sensory overload

American  

[sen-suh-ree oh-ver-lohd] / ˈsɛn sə ri ˈoʊ vərˌloʊd /

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.

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Etymology

Origin of sensory overload

First recorded in 1955–60

Example Sentences

Each doll comes with a pink fidget spinner to reduce stress and improve focus, and noise-cancelling headphones to block out background sounds and therefore limit sensory overload.

From BBC

Autistic people may experience challenges with communication, understanding others' thoughts or emotions, managing sensory overload, coping with unfamiliar environments, and engaging in repetitive behaviors.

From Science Daily

Nativity play nerves, Santa's grotto queues and Christmas lights crowds can make the festive season a sensory overload for children even before the big day arrives.

From BBC

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.

From 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.

From Los Angeles Times