Sensory issues getting WORSE instead of better as I age...

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I haven't been here in quite a while, so this topic may have been covered already. If so forgive me...

I've started to notice over the last several months that my sensory issues are getting worse. Since my DX back in Aug '14, I thought identifying my issues would make things easier, but that hasn't been the case. I've started sleeping in my day's clothes because my pajamas are too cold on my skin -- and I'm in SE Texas; it's a mild climate in the winter so it's not like my clothes or the house is too icy. Bathing and showering affect me the same way. Doesn't matter how warm the water is...the sensation of dry to wet is numbing. And then I go through the opposite problem when it's time to get out -- freezing even with the heater on until I dry off.

The main thing that's getting me now though is sound sensitivity, various engines and motors in particular -- power tools, truck engines, motorcycles. And it's not just the volume, as I'm aware that if something is loud enough, anybody would be affected. But now, besides the volume, the sound vibrates me to my very core. It's so bad that I cry out when I feel/hear it, and it's been known to bring tears to my eyes. And it's the most godawful feeling in the world. If someone wanted to get information out of me, I would tell them whatever they wanted to know if they just replicated that sensation.

Has anybody else experienced this? Especially that kind of sound sensation? Maybe it's an age thing...I'm almost 56. Any other WP seniors have the same problem? And I guess the main question is how to deal with it. Thanks!

I had a period where my sensory issues got really severe - certain sounds became not just annoying, but physically painful. Things like whistling. At that time I was under severe stress and anxiety related to stuff going on in my life; I was in my mid/late twenties then. It passed - but once in a while it will come back, and generally it's when I'm overwhelmed by something. Fortunately, when it does, it's for a short period, like minutes or hours, instead of days and weeks, because I'm in a better situation and have learned how to deal with anxiety, as well as knowing when to remove myself from situations before the subtle anxiety/sensory triggers have a chance to build up.

Maybe you've got some sort of stress in your life, maybe even something sub-conscious, and if you dealt with it the sensory issues would subside?

It is possible that you are focusing much more on sensory issues since being diagnosed.
If you focus on the idea of sensory issues and attend more to sensory stimuli and focus on bad feelings from sensory stimuli, then your sensory issues will be more severe.

Another thought is have you gone through menopause yet? I've heard from NT women that menopause can mess with sensory sensations sometimes.

I have experienced less toleration for sensory overload as i age, too. I am 37 and i know i can't stand loud noises as well as i used to. I also can't do bright lights. I used to not mind them, but my eyes physically hurt from florescent lights and certain color combinations under certain bulbs.
Not sure what to tell you to do about it...but i can identify. I have just done my best to avoid the sensations when possible. The other week we were in Lowe's and someone started a loud drill in the next aisle. The whine of the drill set my teeth on edge. I told my husband i would be at the end of the aisle when he was done looking for the item he wanted. He said later that he knew immediately as soon as the drill started, that i would be out of there pretty directly.

Dropping testosterone or estrogen levels (or wildly variable ones) can wreak havoc with serotonin regulation. Which in turn results in many of the symptoms of menopause (& the so-called "manopause" or greatly reduced T levels for men) and also for sensory sensitive people, greatly increased sensitivity.

To the OP: if you can, get your doctor to refer you to an endocrinologist. They can check your estrogen and serotonin levels & help you either adjust them or steady them as needed.

I've noticed my sensory issues getting worse as I age too. There are things that bother me that I know were not such a big deal when I was in my twenties. That's an interesting thought about it being menopause-related. I'm on estradiol (hormone replacement) but my doctor has been cutting me back.

It's hard to be certain though--I think I'm noticing my sensory issues more since I was diagnosed last year, and I seem to be more sensitive when I'm tired, ill, or stressed.

I thought I was weird or imagining things because I've experienced the same thing in recent years. It's kind of refreshing to hear I'm not the only person who experiences worsening sensory issues.

For me, it's noise. Sounds that I could overlook in my 20s and early 30s now drive me nuts. Loud beeps from various kinds of machines, revving engines, noisy restaurants (especially screaming kids)... they all overwhelm my brain to the point where I can't think of anything else but silencing them or finding some means of escape! The worst is when I'm trying to listen to someone and a persistently loud noise drowns them out. I just can't cope with the task of trying to separate speech from excessive background noise.

I find it relates to how tried / exhausted I am and sadly as I get older this is more and more.

The biggest 2 for me are dripping taps and ticking clocks. They both seem to get louder and louder, slowly drowning everything else out even conversation.

Luckily my partner understands and if I get up mid conversation its no disrespect, she knows I have gone to "fix" a distraction that is driving me nuts.

I wonder about that too, though I don't have the same hormone mix going on. It's hard to tell since as I get older, my work and circumstances change.

To some degree I decided that it was my attention to these sensory issues - light, people behind me, crowd noise, ... in a good way. Not that I made it up, but that now that I had isolated a problem, I could identify its source and begin to adapt to feel better. With tinted glasses and sunglasses, I'm just less frayed at the end of the day, and I haven't noticed that my minimum annoyance level has crept upwards. Likewise I've sought out fewer things behind me and more calming noise. Being tired makes a big difference too.

Some things look funny, like being in the supermarket with sunglasses or at a comic convention with earplugs, but it's placid that way. It's better than me behaving like a live wire.

Time will tell if that just raises the floor. Coddling is not always possible, and I don't know if it will ultimately make me calmer or more sensitive.

Yes, my sensory issues as well as other coping matter definitely are worsening with age. I understand that a university somewhere has *finally* initiated a study on the aging and autism. I am hopeful that some useful information will come from that. There is now precious little on adults with autism, and zilch on senior adults.

That's good to hear. It's about time someone considered autism in adults, and not just kids. Smithsonian Magazine did an article on autism an issue or so ago. I didn't get to see it, but I'm going to find it. It might be worth checking into.