Interoception, Neurodivergence & Eating Disorders
What is interoception?
I am sure if I asked, you would be able to name the five basic senses; touch, taste, smell, sight and hearing…. but what if I told you that there are actually other lesser known senses, such as vestibular (balance) , proprioception (the bodies position in space) and interoception (everything happening inside our bodies)
The Insula is a part of the cerebral cortex located within the brain. It plays a crucial role in processing interoceptive information and is often considered the "hub" for sensory, emotional, and cognitive aspects of internal bodily states.
Interoception is our ability to notice and understand our bodies internal signals. Our awareness of these internal experiences influences how we respond, manage, and regulate our body’s physical and emotional needs from moment to moment.
Interoception and Neurodivergence
1 in 5 people in the UK are neurodivergent, meaning their brain functions, learns and processes differently to others. Experiences vary widely among neurodivergent individuals, and not all may have the same level of difficulty with interoceptive awareness.
For example some neurodivergent individuals can be hypersensitive (more sensitive than the norm) or hyposensitive (less sensitive than the norm) This means their sensory experiences can be exaggerated one way or another, which often results in challenges.
Individuals with hypersensitive interoceptive sense may struggle with:
Recognising when they are full which can lead to eating past comfortably full
Falling asleep or staying asleep due to heightened awareness of body sensations
Regulating body temperature and being more sensitive to changes in weather
Sensitivity of body pain and discomfort
Self regulation through the use of effective coping skills
Individuals with hyposensitive interoceptive sense may struggle with:
Recognising when they are hungry or thirsty, leading to irregular eating patterns
Knowing when they are tired
Recognising when they are in pain
Notice physical changes in their health
Noticing a change in temperature
Identifying emotions (a trait known as alexithymia) and may contribute to differences in behaviors (meltdowns, outbursts etc) and challenges in relationships.
Self regulation through not recognising the need for coping skills during stressful situations.
Interoception and Eating Disorders
For people who have hypersensitive interoception even the slightest internal change can create a heightened sensation. For example the feeling of food in the stomach can cause them to feel overly full or in discomfort. This may result in them eating less and having more anxiety around eating foods and/or meal times.
On going stressed caused by food anxiety and/or under eating causes the body act from ‘fight or flight’ action mode. In this nervous system state the body is more interested in avoiding danger than eating or digesting food. Hunger and appetite levels decrease meaning that eating ‘enough’ becomes challenging and the digestive system slows down and food sits longer in the stomach.
These physiological changes can further fuel food avoidance, anxiety and become a risk factor for developing an eating disorder such as anorexia nervosa and ARFID.
For hypersensitive individuals who are also struggling with an eating disorder the heightened sensation of fullness can lead to the belief they have eaten ‘too much’ trigger feelings of guilt and shame, and further fuel restrictive eating.
For individuals who are hyposensitive, the sensations might be so small or unreliable that they might not feel anything until they become very extreme. For example they may not recognize hunger until they are absolutely starving, at which point their eating becomes more chaotic and out of control and are likely to gravitate towards higher energy dense foods and/or eat past comfortably full.
It is important to note that these are normal and natural biological responses when the body perceives a famine caused by low energy availability & lack of regular eating / structure
The cycle of unintentional restriction which becomes a risk factor for chaotic eating can lead to feelings of guilt, shame, and developing an eating disorder like binge eating disorder. Poorly controlled blood sugars not only influences eating habits (as described above) they also impact the hormones that regulate mood & energy and become a risk for developing depression & anxiety.
For neurodivergent individuals and those struggling with eating disorders, it is important to understand the differences in interoception awareness and how this impacts their ability to notice and respond to internal body signals.
Within my work with clients, I always provide a personalised treatment approach by firstly understanding the client and their unique needs, validating their experience, and offering a number of different strategies to help develop & strengthen their interceptive capabilities.
I hope this article has given you a greater understanding of yourself, or someone you know.
Do you struggle to notice and regulate your internal bodily signals? Have you tried ‘listening to your body’ and it hasn’t worked? I can help you.
Just follow these simple steps:
Meet with me weekly
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