Sensory Thresholds
Everyone has sensory thresholds. But what does this mean and why does it matter?
Sensory (or neurological) threshold describes how much sensory information a persons brain needs before he or she reacts.
Some statements from Sensory Health Matters parents and educators:
“I get so overwhelmed in shopping centres, especially during peak times.”
“I love walking outdoors, but it doesn’t feel enough sometimes. I often feel less stressed after some home weights or using my resistance bands.”
“I can’t stand seeing my kids face or hands messy. Just the sight of it makes me want to wipe them clean!”
What do these parents have in common? Sensory thresholds! Uniquely individual and hugely important for understanding how our environment unconsciously influences our brain.
Where is this sensory information coming from?
We have 8 sensory systems.
We receive input from things we see (visual), hear (auditory), smell (olfactory), taste (gustatory) and touch (tactile). These are the most common sensory systems that most people know about. We also receive sensory input from within our body. These systems include our movement and balance (vestibular), body awareness / position in space (proprioception), and the sense that helps us to answer the question “how am I feeling? (interoception), through tuning in to the sensations originating from within our body such as our stomach, heart beat, chest or bladder.
At any given time the brain is flooded with sensory information from each of these systems. Our brain essentially determines how much sensory input we need to function:
What sensory information does our brain need to pay attention to?
What can our brain ignore?
How we do this is based on our unique sensory thresholds. Think of your sensory thresholds on a continuum. Each sensory system has a general sensory threshold i.e tendency to be towards high, low or somewhere in the middle. However, your thresholds are not static and can be influenced by a number of factors such as illness, stress, and age.
Low Threshold
A LOW threshold is when the nervous system is easily stimulated with low levels of sensory input.
Low threshold systems typically cause stress, irritation and discomfort. These systems need to be managed through reduction in the intensity, quantity or frequency of input i.e. quieter, softer, slower or familiar (depending on which systems are low threshold).
Top tips: Take breaks (where possible) to allow the nervous system to re-set. Interestingly, high threshold systems provide an opportunity to access sensory input that can off-set your low threshold systems; AND proprioception is a universal regulator! Embed proprioception throughout your day to counteract the stress and discomfort cause by low threshold systems. Think carrying, pulling, pushing, lifting, and hanging activities.
High Threshold
A HIGH threshold is when the nervous system requires high levels or large amounts of sensory input to react.
High threshold systems typically require increased intensity or quantity and frequency of input i.e. louder, brighter, tighter or faster (depending on which systems are high threshold).
Top tip: Novelty, variety and change are your friend. Find ways to embed these things into your daily routines, interactions and activities. Self-regulation occurs best through your high threshold systems, so use them to your advantage!
In order to understand your unique sensory profile and preferences, it’s helpful to discover the threshold level for each of your sensory systems.
Let’s talk about TOUCH.
A parent with a HIGH neurological threshold to touch is more likely to:
Enjoy massages
Hug people and touch people incidentally while talking or interacting
Enjoy cuddling and comforting their baby or infant using touch
Find breastfeeding pleasurable
Enjoy being barefoot on different surfaces
Get their hands messy when cooking
Get involved or even encourage messy play with their child
Enjoy wearing different clothing textures or fabrics
Fidget with things i.e hair ties and jewellery
A parent with a LOW neurological threshold to touch is more likely to:
Seek touch on their own terms and avoid unexpected touch where possible
Dislikes hugs, kisses and being stroked
Dislike their kids climbing over them
Become bothered by clothing labels, hats, textures such as wool or linen and cut out tags in their clothing
Avoid getting hands dirty or messy where possible
Avoid messy play with kids or become easily irritated and reacts by readily wiping faces and hands
Avoid crowds or standing in line as incidental / unexpected touch is uncomfortable.
Fascinating stuff right?
By knowing where your individual thresholds lie and becoming more self-aware, parents and educators can:
Understand their behaviour better i.e why you responded in a certain way
Take action - implement strategies to improve coping skills or feed your nervous system with more of what it needs to thrive!
And super important - show greater compassion for yourself.
We are all in this together. There is NO right or wrong - our sensory thresholds explain how we are wired to unconsciously respond to sensory input and how this influences our daily life and interactions with others. Knowledge about sensory health and sensory processing needs to be normalised and spread wide and far!
Are you curious about your sensory thresholds? DM me or email me at angela@sensoryhealthmatters.au
I’d love to hear from you!