Making Sense of Sensory – Week 9: Understanding Interoception 🧠

Interoception is often called our body’s “internal sense.”

It’s what helps us notice and understand signals coming from inside our body - like hunger, thirst, temperature, pain, and emotions.

For many neurodivergent people, interoception can be over-sensitive or under-sensitive. 

This means body signals may feel overwhelming, confusing, or harder to recognise.

When that happens, it can affect everything from eating and sleeping to emotional regulation and daily well-being.

🔑 The 5 Main Roles of Interoception

Interoception helps us:

1. Recognise Hunger & Thirst 🍽️ – Noticing when we need food or drink, and responding before we feel unwell.

2. Sense Temperature 🌡️ – Knowing when we’re too hot, too cold, or just right, so we can adapt.

3. Identify Pain & Illness 🤕 – Understanding when something feels wrong in our body and needs attention.

4. Notice Physical Needs 🚽 – Picking up signals for rest, sleep, or going to the toilet.

5. Connect with Emotions 💭 – Interpreting body signals (like a racing heart or butterflies in the stomach) to understand feelings such as anxiety, excitement, or stress.

   
   

🔴 Over-Sensitive to Interoceptive Signals (Sensory Avoidant)

When someone is oversensitive, even small changes inside their body can feel overwhelming. This might lead to discomfort, anxiety, or strong emotional reactions.

Someone might:

• Feel overwhelmed by subtle body changes.

• Experience heightened anxiety linked to physical sensations.

• React strongly to pain, temperature, or emotional cues.

  
  

Examples include:

• Hunger & Thirst 🍽️ – Feeling intense hunger after only a short time without food, leading to distress.

• Temperature 🌡️ – Finding a small rise in room temperature unbearable, even when others feel fine.

• Pain & Illness 🤕 – Responding very strongly to a minor cut or headache.

• Physical Needs 🚽 – Experiencing sudden, urgent toilet signals and panicking if unable to respond immediately.

• Emotions 💭 – Interpreting a racing heart from mild anxiety as overwhelming fear.

  
  

How to support:

• Normalise sensations: Talk openly about body cues (e.g., “That’s your tummy telling you it’s hungry”) to reduce fear or confusion.

• Soothing input: Weighted lap pads, deep pressure, or warm baths can help calm heightened awareness.

• Predictable transitions: Gentle routines around meals, rest, and toileting reduce the shock of sudden signals.

• Medical reassurance: Regular health check-ins may ease worries when pain responses feel extreme.

• Emotional regulation tools: Strategies like grounding (5-4-3-2-1 senses check) help shift focus from overwhelming internal signals.

  
  

🔵 Under-Sensitive to Interoceptive Signals (Sensory Seeker)

When someone is under-sensitive, they may miss or misinterpret body signals - often realising too late that they’re hungry, unwell, or anxious.

Someone might:

• Struggle to notice hunger, thirst, or toilet cues.

• Miss signs of illness or pain until it’s severe

• Find it difficult to connect body signals with emotions.

• Appear “out of touch” with how they’re feeling physically or emotionally

  
  

Examples include:

• Hunger & Thirst 🍽️ – Skipping meals without realising, only noticing hunger when feeling faint or prompted to eat.

• Temperature 🌡️ – Not recognising they’re cold and staying outside without a coat.

• Pain & Illness 🤕 – Continuing to play on a sprained ankle, unaware of the seriousness until later.

• Physical Needs 🚽 – Missing toilet cues until it’s almost too late, causing discomfort or accidents.

• Emotions 💭 – Saying “I don’t know how I feel” when anxious, because body signals aren’t clear.

  
  

How to support:

• Timers & visuals: Use alarms, apps, or visual schedules for meals, drinks, and breaks.

• Body awareness check-ins: Encourage conversations like “How does your body feel?” with body maps or emojis.

• Practical routines: Build automatic habits (e.g., drink a glass of water at each meal, use the toilet before leaving the house).

• Emotion aids: Feelings thermometers or traffic light systems can link physical changes to emotions.

• Model awareness: Adults can narrate cues aloud (“I can feel my stomach rumbling, so I’ll have a snack”).

  
  

Why It Matters 💡

Interoception is at the heart of self-regulation.

When someone can recognise and interpret their body’s signals, they can respond in ways that support their health, comfort, and emotional well-being.

For those who find it challenging, small supports and consistent routines can make a big difference.

At NEST, we believe recognising and supporting interoceptive needs is a vital step toward empowering neurodivergent individuals and families.

What’s Next?

This is the final post in our current Sensory Series - but it’s only the beginning of exploring how our senses shape everyday life.

Stay tuned for future series where we’ll share more strategies, lived experiences, and practical tools.