sensory overload

[sen-suh-ree oh-ver-lohd]

noun

Physiology, Medicine/Medical.

1. a condition of being overwhelmed by an excessive amount of such stimuli as noise, activity, the company of emotional people, etc..

   An anxiety disorder like PTSD can make sensory overload especially easy to trigger.

Word History and Origins

Origin of sensory overload¹

First recorded in 1955–60

Example Sentences

Sensory overload can be extremely destabilizing, so an autistic child may first need a quiet place with dim lighting to calm themselves, and extra time to process and form answers to providers’ questions.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Back onstage, the sensory overload was total: the roar of the crowd, the strobing lights, the sub-bass rattling through their bodies.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

You're getting away from some of that noise and potential sensory overload.

Read more on BBC

“I had a sensory overload and started losing the ability to see,” Liam told the BBC's Access All podcast.

Read more on BBC

Its pink adobe façade rises unexpectedly over a nondescript shopping plaza, while inside visitors are greeted by a sensory overload: 30-foot waterfalls, neon light-adorned palm trees, wandering mariachis and the faint aroma of fried food and nostalgia.

Read more on Salon