Sleep routine for autistic adults (How to make it work for you!)

[@ivanaamidzic]

I have always slept a lot & loving it. I need way more sleep than the average person. A few years ago I became very intentional about my exercise/movement, nutrition and sleep! Those three done properly & together make quality of my life so much better. Body gets inflamed & we suffer so much stress when we don't intentionally take care of ourselves. My sleep is absolute priority over going out, hanging out, attending events & late night parties, etc. I am not missing out on anything spectacular anyway. Waking up in the morning well rested, on time, and feeling healthy, clear headed & in charge of my day and life is one of the best feelings ever.

[@lmack6596]

I love this approach. I totally agree. We only have one life, and I want engage in mine as fully as possible and enjoy it as best as I can. For me, that means sleeping a bit more, but those hours I'm awake are so much better for it - I feel better, stronger, happier, better able to concentrate, and be fully present in the things I do.

[@suzannehoney4752]

Sounds like you’re ’winning at life’. ❤️ Sleep is where it all starts. Lack of it, increases bad food choices, poor concentration and a short fuse 😜.

[@helenahandkart1857]

Inspiring!

[@Miss_Lexisaurus]

OMG I cannot tell you how validating it is to hear someone say "just get up at the same time every day" just doesn't work! This has really inspired me to try again with sleep. I'm a lifetime insomniac and at 37 after trying everything (including medication), I had given up on ever being able to sleep. I've just had a look at my sleep trackers (on my Garmin) and am going to try this more gentle, what does my body need, approach. Thank you so much!

[@jazy3091]

I'm not insomniac, so what helped me might not be sufficient for you, but I'll leave it here anyway. Maybe it will help. I started stabilising my sleep routine few months ago, and similarly to what Paul says in this video I started by approaching the topic in a slightly gentler way. First I built a routine of having absolutely_no_screen time around an hour before I intent to go to sleep (which is around 11pm). It took me few weeks to get to the point where I didn't struggle with it (or at east not that much, I still sometimes break it but it's a process). Then I put also additional effort into having some exercise during the day - nothing too big, I found that nothing worked because I didn't enjoy it, except for a morning walk in the park. That was a hit and I do it almost everyday, and it helps a lot with sleeping. Then on a days when I'm super stressed or something happened and my brain replays some upsetting scenarios etc I brew a calming tea (I have a tetley mixes specifically blended for improved sleep). I brew it and drink it around 2 hours before sleep time.

[@rengsn4655]

another game changer for me was earplugs while sleeping. it's not perfect but it does help quite a lot

[@AsaTorell]

The irony of me considering staying up for this on a work night (1230am my time). 😅

[@johnfsenpai]

I avoided watching this video "live" for that exact reason, only to stay up watching videos until around 1:30

[@janestorm9813]

Me too :)

[@shaynaformity1384]

What helps me go to bed at night the most is counterintuitive: using a light box for 5 minutes every morning. 10,000 lux works for me. I found a light box from Amazon for only 20 bucks! I put it on in my kitchen while I'm making my coffee in the morning. You don't have to look directly at the light source for it to do its thing. And then going for a 5 minute walk outside. I don't know why going outside makes so much difference, but for me, it totally does - moving through space seems to give some cue to my brain that exercising indoors doesn't do. Once i started doing these two things, I found it easier to start my bedtime routine and got stuck in the internet at night much less frequently. I used to get surprised 2 or 3 times/week that it was past midnight and I was still watching stuff on the internet, but I couldn't get myself to stop for another hour or two, and now I get surprised maybe once or twice/month that it's 10 pm and I'm on the internet, and usually I can just stop and get ready for bed. I usually start my bedtime routine at 8 pm, but sometimes I don't hear the alarm that tells me it's time to start.

[@adriennem590]

Seeing that early morning sunlight helps your body regulate melatonin production and other hormones that cycle daily and control your circadian rhythm. That's why this helps! At one time I started exercising and my sleep improved, but a while later I changed my schedule and was exercising at a different time of day and my sleep got worse. That's when I figured out that going outside for a run in the early morning was helping more because of the light exposure than even the physical exercise!

[@lmack6596]

Another tip I learned recently which I really like is to get rid of the idea of always going to bed and getting up at the same time every day. That would be similar to eating exactly the same every day regardless of how much you do each day. On days you do more, especially exercise more, your body needs more food. It's often the same with sleep - on days you do a lot (e.g. exercise, or negotiating stressful situations), or when you're ill, you may need more sleep. I really like this idea of tuning into our bodies needs and allowing ourselves to sleep more when we need to.

[@Catlily5]

I used to just sleep whenever. I usually would sleep very little for 3 days and then sleep a lot for 3 days then repeat. But I now have myself going to bed within a 3 hour window. This has improved my life so much. It took two weeks of sleeping more regularly to see the difference. But it really does help.

