MEANING
An excessively activated or prolonged state of the body’s stress-response system.
Use it for
stress response that fails to settle; enduring bodily readinessExplain why minor stimuli feel difficult after danger has passed.
Words that belong together
- persistent hyperarousal
- signs of hyperarousal
- hyperarousal after trauma
On the page
The clinician asked whether his hyperarousal continued after he reached home.
Her journal linked the sleeplessness and easy startling to episodes of hyperarousal.
The report distinguishes persistent hyperarousal from the immediate response to the alarm.
Nearby words
Related words
Word forms
- Base
- hyperarousal
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Usage notes
Primary category: fear. Broader than hypervigilance, which concerns threat-monitoring; may include heightened startle, irritability, sleep difficulty, and sensory sensitivity. Not a diagnosis by itself. Usually uncountable in this sense.
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