Introduction

Background noise has always been a challenge for me. Even as far back as I can remember, environments filled with chatter – like pubs or cafes – felt overwhelming, as if my brain struggled to filter out what was background noise and what was worth focusing on. Nightclubs were even more impossible; I coped only by giving up on trying to hold any conversation at all.

But lately, something seems to have shifted. It’s as though my tolerance, already thin, has been worn down further. Now, sounds I could previously endure or work around feel almost oppressive, creeping into my mind and making every thought a struggle. I can’t help but wonder: is this an effect of aging, a change related to living with ASD, or maybe some combination of both?

Why Sensitivities Change

Reading up and researching the effect of sensory overload on ASD individuals offers a few insights as to why some ASD people actually find that its gets harder to tolerate things as we age.

Sensory sensitivities are known to shift and change, often unpredictably, for people with ASD. There are a few potential reasons why these changes might happen, each offering its own piece of the puzzle.

1. The Impact of Cumulative Sensory Load

Living with sensory sensitivities in a world that isn’t exactly designed for them can create a kind of sensory fatigue over time. For example, constantly managing overwhelming noise in social or work environments might leave the brain more drained and less resilient in filtering out what’s manageable. It’s as if the sensory “bucket” fills up faster than it used to, making even minor background sounds harder to tolerate.

2. Age-Related Changes in Sensory Processing

It’s well-known that our senses change as we age. For many people, this means a natural decline in certain sensitivities (like hearing or vision), but for those with ASD, these changes can sometimes amplify sensitivities instead of dampening them. Some theories suggest that as the brain ages, its capacity to process and tune out background noise might also decline, so that what was previously only “annoying” now feels overpowering.

3. Neurological and Emotional Responses to Stress

It’s also possible that life’s stressors, including physical or emotional stress, can heighten sensory sensitivity. Stress and sensory sensitivities often form a feedback loop: increased stress can heighten sensitivities, which in turn creates more stress. Over time, repeated experiences of feeling overwhelmed can make the brain “hypersensitive,” responding more quickly to sensory stimuli in ways that feel more intense or unpleasant.

4. Changes in Lifestyle and Habits

Lifestyle shifts, such as spending more time in quieter environments or working in a space that lacks auditory stimulation, might also play a role. If you spend more time in calm environments, it could mean that louder or busier settings seem even harsher by contrast. Even if you previously could manage the noise of a bustling café, after prolonged quiet, it might now feel almost intolerable.

Brain Changes and Sensory Processing

Along with everything else, as we age, the brain itself goes through natural changes that can affect how it processes sensory input. Research suggests that sensory filtering – the brain’s ability to sort and prioritize different sounds, sights, and textures – can become less effective over time. For some people with ASD, this might mean that stimuli, especially in environments with layered sounds like cafés or busy offices, feel more intense and harder to ignore.

Additionally, the brain’s plasticity – the ability to adapt to new stimuli or change responses – can decrease with age. This might make it harder to adapt or recover from sensory overload, which could explain why sensitivities feel stronger as time goes on. In effect, the brain might lose some of its flexibility, making background noises harder to filter and foreground noises harder to focus on.

Personal Experiences with Noise

I’ve always struggled with loud noise, whether background noise in cafes or pubs, or the sounds of engines and motors – or having the TV on too loud.

My sensitivity would increase when I was anxious or stressed. Its not that the noises would seem louder, but my ability to ignore them greatly diminishes when I an anxious or stressed.

TV volume

I thought that everybody had problems wit background noise, or the sounds of things like the vacuum cleaner. My dad always said that he struggled with things like the noise in pubs. He also used to have the TV on quiet (he’s gone a bit deaf in his old age, so quiet for him doesn’t mean what it once did!).

I would sit next to my husband, sometimes nearing tears, because he couldn’t hear the TV at the levels I needed sometimes … yet the level he had it at was sometimes painful to me. I bore this in silence and felt unreasonable for needing something different.

Vacuums

God I hate vacuum cleaners! I don’t know what it is about them, but they drive me crazy! Why do they have to be so bloody noise?

Public spaces

As I’ve aged, I find that I am less tolerant of the noise of public spaces – I find them acoustically draining. Restaurants and cafes are worse in some ways because I am usually trying to hear what somebody else is saying, yet my stupid brain is trying to process every conversation around me with equal amounts of energy – more, because it strains to hear these conversations.

I do enjoy people watching, sitting at a table outside a café drinking coffee. Sitting outside is almost always a lot easier than being inside a café where the coffee machines sound like they are drilling for beans.

Lights

Blue lights really hurt my eyes. As I’ve aged, my tolerance for blue light has diminished. Modern cars have especially bright lights that are strong in the blue range. They dazzle me and I can no longer drive at night anywhere there aren’t any street lights.

Smell, taste and texture

Taste and texture have never been a problem for me. I love food and drink and its rare that I won’t like what I’m eating or drinking.

Texture was the surprise – I didn’t realise that some ASD people enjoy texture in food and materials. I love running my fingers along little bumps on things, or the weave of a fabric, or the hairs on a head, bear, or chest!

I like to touch things with different parts of my body, such as my face, palm, or wrists to enjoy the sensations – they sooth me.

Finding where I’m normal

I recently read a book (Untypical (book review) – Part 1) and there I discovered that sensory issues of this kind are uncommon for neuro-typicals, but very common for neuro-divergents.

Strategies for Managing Sensory Overload

TV

I struggle with this one. Even when reading I don’t wear my noise-cancelling headphones because it feels rude to do so when I am sat next to my husband. So I sit and suffer!

Background noise

I’ve mentioned the noise-cancelling headphones, and they are a well known remedy for sound-sensory overload.

They are a game-changer. Vacuuming has never been a pleasant experience before, now I bop along to whatever tune I fancy (or nature sounds if I need extra calming), oblivious to the racket.

The added advantage of headphones in town is that people are less inclined to ask you for money. Win-win.

Lights

I always wear sunglasses if there’s even the slightest bit of sunshine. I love the sun, but bright lights gives me migraines.

I also have yellow tinted glasses for driving at night, which help considerably.

I have also got a pair of yellow tinted glasses for the office. However, my boss has disabled the lighting above my seat, which has greatly helped – I appreciate it very much!

Reflections

Accepting that I d have difficulties was a big step. I couldn’t change anything until I didn’t accept these difficulties and I was doomed to have more migraines and feel irritable as a result.

Finding ways of mitigating some of these sensory problems has gone a long way towards making life more pleasant for me – and everybody around me!

Nobody likes a grumpycorn!

I wonder how other people cope with these problems – particularly the interpersonal issues created by sharing a home with somebody who perhaps doesn’t fully grasp the situation?