“There’s just too much going on!”

“It’s too loud!”

“I can’t think straight!”

I never used to understand when people would say these things. What? Too much going on? No such thing! Too loud? Heck no, turn it up! All the sights and sounds gave me energy, excitement, and made me feel alive. If there was craziness going on, I was in my element.

This is just another piece of me that has changed because of psoriatic arthritis (PsA). The more I read and the more I hear about others’ experiences with PsA I find that this change is not unique. Many people with PsA are more prone to sensory overload. But, why?`To answer this, first we have to look at what sensory overload is.

What is sensory overload?

In my experience, sensory overload is rooted in a feeling of being completely overwhelmed. So overwhelmed, in fact, that it is difficult to think and process what is going on around you. It feels like there is too much to look at and too much to take in. Even “quiet” sounds are too much. Simple requests for my attention feel like it is more than I can handle. And more than anything, it is absolutely exhausting. Like, bone weary tired kind of exhausting.

Sometimes, you don’t even realize how big of a toll it is taking on your energy until you are out of the situation. When you are back home, in your car, or away from all the stimuli is when it becomes clear and you can think again. It is like all of our senses are working overtime and our brain can’t process everything at once. Our senses are working on caffeine, but our brains have taken a tranquilizer.

Am I just being antisocial?

When I am struggling with sensory overload, many people could look at me and just assume that I am being antisocial. I hover in the corner. My eyes dart around the room as I avoid eye contact and try to slowly process what needs to be blocked out, and what needs my attention. No one wants to come up and start a conversation with me because every non-verbal cue screams, “Go away!”

Why?

As someone who wasn’t like this “before,” I often wonder why? Why am I like this now- so easily overwhelmed with every sight and sound? Is it difficult to define symptom of psoriatic arthritis or is it a consequence of living with psoriatic arthritis?

A case for sensory overload being a symptom of PsA

Psoriatic arthritis is rooted in inflammation and our body’s response to it. What if the brain’s reaction to inflammation is to slow down? Kind of like what we identify as “brain fog.” Where it is difficult to process sensory input and information. Couple that with inflammation of our senses in which every sight and sound is heightened. Looking at it this way would perhaps explain our case for sensory overload being a symptom of the inflammation caused by PsA.

A case for sensory overload being a consequence of PsA

It is true. The symptoms of PsA keep me from being as social as I was before. I am unable to get out of the house the way I used to and when I’m having a flare, the less activity the better. So it would make sense, I suppose, that I would become more accustomed to a quieter existence. Sure, I still have young children at home with me and that, of course, comes with a certain amount of noise. But, all in all, spending more time at home allows me to limit my intake of stimuli.

Sights and sounds are familiar and don’t need my brain’s constant processing.

Given the fact that I stay home much more frequently as a consequence of living with PsA, it would then make sense that once I did go out, it would be much more difficult for my senses to adjust.

Symptom, consequence, or both?

I have yet to discern (at least for me) if sensory overload is a symptom of PsA, simply a consequence of it, or perhaps a combination of both. But one thing I know for sure, I am not the same person that I was before sensory overload entered my life. I’m willing to bet you aren’t either. Have you experienced sensory overload?