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Flying With Disabilities: Sensory Overload, Panic, and Why I’m Determined to Face the Sky Again

Updated: Nov 10

Flying is often seen as routine or even exciting, but for many neurodivergent travellers it can trigger intense sensory and nervous system responses. In this blog, I share my own experience, alongside science backed research, to explain why flying can feel so overwhelming and what actually helps.


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I originally began creating sensory-friendly story products for everyday experiences, dentist visits, doctor appointments, supermarket trips. But the flight story was the one I connected with most. It felt meaningful because it was something many people struggle with, yet rarely talk about honestly.

And then I experienced it myself.


The Fight Or Flight Response

After more than a decade of avoiding flying, I finally booked a trip with my family. Surprisingly, I handled it well. Having my children with me kept me grounded, literally and mentally. They were my focus point. My attention was on them, not on the sensations of flying.

It wasn’t until I flew without them that everything changed.

On the journey without my children, my ADHD brain had nothing to anchor itself to. Without that external focus, my senses went into overdrive:

  • I felt every movement

  • I heard every sound amplified

  • I noticed every vibration

  • I smelt everything intensely

  • I saw the slightest movements of the aircraft as if they were dramatic swings

This is a typical neurodivergent reaction. Research shows that autistic and ADHD brains often have heightened sensory sensitivity, especially to unpredictable sounds, motion, and environmental changes. (Reference: Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 2020.)

Mid-flight, all of those sensory inputs became threats.

My body launched into fight-or-flight repeatedly. I panicked, prayed, tried to breathe, tried to ground myself and failed each time. My amygdala (the fear centre of the brain) was in full control, and logic couldn’t get a word in.

After landing, the anxiety didn’t switch off. I couldn’t leave the house for days. Every reminder of flying triggered a physical reaction.


The ADHD Brain and Flying: Why It Can Hit Hard


Many people think ADHD is about attention or hyperactivity, but one of the biggest symptoms is emotional intensity and sensory overwhelm.


Here’s why flying can be uniquely difficult for ADHD and neurodivergent travellers:

Hyperawareness of bodily sensations

Studies show that ADHD is linked to heightened interoception (awareness of internal sensations).(Reference: Journal of Psychiatric Research, 2021.)


Difficulty filtering noise

The ADHD brain struggles with noise gating. Engines, air ventilation, pops, clicks, and hums can feel intrusive.


Lack of control = heightened anxiety

Being strapped into a seat with no ability to escape increases panic responses in anxious or neurodivergent individuals.


Fast, intrusive thoughts

Catastrophic thinking hits quicker and harder. A single intrusive idea can spiral instantly.


Sensory sensitivity

The smell of fuel, cabin pressure changes, lights, motion, everything is amplified.

So when I say I felt everything, I truly mean everything.

What Can Actually Help: Strategies Backed By Science (And I Love Science!)


After that flight, I started digging into what actually helps neurodivergent brains during intense sensory or panic-heavy situations like flying. Not the generic “just breathe” advice, actual science backed strategies.

Below are a few sections that can genuinely make a difference!



Grounding through sensory anchors

When the brain goes into overload, giving it a predictable, controlled sensory focus can cut through panic.

Research on sensory modulation suggests that using intentional sensory input, such as a textured item to hold, chewing gum, or applying gentle pressure, can help regulate the nervous system when overstimulated, (Dunn, 2007; American Journal of Occupational Therapy).

Examples that can help on a plane: • holding a fidget or smooth stone • chewing mints or gum • applying pressure to your hands or legs • a small scent stick (as long as the smell doesn’t trigger you)

These signals tell the brain, “Something here is safe and familiar.”



Predictability reduces fear

Neurodivergent people often cope better when they know what’s coming. I myself have been watching the famous pilot on instagram 'Captainsteeeve' who explains and answers lots of questions. Studies show that predictability reduces amygdala activation and perceived threat, (Fullana et al., 2016, Biological Psychiatry).


This means that learning what plane noises mean, what turbulence actually is, and how the aircraft works can genuinely calm the brain.


Tools that help:

• turbulence explanations

• flight-audio guides

• YouTube videos from pilots (Example: Captainsteeeve)

• guided reassurance programmes(e.g., British Airways Flying With Confidence)


Knowledge = less fear because the brain stops interpreting every noise as danger.



Cognitive reframing for catastrophic thoughts

Catastrophic thinking is extremely common in ADHD and anxiety. Cognitive reframing, changing the meaning you attach to a thought has been shown to reduce threat perception, (Gross, 2015, Emotion Regulation Review).

