What has helped you the most with sensory overload?

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I suffer from sensitivity to sound, smells and touch. I have developed strategies but avoidance of noise, smells and light touches is the only one that really works. Earplugs are uncomfortable and I can hear my own heartbeat if I use them. I cannot follow conversations in noisy environments like restaurants as I have great difficulty filtering voices from background noise. I have looked into buying a weighted blanket but I would like to hear what others have done to alleviate these issues. Do weighted blankets work?

There's not much you can do. If you get therapy when you're a kid it is supposed to help some but as an adult not so much. A strategy of understanding your limits and making sure you have enough downtime to discharge is key I think.

Weighted blankets might feel comfortable? Never tried one.

Weighted blankets have the most benefit for people who have hyposensitive proprioception.... they don't specifically do anything directly for hypersensitivity to sounds, smells, or touch but can be helpful if you find them calming (anybody can find them calming, I think -- including people with normal sensory perception).

If you find extra heavy clothes, backpacks or lifting/pushing/pulling heavy things to be calming, you might find a weighted blanket calming. To test it out before you spend a lot of money, pile up a lot of blankets or other heavy things on top of yourself and see how it feels.

I always feel less anxious when I'm wearing heavy clothes or carrying heavy things. I often carry a messenger bag over my shoulder filled with magazines, a water bottle and other things I don't need because I feel much more anxious when I'm not carrying anything. I used to wear my coat in the classroom when I was at school and I suspect that was a way of lessening sensory input.

I think a weighted blanket could help me sleep at night as I often find myself thinking too much and getting anxious while trying to sleep. It's strange how many strategies I developed without being aware of why I was doing these things. I also frequently use odd sitting postures where I am sitting with one leg under me. I used to sit upside-down when I was a child too.

Thanks for your answer.

Along with a weighted blanket, what about a hug vest when outdoors? Those help a lot. Really no way to tell until you try them out. I also have a long hug pillow with a fleece cover that I love. I like winter because I can wear my hoodie that's fleece lined too and it helps muffle sounds some.

My audio sensitivity was pretty high in the past, along with anxiety. I had headphones in for over a year almost ALL the time - I'd keep them on the lowest volume setting locked to the local happy hippy radio station for some pleasant background noise to drown out real world background noise. I'd leave them in during conversations with others, too. Sometimes I'd take one out. Using music like this did help quite a bit with both audio sensitivity and anxiety. It was during this time that I also started wearing foam earplugs at night to try to get some sleep. There were many nights that even with earplugs in I could still hear the traffic driving by, or my own heartbeat as you described, and I wouldn't get any rest… but overall earplugs have helped a lot. I still wear them at night now a year or so later, but I sometimes fall asleep without them in… I guess now the bigger reason I keep them in is it's become routine vs. really needing them. Also, it blocks out the TV if anyone is watching it late night.. and the construction noise that starts at 7am and is likely to continue for the next 2 years. I may move before construction is completed.

Anyways, then I discovered my sensitivity to salicylate acids. I cut everything containing them out of my diet & life for several months. Also, I started using an epsom salt lotion on my skin every day when I cut the acids out. This was to absorb the magnesium sulphate in order to detox the acids out via urination. Within 5 days my audio sensitivity was greatly reduced, my anxiety levels plummeted, and the worst depression of my life that had lasted for ~5 months was all but completely lifted. Executive and other functions all improved over the next several weeks to few months, too. It's been well over a year and I still use the epsom salt lotion daily, but I'm back to eating all sorts of foods (mainly herbs/spices, some coffee) with salicylate acids in them w/ little to no affect from the acids. I made the epsom salt lotion because foot soaks or epsom salt baths, while effective, aren't very convenient. With the lotion I can just rub it on my skin after I shower and absorb the salts all day/night.

Assuming you are an adult, the best thing I've found in social situations is a bit of alcohol like a beer or two or a margarita. In crowded social situations it helps tamp down my sensitivity to sensory issues, and lets me calm down and focus on the conversation around me. If you use marijuana or are prescribed benzos or beta blockers you could also use those.

Yes I know this isn't the smartest advice, but it has helped me. You don't need to get drunk, just a few drinks.

25 mgs per day of Zoloft. Talk to your doctor .about it.
Even Temple Grand in says that she could not possibly function anywhere near as well as she does without ssri's.

I don't drink or use recreational drugs. I think it's a bad idea for someone with chronic anxiety to drink to cope with social situations. It's probably okay if your anxiety is confined to social situations but I am anxious most of the time. I don't like the way alcohol tastes either. I do use beta blockers and I have tried benzos but they only work for very short periods and I really don't like feeling like my mind is impaired. That's probably why I don't like alcohol either. Thanks for the suggestions though.

Avoid the things your sensitive to. That probably sounds condescending. I'm serious. I find that the more I'm exposed to touch and noise the more sensitive I get. It actually compounds on itself for awhile and doesn't wear off for a few months. I love earplugs. I try to keep them with me especially when I know I'll be in a noisy environment. If you don't like them consider the 'earphone' style hearing protection where it goes over your whole ear. You can actually get electronic hearing protection that has a microphone and amplifies all sounds below 90 decibels. It blocks out sound above 90 decibels. Maybe you can find adjustable electronic hearing protection or one with a lower threshold.

I'm taking Prozac right now for depression and OCD. I have taken Zoloft before and almost all of the other SSRIs. It hasn't helped with my sensory issues at all. It has slightly improved my mood but I'm still very anxious and sensitized.

That doesn't sound condescending at all. It's actually my natural response to sensory discomfort but if I want to be independant and employable, I will have to develop less maladaptive strategies.

I get embarrassed when I wear earplugs in public and I also worry that I'll put myself in danger if I can't hear. I might have to try foam earplugs again. I do use wax earplugs on occasion as they are more effective at blocking sound but they are very uncomfortable as they put pressure on my ear drums (or that's what it feels like). I do like to wear comfortable headphones with music in noisy enviroments but I still feel embarrassed and sometimes the music is just a bad as the environmental noise.

That's a good idea actually. I've been thinking of getting a weighted jacket or vest if the blanket is effective. I usually wear three layers. A vest, a T-shirt and a sweater of some sort. It usually isn't very cold where I live so I end up sweating heavily inside in the winter. I can only wear one layer or two layers in the summer as I overheat quite easily and I feel much less secure as a result.

Is a hug vest heavy or very tight-fitting?