Does the sound of your refrigerator humming make you want to scream? Do fluorescent lights feel like they’re piercing through your skull? If everyday sounds and lights have suddenly become overwhelming, you’re not losing it—your nervous system is sending you a clear signal that something deeper is going on.
As a functional health practitioner, I see this pattern constantly in my practice. Clients come to me exhausted, overwhelmed, and wondering why they can’t handle normal environments anymore. The answer often lies in chronic inflammation that’s hijacking their nervous system’s ability to filter and process sensory information.
This isn’t just about “being sensitive.” When inflammation runs rampant in your body, it directly impacts your brain and nervous system, creating a cascade of symptoms that can leave you feeling like you’re living in a world that’s too loud, too bright, and too much.
The Inflammation-Nervous System Connection
Your nervous system is beautifully designed to act as a sophisticated filter. Under normal circumstances, your brain automatically tunes out the ticking clock, distant traffic, or the hum of electronics so you can focus on what matters. But when chronic inflammation enters the picture, this elegant filtering system starts breaking down.
Here’s what’s happening: Inflammatory cytokines—those chemical messengers your immune system releases—don’t just stay in your bloodstream. They cross the blood-brain barrier and create neuroinflammation, essentially putting your brain in a state of hypervigilance. Your nervous system becomes overactive, making normal sensory input feel amplified and overwhelming.
Think of it like having the volume dial on your nervous system stuck on high. Everything feels louder, brighter, and more intense because your brain has lost its ability to regulate incoming sensory information. This is particularly common in people dealing with:
- Long COVID and post-viral syndromes
- Fibromyalgia and chronic pain conditions
- Autoimmune diseases like lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, or Hashimoto’s
- Chronic fatigue syndrome
- Hormonal imbalances that trigger inflammatory responses
The ripple effects go beyond just sensory sensitivity. Many of my clients also experience brain fog, difficulty concentrating, headaches, sleep disruption, and a general feeling of being “wired but tired”—all connected to this underlying neuroinflammation.
What Your Body Is Really Telling You
When I work with clients experiencing hypersensitivity, I’m looking at the bigger picture. Through comprehensive functional lab testing, I often uncover:
Gut dysbiosis: An imbalanced microbiome that’s driving systemic inflammation.
Food sensitivities: Creating ongoing immune reactions that fuel neuroinflammation.
Mitochondrial dysfunction: Impaired cellular energy production that affects nervous system resilience.
Hormonal imbalances: Disrupted cortisol, thyroid, or sex hormones that amplify inflammatory responses.
Poor detoxification: Overwhelmed liver pathways that can’t clear inflammatory toxins effectively.
Your hypersensitivity isn’t a character flaw—it’s your body’s way of saying, “Help me calm this inflammatory fire.”
A Functional Approach to Calming Your System
The good news is that you can absolutely restore balance to your nervous system. But it requires addressing the root causes, not just managing symptoms. Here’s how I approach this with my clients:
1. Cool the Inflammatory Fire Through Nutrition
Embrace anti-inflammatory foods: Wild-caught fatty fish, organic leafy greens, colorful vegetables, herbs like turmeric and ginger, and healthy fats from avocados, olive oil, and nuts.
Eliminate inflammatory triggers: This means removing processed foods, refined sugars, industrial seed oils, and identifying your personal food sensitivities through proper testing.
Stabilize blood sugar: Unstable glucose creates inflammatory spikes that directly impact nervous system function. Focus on balanced meals with quality protein, healthy fats, and fiber-rich carbohydrates.
Support gut health: A healthy microbiome is crucial for managing inflammation. Include fermented foods, prebiotic fibers, and targeted probiotics based on your specific gut testing results.
2. Nourish Your Nervous System
Magnesium: This mineral is essential for nervous system calm. I often recommend magnesium glycinate or magnesium threonate, which crosses the blood-brain barrier effectively.
B-complex vitamins: Critical for neurotransmitter production and nerve function. Look for methylated forms.
Omega-3 fatty acids: EPA and DHA are powerful anti-inflammatory compounds that support brain health and nervous system resilience.
Adaptogens: Herbs like ashwagandha, rhodiola, and holy basil help modulate your stress response and reduce inflammation.
3. Optimize Your Environment
Light management: Use blue light blocking glasses, invest in warm lighting for your home, and consider blackout curtains for better sleep.
Sound control: Create quiet spaces in your home, use noise-canceling headphones when needed, and consider white noise machines to mask jarring sounds.
Reduce toxic load: Minimize exposure to chemicals, fragrances, and other environmental toxins that can trigger inflammatory responses.
4. Support Your Stress Response System
Breathwork and vagus nerve activation: Deep diaphragmatic breathing, humming, and gargling stimulate the vagus nerve, helping shift your nervous system out of fight-or-flight mode.
Gentle movement: Walking in nature, restorative yoga, and grounding practices help calm neuroinflammation naturally.
Prioritize sleep: Quality sleep is non-negotiable for reducing brain inflammation. Focus on consistent sleep timing, a cool, dark room, and limiting screen time before bed.
Stress management: Chronic stress fuels inflammation. Find practices that work for you—whether it’s meditation, journaling, or spending time in nature.
Real Results: How This Approach Works
Let me share about one of my clients, Maria, a 42-year-old teacher who came to me after months of debilitating light and sound sensitivity following a viral infection. She couldn’t tolerate her classroom’s fluorescent lights, normal conversation levels felt overwhelming, and she was exhausted from constantly being on edge.
Through comprehensive functional testing, we discovered significant gut dysbiosis, elevated inflammatory markers, compromised detoxification pathways, and adrenal dysfunction. Her nervous system was in a state of chronic hypervigilance.
We implemented a personalized protocol including:
- An anti-inflammatory diet along with eliminating her specific food triggers
- Targeted supplements to support her nervous system and reduce inflammation
- Gut healing protocols to restore her microbiome
- Stress management techniques and nervous system regulation practices
- Environmental modifications to reduce sensory overload
Within six weeks, Maria noticed improvements in her sound tolerance. By three months, she could work under fluorescent lights again without headaches, and her energy levels had significantly improved. Most importantly, she felt like herself again—calm, resilient, and able to handle normal daily activities.
Your Path Forward
If you’re struggling with hypersensitivity to noise, light, or other sensory input, know that this is your body’s way of communicating that deeper healing is needed. You don’t have to accept this as your new normal or rely solely on symptom management.
Through functional lab testing, we can identify the specific inflammatory patterns driving your symptoms and create a personalized plan to restore balance to your nervous system. Every person’s root causes are unique, which is why cookie-cutter approaches often fall short.
Your nervous system has an incredible capacity to heal when given the right support. By addressing inflammation at its source and providing targeted nutritional and lifestyle interventions, you can reclaim your energy, restore your resilience, and get back to living the vibrant life you deserve.
Ready to Take the Next Step?
If you’re tired of feeling overwhelmed by everyday sounds and lights, and ready to address the root causes of your hypersensitivity, I’d love to help you create a personalized healing plan.
Book a complimentary discovery call with me to discuss your symptoms, explore potential root causes, and discover how functional testing and targeted interventions can help you feel like yourself again. Your journey back to vibrant health starts with understanding what your body is really trying to tell you.
Remember: You don’t have to navigate this alone. With the right functional approach, you can calm your nervous system, reduce inflammation, and restore your body’s natural resilience.
