Interoception is the ability to recognize internal signals, like hunger, pain, and anxiety.
Issues with interoception are linked to mental health conditions like eating disorders and depression. It can also impact your relationships, basic needs, and overall well-being.
Therapy can help you develop the skills to increase interoceptive awareness.
Have you ever noticed that your heart beats faster when you're anxious or nervous? Maybe your chest feels tight when having a difficult conversation, or your stomach growls when you’re ready for your next meal. These are examples of interoception.
Sometimes called the eighth sense, interoception is the ability to recognize your body's internal signals. Interoception helps you understand feelings like hunger, fatigue, and pain. It’s also essential for making decisions, emotional awareness, and general self-understanding.
How does interoception work?
Interoception refers to the way the nervous system identifies, interprets, and integrates the body’s internal signals. It allows your body to receive signals from organs like the heart, gut, and lungs and send that information to your brain. This includes signals such as itching, blushing, goosebumps, and stiff muscles. It helps you recognize when your body feels hot or cold or when you’re restless or tired.
There are two types of interoception: attention and accuracy. Attention is how often you notice internal signals, while accuracy is how well you’re able to understand those signals. Let's say you're about to give an important presentation at work. Interoceptive attention helps you notice that your heart is racing, while interoceptive accuracy assures you that it’s just nerves.
The interoception process involves three steps:
You feel a sensation. A nerve cell detects something going on and sends a message to your brain. Example: Your mouth is dry, or your throat feels a little scratchy.
You interpret the feeling. The part of your brain called the thalamus interprets what the signal means. Example: You realize you’re thirsty.
You take action. You make a conscious decision to take action or not. Example: You decide to drink a glass of water.
The above example describes effective interoceptive skills. On the other hand, someone with low interoception might not notice those sensations and forget to drink water.
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Signs and side effects of poor interoception skills
Interoception helps people feel safe and self-assured. If you have limited interoceptive awareness, it can impact your ability to make healthy choices. Poor interoceptive skills can affect social interactions and emotional regulation. They might also contribute to health conditions like unhealthy substance use, anxiety, and chronic pain.
If you’re wondering about your interoceptive skills, several tools can help measure your interoceptive awareness. In the meantime, recognizing some signs of poor interoception is a good place to start.
You’re easily stressed or anxious.
You have difficulty identifying or managing your emotions.
You have a high or low pain tolerance.
You never feel hungry, or you never feel full after a meal.
Interoception dysregulation is associated with several mental health conditions. These include depression, anxiety disorders, and eating disorders. For example, depression can cause emotional numbness. On the flip side, people with anxiety may interpret a harmless signal — a racing heart or cold, sweaty palms — as dangerous.
Research has also found a link between interoception and neurodivergence. People with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may have trouble identifying or or expressing their emotions. And with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), you might notice bodily sensations but have trouble acting on them. For example, you know you're hungry but can’t pull yourself away from what you’re focusing on.
Helpful strategies for improving interoception
Interoception is an important skill for understanding yourself and your needs. It can help people feel more resilient and contribute to their overall well-being. If you feel like you lack interoceptive awareness, know that it's always possible to strengthen or develop these skills.
These strategies can help improve interoception:
Keep a feelings journal. Journaling is a simple way to keep track of your internal signals and sensations. Prompts may include questions like: “What did I notice in my body today? What did that sensation mean?”
Practice mindfulness. Mindfulness is all about slowing down to appreciate what’s happening in the present moment. Exercises like meditation and deep breathing can help you connect with your senses.
Utilize external supports. Certain tools and strategies are designed to improve interoceptive awareness. You might track your heart rate with a smartwatch or consult a weather app before getting dressed. If you’re not interested in technology, it can be as simple as tracking your daily water intake in a notebook.
Work with a therapist. Talk therapy is often used to help people increase self-awareness and self-regulation. If you want to develop your interoceptive skills, look for a therapist who has experience with interoceptive exposure. Interoceptive exposure is a type of exposure therapy designed to help people address issues like anxiety disorders and avoidance. Your therapist might suggest something like spinning in a chair to feel dizzy or running in place to increase your heart rate.
Missing body signals isn’t carelessness — it’s a real challenge that can leave you skipping meals, pushing through stress, or feeling misunderstood in relationships.
Brandy Chalmers, LPC
Clinical reviewer
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Interoceptive awareness can affect your physical, mental, and emotional well-being. Poor interoceptive skills can even lead to conditions like anxiety and eating disorders. Fortunately, talk therapy can help people improve emotional awareness and healthy coping skills.
At Rula, we’re committed to delivering a comprehensive behavioral health experience that helps people feel seen and understood so they can get back to feeling their best.
Rula makes it easier to find a licensed therapist or psychiatric provider who accepts your insurance so you don’t have to choose between affordable care and excellent care. With a diverse network of more than 15,000 providers, 24/7 crisis support, and appointments available as soon as tomorrow, we're here to help you make progress — wherever you are on your mental health journey.
Alex Bachert
Alex Bachert is a freelance copywriter and mental health advocate. Since earning her masters degree in public health, she has focused her career on creating informative content that empowers people to prioritize their health and well-being. Alex has partnered with organizations like Ro, WellTheory, and Firsthand, and her work has been recognized by the Digital Health Association.
When she’s not writing about mental health, Alex is usually playing pickleball, meeting with her local board of health, or enjoying time with her three kids.
Brandy Chalmers, LPC
Having faced challenges like childhood abuse, neglect, and the loss of her father to suicide, Brandy Chalmers is deeply passionate about providing compassionate care. She is a Licensed Professional Counselor, Nationally Certified Counselor, and Registered Play Therapist with a Master’s Degree in Clinical Counseling and Marriage and Family Therapy.
Brandy also teaches at a university, sharing her expertise with future mental health professionals. With over a decade of experience in settings like inpatient care and private practice, she specializes in helping clients with perfectionism, trauma, personality disorders, eating disorders, and life changes.
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