It’s quite common for children with autism and ADHD who experience extreme noise sensitivity to also face high levels of anxiety. This article explores the link between noise sensitivity and anxiety, as well as provides helpful tips to reduce anxiety and noise sensitivity.
The Connection between Sensitivity to Noise and Anxiety
Noise sensitivity and anxiety often go hand in hand, much like the age-old question of which came first, the chicken or the egg. For some children, high levels of anxiety can lead to heightened sensory issues, including an increased sensitivity to noise. On the other hand, sound sensitivity can also cause strong negative emotions such as irritation, anger, anxiety, and fear.
The link is within our brain
The reason behind this connection between sensory information and emotions lies within our brain. Their five senses – sight, touch, smell, taste, and hearing – are closely connected to their brain’s emotion center.
Different sensory experiences can create a wide range of feelings
The various sensory inputs can create a wide range of feelings. For instance, the delightful aroma of freshly baked cookies can instantly make your child happy and instantly put a smile on their face. them feel warm and cozy, bringing a smile to their face. Similarly, wearing a soft cashmere sweater can offer a comforting sensation of warmth. On the other hand, noisy traffic may startle them and cause anxiety, instinctively wanting to run away. Additionally, seeing a cute puppy or kitten on the street can make them feel playful and eager to reach out and touch them.
Noise can activate the fear center of the brain, the amygdala
When we perceive something threatening, it could be anything from scary sights to unsettling feelings, to spooky sounds, that sensory information is sent to the amygdala, which triggers a fear response. The amygdala is a part of the brain that plays a key role in processing emotions, especially fear and anxiety. People with sound sensitivity can hear even normal everyday noises loudly, like the sound of ventilation, water drops, clocks, wind, and traffic from a distance, etc. All those noises that others ignore can cause fear, anger, and anxiety. Think of horror movies and how they use low, deep sounds to create a creepy feeling in us.
Fear makes your child want to run away
When fear, anger, and anxiety activate the amygdala, it triggers our fight-or-flight response in our nervous system. The fight-or-flight response is a natural reaction that happens when you feel like you’re in danger. It gets your body ready to either face the danger or run away from it. That’s why many children with autism and ADHD suddenly run away from their parents in public places or have meltdowns and shutdowns for no apparent reason. Their brain perceives the noise from the crowd or other environmental noises as a threat.
Remembering Scary Events
The amygdala is not only involved in fear, but it also tells the brain’s memory center (the hippocampus) to store memories of these events. That’s why many children who are sensitive to sound are afraid to go outside. For them, going out means encountering something scary, which makes them feel anxious.
Chronic Anxiety and Noise Sensitivity
Chronic anxiety can increase sensitivity to noise and other sensory experiences. Studies have shown that individuals with depression and anxiety tend to have an enlarged amygdala over time. Conversely, the memory center known as the hippocampus has been observed to shrink. For children who experience both noise sensitivity and anxiety, this heightened state of alertness can hinder their learning process. Their nervous system is constantly on high alert, searching for potential threats in their environment, while their memory and learning capacity diminish. Therefore, it is crucial to help children reduce their anxiety. Here are 5 tips to achieve that.
5 Tips to Reduce Anxiety
There are several ways to reduce anxiety, and here are 5 tips that you can use for your child. Reducing anxiety can also help decrease sensitivity to noises, so let’s explore them.
1. Check if your child is hungry:
Many people report experiencing heightened anxiety when they are hungry.
Just like we get stressed when we don’t have enough money, the body requires a lot of energy and nutrients to run efficiently. So, try feeding your child small, healthy snacks whenever they get hungry instead of waiting until your child’s emotions are affected.
2. Supplement :
Ashwagandha, Chamomile, Magnesium, B vitamin complex, vitamin D, Omega 3, L-theanine, etc.
Heightened anxiety or chronic stress depletes many vital nutrients. To cope with this, your child needs various nutrients. The above are many of the well-known ones that can help manage anxiety in your child. Alternatively, you can search online for “stress supplements for kids” or “anxiety supplements for kids” and choose the ones that contain the highest amounts of the nutrients I listed above.
3. Mindfulness:
Mindfulness doesn’t always mean deep breathing and meditation.
It means being in the present moment. Mindfulness helps put a break on the Amygdala (the fear center) from flaring up and activating the fight-or-flight response (e.g., tantrums, meltdowns, shutdowns, or running away). In other words, it distracts your child’s brain and calms their anxiety. Here’s an example of something you can do before your child’s anxiety kicks in: – Ask your child to name 3 things they can see, 2 things they can smell, and 1 thing they can feel. – Or ask your child, “Do you know what 2 + 2 is?”
4. Caring touch:
When you notice your child starting to feel anxious, you can gently hold their hands, stroke their back, or give them a comforting hug while using reassuring words. This also helps alleviate anxiety in the moment. The important thing is to stay calm and provide support. Parents instinctively use these techniques to comfort their children. However, as children have more episodes of meltdowns, parents tend to forget about this because they become overwhelmed by their children’s needs. I would like to remind you that your caring touch is very effective in temporarily calming your child’s anxiety.
5. Safe and Sound Protocol:
This is a special music therapy that helps lower your child’s sound sensitivity and anxiety simultaneously. With the vibration and pitch of the music, it strengthens specific muscles that are responsible for controlling the volume of incoming sounds, resulting in decreased sensitivity to noise. Additionally, it creates a new pathway for your child to experience a sense of calm and security, rather than triggering anxiety.
Final Thoughts
This article addresses the connection between noise sensitivity and anxiety and explores 5 different ways to lower anxiety, including the Safe and Sound Protocol as a possibility. It’s important to address your child’s anxiety or sound sensitivity issues since they can affect their brain functions, behavior, mood, and personality.
For more information on the effects of the Safe and Sound Protocol, read this article.
Interested in working with me directly? Check out my coaching.
To learn how to reduce noise sensitivity and anxiety, sign up for the webinar waitlist below. You will be the first to be notified when it takes place.
