Interoception Explained: How You Sense Your Body’s Inner State

Interoception is the process by which the body's nervous system recognizes and translates internal sensations in order to keep the body in homeostasis. In simpler terms, interoception lets you understand and feel the internal state of your body. Receptors located in internal organs, muscles, and bones identify the current physiological state of the body and send that interoceptive information to the brain for processing. Interoceptive signals allow you to feel sensations including thirst, hunger, body temperature, heart rate, fatigue, nausea, and sexual arousal.

Interoceptive senses function separately from exteroceptive senses, which process external stimuli. Interoception is also different from proprioception—your awareness of the physical position and movement of your body.

Interoception is essential to the homeostatic modulation of internal bodily signals, and it serves three key functions.

1. 1. Emotional awareness: Internal sensory input has a large influence on your emotional state, mood, and cognition. When your brain receives interoceptive signals, it associates those internal body sensations with a corresponding emotional experience so you can then react accordingly. For example, you might find that during a heated discussion, your heart rate increases and your muscles tense up. Interoception allows you to recognize and interpret those changes, realize you're getting upset, and take action to calm yourself down. Those with poor interoceptive sensitivity might struggle to identify and process affective body sensations, resulting in a diminished emotional response.
2. 2. Self-regulation: Interoception prompts self-awareness, allowing you to recognize your internal sensations and choose how to regulate your body. For instance, when your interoceptive awareness tells you that you're thirsty, you might self-regulate by drinking a glass of water. If the interoceptive system wasn't there to make you aware of your thirst, you'd never know when your body needed hydration.
3. 3. Mental health: Those with dysfunctional interoceptive awareness find it difficult to regulate their internal bodily signals, either due to diminished or heightened awareness. For example, people with anxiety disorders may show hyper-activation in the cingulate cortex—the section of the brain associated with interoception—which suggests higher-than-normal internal awareness. In addition to anxiety disorders, interoceptive dysfunction may overlap with sensory processing disorder, somatic symptom disorder, depression, obsessive compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, and eating disorders.

If you have poor interoceptive awareness, consider seeing an occupational therapist trained in sensory processing. They can develop a plan and help you take actionable steps to improve your interoceptive abilities. In addition, mindfulness practices can be an effective tool to increase your awareness of body sensations.

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