“enviromental sensory overload for some.”
You may be on to something there. Pre-TV and now video games may trigger a problem that would have shown up rarely in previous days.
Take it back further
Before the invention of the light bulb
Insomnia was almost rare
Now we stare at a Freeper Page
at 1AM, with the macula being washed by bright light
mimicking daylight, so nesting instinct do not kick it
I can watch older cartoons vintage 60's and older and TV shows early 70's and older with not much problem. I can take a trip to a Walmart at about 7:00pm and I want the hell out of there now because of their way too loud P.A. system. Driving through a wooded area in the winter where the sunlight strobes through the trees sets it of so I wear good sunglasses. Certain telephone ring tones will do it also. On good days I have fair concentration on bad ones 15 minutes a day is it.
If I don't limit my exposures to the triggers then I start having Myoclonic Seizures meaning my upper torso from shoulder blades up goes spastic. After that if I don't get it stopped I go into a brain fog which is no fun at all especially driving on the interstate or busy street. {meaning loosing senses of where am I, how did I get here, what time is it, how long have I been driving, and where the heck am I going LOL} It won't kill you but the first few times it happens will scare you a good one LOL. That hasn't happened in a long time though because through medication I learned to head it off usually. At home I can control my enviroment completely as far as triggers.