When the world comes in too loud.

ADHD and sensory processing challenges travel together often. A 2025 systematic review and meta-analysis confirmed that people with ADHD show significantly more atypical sensory processing than controls, though studies vary too much to put a single reliable percentage on it. The link makes sense once you see it: the same brain that struggles to filter out an irrelevant thought struggles to filter out an irrelevant sensation. Without that gate, the hum, the flicker, the scratchy seam, and the smell from the kitchen all compete for attention at once — which is exhausting, and part of why focus collapses in a busy room.

It runs two ways. Hypersensitivity: noise, bright light, certain textures, tags, and smells feel genuinely unbearable, tipping into sensory overload — stress, shutdown, or meltdown — which then dials ADHD symptoms up further. Hyposensitivity and sensory-seeking: the nervous system under-registers input and goes looking for it, through tapping, touching, movement, or deep pressure — which is part of why hyperactivity and fidgeting exist. Worth saying: this overlaps with, but isn't the same as, a diagnosed Sensory Processing Disorder or being a "highly sensitive person." It's a pattern to understand, not a label to self-apply.