Balance between overstimulation and understimulation

What is overstimulation?

A stimulus is a piece of information that enters through our senses. This information can come from outside, such as everything we see, hear, feel, smell, and taste (external stimuli), or from within, such as pain, thoughts, feelings, and emotions (internal stimuli). Normally, the brain filters incoming information for relevance, so only important information is processed. In the case of overstimulation, stimuli are not processed correctly. You might experience more stimuli than usual, or it might take more effort to process them. In short, the filter doesn't seem to work properly.

Symptoms of overstimulation

People with overstimulation may experience symptoms such as headaches, fatigue, stress, reduced concentration, sleep problems, restlessness, and emotional overload (Hersenstichting - Overprikkeling). For some, this can even lead to temporary dysfunctions, fever, vomiting, or seizures. Anyone can experience overstimulation, but it is more common in people who have acquired brain injuries (ABI). It also occurs in conditions such as migraines, burnout, chronic pain, and depression.

People vary in their sensitivity to stimuli. Some can effectively shut out external stimuli and focus well on one task, while others enjoy having background noise and multitasking. Each brain processes new information differently.

What happens in the brain when overstimulated?

The exact causes of overstimulation are unknown, but there are theories about the underlying mechanisms. One idea is that the threshold for perceiving things is lowered, leading to increased sensitivity. Your brain reacts more quickly and to more stimuli. Another possible mechanism is that the brain fails to correctly merge sensory information, resulting in a stimulus that should be perceived as one being experienced as two separate stimuli, overloading the brain with information.

Another theory is that your attention filter isn't working correctly. When you focus on something, it blocks out other information. If the attention filter fails, all information comes in simultaneously and with equal intensity. Conversely, if you focus too much on irrelevant stimuli, your brain may struggle to filter out what's important and what’s not. Stress sensitivity, environmental factors, and personality may also play roles in these processes.

What is understimulation?

Understimulation is the opposite of overstimulation. The brain receives too few stimuli; monotony, excessive routine, lack of challenge, variety, and novelty can cause understimulation (also known as bore-out). Your brain might overly filter out new stimuli, labeling them as 'not new' and 'unimportant,' causing you not to notice them.

From an evolutionary perspective, our brain is trained to detect new information. Thus, to combat understimulation, it's helpful to use the senses and offer extra stimuli.

What happens in the brain during understimulation?

Our brain needs stimuli to create, maintain, and strengthen connections between nerve cells, known as activity-driven plasticity. Strengthened connections ensure more efficient and faster information transfer between nerve cells. According to the use-it-or-lose-it principle, unused functions gradually decline as connections weaken, making information transfer less efficient. Repeating actions can train your brain, helping you learn and store information in long-term memory, while unimportant information fades away.

Brain plasticity is crucial as it allows adaptation to environmental changes, ensuring maximum brain capacity is utilized for survival.

Stimulus balance: finding the equilibrium between overstimulation and understimulation

The key is to find the right balance between overstimulation and understimulation. Recognizing these conditions isn't always easy. Overstimulation might make you more sensitive to light, sounds, and smells; you might feel more tired, irritable, or emotional; you could experience headaches and find it harder to absorb new information. You might struggle with thinking, become forgetful, or have difficulty concentrating.

Understimulation, on the other hand, might manifest as boredom, sadness, procrastination, lethargy, lack of inspiration and motivation, feeling like an outsider, and similar symptoms to overstimulation like reduced concentration, fatigue, restlessness, sleep problems, and stress.
Finding this balance is highly personal. Some might find a quiet environment, meditation, or yoga helpful, while others prefer lying on the couch with their eyes closed and listening to music.
To prevent understimulation, break routines, take on new challenges like changing jobs, learning a new language, starting a new sport, or traveling.

Virtual cycling at the right stimulation level

The routes in Bike Labyrinth have stimulation levels, indicating how busy a route is and how many stimuli people will encounter while cycling with Bike Labyrinth. These levels are displayed on the main screen of the route, indicated by the three figures in the top left corner of the route name: 1 figure indicates a calm route with few stimuli (e.g., a nature route), and 3 figures indicate a busy route with many stimuli (e.g., a major city like New York).

The new software version of Bike Labyrinth also has a feature to pre-select routes with a certain stimulation level for the route bar in the main menu. You can find this option in the settings menu in the top right (gear icon), under settings, route bar settings, Stimulation Level. This way, you can easily set the appropriate stimulation level in advance for your clients.