✨

While sensory issues are hard to live with, there are a few upsides. Like the time I misplaced my phone - it was on silent and only set to vibrate. Most people wouldn’t hear it, but I picked up the faint buzzing from the next room. My brain might be overwhelmed by certain things, but it also picks up details others miss. That’s kind of its own superpower.