Increased sensitivity post-exercise

[Mani]

Ever since i came down with this ive been noticing an increase in sound sensitivity after workouts. That can be after doing sprint work, but also just some simple ring calisthenics. I’m getting better at dealing with bouts of increased sensitivity but i wanted to ask if this is usually the case.

I get that because a lot of tms is movement related so obviously you could be aggravating it thru exercise but my tms isnt physical at all; at least the manifestation that increases isnt.

At first I wanted to let it go but im quite curious about the mechanics of this.

As someone who loves to workout its affecting me a bunch that my sensitivity increases for 1-2 days post workout.

Lol i just want to mind my business for once but tms is on my ass constantly

 

[BloodMoon]

@Mani A plausible explanation is that the brain flags the post-workout state as "dangerous" and ramps up sensory sensitivity as a protective response. This is common with mind-body symptoms.

The mechanism: Intense exercise shifts you into sympathetic dominance (fight/flight), sensitising central nervous circuits. This can amplify sound processing via neural spillover in the thalamus/brainstem, lasting 1-2 days while autonomic balance recovers.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28685627/ (Hyperacusis in chronic pain: neural interactions between the auditory and nociceptive systems - PubMed)

In mind-body terms: It's the brain's learned alarm—exertion plus unconscious stress equals threat, triggering flares like hyperacusis to keep you "safe." Not tissue damage, just a misfiring prediction. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/physiology/articles/10.3389/fphys.2024.1462082/full (Frontiers | Impact of exhaustive exercise on autonomic nervous system activity: insights from HRV analysis)

What helps (from experience and research):

• Reduce intensity slightly (shorter sprints, slower calisthenics) so the brain relearns it's safe.
  
  
• After workouts: calming cues like slow breathing, reminding yourself "this is normal recovery."
  
  
• Treat the sound sensitivity as harmless "static" or false noise from your brain's overactive alarm—not evidence of a step backwards. This mental shift is crucial because it stops reinforcing fear, allowing your brain to rewire and quiet the symptom over time.

You're already improving at managing it, which is excellent. Keep up the workouts; the sensitivity should ease as safety builds. TMS hangs on until the brain sees it's fine.

 

[Cactusflower]

My pt and I talked about this recently, he suggests it can be due to subconscious beliefs and/ or nervous systems that are still on higher alert. You do some exercise and your body simply interprets those sensations the same as high alert: increased breath rate, faster heart rate, sweating… so similar to the sensations of fight flight.

 

[feduccini]

One interesting thing is that a lot of times symptoms actually reduce during the exercise, maybe because of dopamin/serotonin or even the good feeling of going forward.

 

[Adam Coloretti (coach)]

Ever since i came down with this ive been noticing an increase in sound sensitivity after workouts. That can be after doing sprint work, but also just some simple ring calisthenics. I’m getting better at dealing with bouts of increased sensitivity but i wanted to ask if this is usually the case.

I get that because a lot of tms is movement related so obviously you could be aggravating it thru exercise but my tms isnt physical at all; at least the manifestation that increases isnt.

At first I wanted to let it go but im quite curious about the mechanics of this.

As someone who loves to workout its affecting me a bunch that my sensitivity increases for 1-2 days post workout.

Lol i just want to mind my business for once but tms is on my ass constantly

I wouldn't focus too much on a mechanic as to me that's a gateway to structural based thinking (you provided an example when you said "you could be aggravating it through exercise", I know what you mean but there's nothing to aggravate).

I think the explanation from Cactusflower is all you need - nervous system naturally spikes up as a result of exercise and that will often amplify any fear based thinking that already resides in you (I agree with Feduccini though also sometimes it can go the other way chemically but I also think it can serve as a distraction too).

I'd consider it completely normal and you're fine to continue as you are