What happens during overstimulation?

Your brain processes stimuli all day long. Signals from the outside (such as sound or light), but also from within (like emotions or pain). Normally, your brain filters out what’s important. With overstimulation, that filter doesn’t work well: everything gets through and consumes energy. This causes a sense of overwhelm.

Overstimulation is common in acquired brain injuries (ABI), but also in conditions like ADHD, burnout, autism, or migraines. It can best be described as the brain having a reduced ability to process new information (Hersenstichting - Overprikkeling).

What are the triggers?

A research group from Maastricht and Leuven led by Caroline van Heugten studied what the triggers for overstimulation can be in people with acquired brain injury (ABI), and which strategies they use to reduce or at least manage the overstimulation. It turned out that stimuli don’t only come from the outside, but also internally: stress, pain, or multitasking, for example. Many participants indicated that busy, unexpected, or uncontrollable situations worsened their symptoms.

Even everyday stimuli – like smells, touches, or temperature changes – can suddenly become too much. Combinations of stimuli were especially difficult, such as light and sound together.

Impact on daily life

Overstimulation affects nearly everything: from energy and concentration to social relationships. People get exhausted more quickly, experience blackouts or panic, and have difficulty focusing. This impacts work, relationships, and a sense of independence.

Some people withdraw, others feel frustrated because their surroundings don’t understand them. The feeling of loneliness or loss is never far away.

How do you cope with it?

Participants in the study mentioned three ways of dealing with overstimulation:

1. Avoid – Avoiding stimuli, for example with sunglasses or noise-cancelling headphones.
2. Approach – Gradually exposing oneself to stimuli, like a form of training.
3. Accept – Learning to cope with what you feel, for example through breathing exercises or mindfulness.

Often, a combination of these strategies works best. It’s important for everyone to find their own path: overstimulation is different for everyone.

The role of control

What helps is having the feeling that you are in control of situations. That brings calm and improves quality of life. Stimulus processing can be built up step by step, in a safe environment. And Bike Labyrinth can help with that.

How does Bike Labyrinth help?

Cycling or moving images can be quite a lot, but for those who find cycling overstimulating but can still handle moving images, Bike Labyrinth offers a safe way to gradually get used to stimuli.

There are calm routes and busy ones, marked on the main screen with 1 figure (calm), 2 figures (medium busy), or 3 figures (busy). You can also select low-stimulation routes on the route bar via the settings menu in the top right corner under the gear icon (Settings, Stimulation level, Low level). You're cycling, but not outside in traffic. The cyclist can always decide when it's enough. You don't have to worry about getting home, something that’s not so easy when outside. Cycling can also take place in a familiar environment. You can cycle both familiar (controlled stimuli) and unfamiliar (unexpected stimuli) routes. This allows you to slowly build up your tolerance without overstepping your limits. Just what’s needed for overstimulation: controlled exposure to stimuli, at your own pace.