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Interoception is the ability to identify, understand and respond to the state of the inside of our body. This is something that many autistic people and those with ADHD struggle with. - a thread. /1
Interoceptive awareness allows us to feel things like hunger and thirst, whether we are hot or cold, if we need the bathroom and if we are in pain, amongst other things. /2
Most people can tell when they are hungry. They might feel their stomach growl, and they will start thinking of food and what they will eat and when. In the mean-time, they might get a bit grumpy or struggle to concentrate. /3
The same goes for knowing when you need to use the bathroom. Most people would feel an urge to pee and would start thinking about using the bathroom. And if someone felt hot, they would recognise their body heating up and know to take their jumper off. /4
Now, imagine if you were unable to tell that you were hungry or that you were full. If you couldn't feel that you were overheating. If you really needed the toilet, but couldn't tell that you needed it. If you were in pain but didn't know this. /5
Rather than acting on these signals and relieving the problem, you might become irritable, easily frustrated, have difficulty concentrating or sitting still and struggle to regulate your emotions. This could result in emotional outbursts, meltdowns or arguments. /6
Poor interoceptive awareness can lead to poor emotional and self regulation, because not recognising these essential bodily cues and signals means your basic needs are not met, so everything is out of balance. /7
Interoception difficulties are not only found in autistic people, but it is commonly associated with autism. These difficulties can be more present in autistic children, since it can take time for autistic people to learn to recognise these cues. /8
Poor interoceptive awareness can cause serious problems. For example, not knowing you need to use the bathroom means you may not go, which can cause UTI's, constipation or humiliation. /9
If you are in pain but can't tell, the root cause of the pain could be made worse, by continuing to put strain on a damaged part of the body for example. It could also mean that root causes of pain aren't investigated so are left untreated. /10
There are things which can help us to develop better interoceptive awareness. There are bodily awareness activities which can help us understand how different parts of our bodies are connected. /11
We can learn to associate different feelings with particular needs. For example, a list of signs we may notice when we are hot can help us to decipher if we are hot and if we need to take our jumper off. Recognising these cues isn't inherent to some of us. /12
So, we have to learn to recognise them, if we are able to. Something that helps me is setting alarms reminding myself that I need to drink or eat something. Even alarms reminding you to go to the loo can be helpful. /13
It's important to note that difficulties with interoception are not always the same every day. For example, being preoccupied with tasks, strong emotions or feeling overwhelmed, anxiety levels and changes in routine can affect our interoceptive awareness. /14
