hyperarousal

American  

[hahy-per-uh-rau-zuhl] / ˌhaɪ pər əˈraʊ zəl /

noun

1. a physiological state in which a person experiences a heightened response to stimuli, including increased emotional reactivity, intense anxiety or stress, and hypervigilance.

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Example Sentences

For many Americans, what began as a stress response has become a chronic state of hyperarousal and vigilance.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 12, 2025

Luckily, there’s one brain region standing between us and this cascade of hyperarousal: the prefrontal cortex, an area right behind the middle of our eyebrows.

From Scientific American • Aug. 15, 2023

Chronic nightmares suggest that this adaptive process hasn’t yet worked, and are the result of ongoing hyperarousal.

From Slate • Jun. 4, 2023

Additionally, according to Presnall, content is increasingly designed to “trigger hyperarousal by playing on our more primitive emotions — fear and outrage,” which activates the survival centers of our brain.

From Washington Post • Jul. 29, 2020

Patients who stop taking their medication often experience Antidepressant Discontinuation Syndrome, which can cause flu-like symptoms, insomnia, nausea, imbalance, sensory disturbances and hyperarousal.

From Washington Times • Feb. 21, 2020