Example: Instead of “This noise means the plane is failing,”reframe to “This is the landing gear. This is normal. This happens every flight.”

It sounds simple, but it genuinely shifts how the brain reacts.



Body-based calming (because thinking your way out doesn’t work)

When the amygdala is in charge, logical reasoning is basically offline.Research shows that bottom-up calming, calming the body first, is far more effective than trying to “think” yourself calm, (Porges, 2011, Polyvagal Theory).


Helpful strategies include:

• slow exhaling (longer out-breaths calm the vagus nerve)

• grounding feet firmly into the floor

• relaxing your shoulders deliberately

• paced breathing (inhale 4, exhale 6)


These physically signal to the nervous system that the threat has passed.



External focus points stop spirals

Neurodivergent brains often regulate better with an external anchor. Studies show attention redirection reduces anxiety intensity. (Hirsch & Mathews, 2012, Clinical Psychology Review).


Examples on a plane:

• watching a film

• counting objects

• naming colours

• focusing on a conversation

• listening to an audiobook or calming playlist


Anything that moves attention outside your head can interrupt spiralling thoughts.



Pre-flight support matters (especially for neurodivergent travellers)

Airlines increasingly recognise that ND travellers can need more assistance. Preparation with the support from the airline (although not all offer this yet) can help reduce anxiety.


Helpful pre-flight steps:

• informing the cabin crew discreetly

• requesting a quieter or front-row seat

• using fast-track or early boarding

• wearing noise-cancelling headphones

• visiting airports that offer “quiet routes” or sensory maps


These reduce unpredictability, the root of most fear responses.


Why I’m Creating a Flight Story (For Kids and Adults)


Going through this experience made something very clear:there is almost nothing out there that explains flying in a way that truly supports neurodivergent minds, not for children, and definitely not for adults.

Most flight-related resources are not grounded in how neurodivergent brains actually respond to fear and sensory overload. And yet so many people, children and adults alike, struggle with flying because of ADHD, autism, anxiety, sensory differences, or trauma. The need is there, but the resources aren’t.

That’s why I’m committed to creating a sensory-friendly flight story for both kids and adults. Something that blends clear expectations, predictable structure, sensory understanding with real lived experience.


I’ll be using my background in science and my knowledge of the nervous system to break down the “why” behind everything that happens on a plane:

  • what turbulence actually is

  • why your body reacts the way it does

  • how the amygdala triggers fear

  • why noises sound louder

  • why motion feels amplified

  • what’s normal vs. what’s imagined

  • and how to regulate during sensory overload

  • My goal is simple: flying shouldn’t only be comfortable for the brains that handle it easily.It should be accessible, predictable, and emotionally manageable for everyone, including those of us who feel everything more intensely.

Final Thoughts


Flying with disabilities or neurodiversity isn’t just about practical support. It’s about the fear, the sensory overload, the intrusive thoughts, and the way our brains can misread safety as danger. That doesn’t make us weak, it simply means our nervous system works differently.

This experience shook me, but it didn’t break me. My disabilities won’t take flying from me, and my ADHD won’t decide what I can or can’t do. I will get back on a plane, for myself, my family, and the life I want.

And when I do, I’ll turn everything I’ve learned into something that helps others feel more understood and less alone. Flying shouldn’t only suit the brains that cope with it easily. It should feel accessible for all of us.




References


Dunn, W. (2007). Supporting children to participate successfully in everyday life by using sensory processing knowledge. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 61(5), 535–547. https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.61.5.535


Fullana, M. A., Harrison, B. J., Soriano-Mas, C., Vervliet, B., Cardoner, N., Àvila-Parcet, A., & Radua, J. (2016). Neural signatures of human fear conditioning: An updated review and meta-analysis. Biological Psychiatry, 80(3), 223–233. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsych.2015.10.012


Gross, J. J. (2015). Emotion regulation: Current status and future prospects. Psychological Inquiry, 26(1), 1–26. https://doi.org/10.1080/1047840X.2014.940781


Hirsch, C. R., & Mathews, A. (2012). A cognitive model of pathological worry. Clinical Psychology Review, 32(5), 637–648. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2012.06.007

Panagiotidi, M. (2020). Links between sensory processing and ADHD: A systematic review.Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 112, 79–92.

Porges, S. W. (2011). The polyvagal theory: Neurophysiological foundations of emotions, attachment, communication, and self-regulation. New York: W. W. Norton & Company.

 
 
 

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