Tactile hypersensitivity or overactive fight / flight when switching clothing, socks, bedsheets

[tsranga]

While still dealing with thermoregulation and circulation issues on a daily basis, using a combination of acupuncture, acceptance therapy and breathing,  I still have challenges when changing clothes or bedding - there is a subconscious fear of overheating/overcooling as well as paresthesia based on the texture of the material, and it is most apparent when I am trying to sleep/rest.

 

So for most of my withdrawal, for sleep,  I stick to cotton bedsheets even in winter when they are really cold to touch, and I stick to light cotton shirts and pants while going to sleep. Layering bedsheets also helps ease into sleep, and add/remove layers as necessary when circulation changes through the body.

 

During the day, I seem to be a bit more flexible, and can tolerate different textures / thicknesses as long as the weather remains stable, and it is easier to get around the fight/flight response when I am active outdoors, as I know that if I overheat during exercise, sweating and the cool air does cool me down, as opposed to being startled awake when the heat hits me when I falling asleep.

 

I still experience the thermoregulation issues where I can heat up or cool down rapidly. and then also deal with different parts of the body going hot and cold at the same/different times eg.cold extremities (below the knee and elbow) warm upper body, cold abdomen etc., so I have to constantly monitor what I am wearing, and remove/add layers as needed when resting.  This has drastically reduced the number of clothes I can wear including the type of socks, and causes me a great deal of stress (fight/flight/panic)  if they are not available for some reason.

 

Making a fabric change before sleep can almost guarantee a sleepless night as my fight/flight gets overactive. I have been wearing the same type of shirt and nightpants this whole year and whenever I try to slip into warmer wear, it becomes a fight  having to deal with the paresthesia/sensory overload - most of the time, I have to go back to what I was wearing before.

 

Has anyone experienced this type of withdrawal symptom and have suggestions to help break this pattern?  Especially since this happens most when at rest/trying to sleep?  Does this eventually resolve or are there ways to retrain the brain/body to accept the new material?

 

Soft and moderately loose material (mostly 100% cotton or 60% cotton/40% polyester) seems to be the only ones I seem to tolerate without a reaction.  Any kind of texture, thickness or tightness makes me want to crawl out of it asap.

 

BTW, I never had these issues before withdrawal..

 

Edited December 3, 2021 by ChessieCat
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[ChessieCat]

I think there is a topic about this already but I am not able to find it.

 

I have made the following comments in members' topics.  I am still able to feel things more that I used to.

  

On 10/16/2018 at 9:07 AM, ChessieCat said:

Sensory Abnormalities is on the list of Dr Joseph Glenmullen's WD Symptoms Checklist

 

...

 

Last year during summer I was wearing synthetic dresses and I was able to feel the fibres sticking out from the fabric.  They are old house clothes which I have worn for years and this was the first time I had experienced this sensation.

 

On 11/10/2017 at 11:08 AM, ChessieCat said:

Earlier in my taper I became very sensitive to fabrics.  When wearing clothes which I have worn before with no problems I felt like I was able to feel the fibres in the material sticking up and irritating my skin.  Another member commented that they had experienced on increase in their touch sensitivity.

 

On 3/8/2019 at 10:50 AM, ChessieCat said:

I've even got increased touch, where I can feel fibres in material when I run my hand over it, and also notice prickly feelings from my clothes.

 

 

 

[tsranga]

1 minute ago, ChessieCat said:

I think there is a topic about this already but I am not able to find it.

 

I have made the following comments in members' topics.  I am still able to feel things more that I used to.

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks ChessieCat..  It gives me some consolation that I am not the only one dealing with this weird sensitivity.. I guess we can cope with smelll, sight and sounds better than we can cope with skin sensitivity..  now I know why some cultures used tickling as a form of torture

 

How are you coping with it?

 

[ChessieCat]

31 minutes ago, tsranga said:

How are you coping with it?

 

There are some bed sheets that I cannot use.  And I've found that I don't like the texture of the cotton blankets on the bed even though they are on top of the sheet.  This is a nuisance because we are heading into summer here.  If it bothers me too much I might have to use one or two quilt covers with no quilt inside them.

 

For the clothing I tend to wear what is the most comfortable.  There is really not much else I can do.

 

Another thing that I find is that I don't like it when the top bed sheet creases up around my face.  I have to have it smooth.

[tsranga]

1 hour ago, ChessieCat said:

 

There are some bed sheets that I cannot use.  And I've found that I don't like the texture of the cotton blankets on the bed even though they are on top of the sheet.  This is a nuisance because we are heading into summer here.  If it bothers me too much I might have to use one or two quilt covers with no quilt inside them.

 

For the clothing I tend to wear what is the most comfortable.  There is really not much else I can do.

 

Another thing that I find is that I don't like it when the top bed sheet creases up around my face.  I have to have it smooth.

I often wonder if it's the fight flight response that's making this sensitivity worse. This is common for kids and people with sensory issues.

 

I thought my fight/flight system was doing well and it wasn't getting triggered by the usual things - looks like tactile sensitivity is still a little too much to deal with. 

 

Do you know if it went away eventually for others in withdrawal? All we can do is hope I guess.