[@pathagenic1648]

Over the decades I've learned that I sleep really well between 4am -10am. I have so much energy and clarity at night!

[@Ana_Lev]

My husband (ASD) struggles to keep up good sleep hygiene. He used to go to bed at 12/1am to wake up for work at 6.30 am. He usually reads or researches guitar equipment. It took 2.5 years for him to have a routine to go to bed at 10 pm.

[@olafzijnbuis]

To get enough sleep I: - use an electric blanket on a timer when it is cold. - read a book on my e-reader for about 30 minutes in bed before sleeping - use a Philips daylight simulator for about 30 minutes in the morning to synch my internal clock. When you are working from home or are retired, like I am, you likely do not get sufficient strong daylight in the morning. The 10000 Lux daylight simulator light really helps. And it is not a waste of time. When using it I read the news on my phone, check emails, and do a sudoku...

[@systemfisch]

My biggest struggle is the amount of sleep I'm getting due to me not wanting to go to bed. Every night I find myself staying up until 1 or 2am, because there is so much I still "need" to do (gaming, reading, watching etc.). I've gotten better at falling asleep once I've gotten into bed, due to special ear buds that I use now, and I don't wake up until the morning, but I'm never feeling rested, and it has been like that for years now. Maybe it is time to create (and follow) a sleep schedule...

[@Astro-Markus]

This is all fine, provided you can really control the factors that take away time and determine when you can spend time on things that regulate you to calm down and be ready for sleep. In my case, I have a pretty great job that feeds into my interests, but I also have a child with a severe health condition and who needs quite an intensive care. That's my duty when I get home, also to allow my wife to relax a bit more than what is possible during daily routine. I can only find alone-time and relax in the evening when I actually should prepare for bed and get 8 hours of sleep. That pretty much never works. And then there is the damned autistic inertia that makes it hard to stop procrastinating in the evening and go to bed. I also use a sleep monitor and a vibrating alarm. Still, I have to get up at 6:20 every morning to take care of my daughter. Occasionally, I sleep another hour after she left for school, which helps a bit. What I'm saying is: Not everyone can actually plan and arrange activities freely.

[@catem3102]

You're so right.

[@bonwrentaylor2743]

What really helps me, is to always wear earplugs to sleep and to make sure I'm taking a good quality (& dose) daily Vitamin D3 (4000iu) and Magnesium Citrate (1480mg) supplement. Not only helps promote good sleep, but also helps reduce the background anxiety associated with Autism, I find.

[@kariannefimland1475]

Sleep is so important, yet so difficult as a mom. I can never sleep enough when I am actually tired..... Some of these tips were helpful, some will not work until my kids are older. :)

[@palantir135]

In winter, I get the best sleep quality. My body gets into a routine and I’m quite happy. But then comes summertime and the clock has to be put one hour forward and my body is a complete mess because my routine is broken. It takes several months to build up a new routine and then comes wintertime again and the clock has to be put back one hour and the routine is gone again.

[@guera18cpt]

I started using my Apple Watch to track my sleep for a couple of months now and it has really helped with visually seeing my quality of sleep for that night. I need at least 7 hours to function and deal with the day. I’ve also noticed if I get less than 6 hours my vertigo starts acting up and it’s horrible. The game changer for me is my Loop quite ear plugs! I don’t wake up during the night anymore, I’m a very light sleeper and my dog explores at night and would wake me constantly. Black out curtains, eye sleep mask, ear plugs and mouth guard (I grind my teeth) equals healthy sleep for me.

[@itisdevonly]

Thanks. That was actually helpful. Not just for addressing sleep issues, but also just for addressing lifestyle issues. I'm still trying to figure out how to live in a way that is sustainable for me. And right now, getting out of crisis mode seems to be priority. This is very hard to do with AuDHD and CPTSD, though. It's hard to even know where to start.

[@Judymontel]

It is different for everyone, of course, but sending you strength. When I got divorced 7 years ago and moved into my own place I discovered I couldn't trust myself to remember to even eat meals regularly,. So I started with that. I made a daily chart and for the first year or so made a check for each meal and essential chore. It was kind of humbling. I no longer have to do that - but I do feel my routine is a huge support. Once I had some routines going well, I started making time for my mental health - but in a gradual way. Everything took exploring, trial and error - lots of great advice didn't work for me - but I feel like I've made steady progress. I wouldn't say I'm "done". Rather I feel like I've found ways to keep my own care - in all areas - an intrinsic part of my life-style, and that means that I'm more able to cope with issues that arise and to keep myself in a much more stable and healthy state.

[@novalea]

This is very good timing. 👏 I can't seem to sleep over 5 hours a night right now and could definitely use some help.

[@georgebmac8140]

I found a delta 8 gummy from 3Chi fixed that problem for me. Gummies from other companies just made me high. (I have no connection to 3Chi)

[@lightbeingform]

I was going to say something but now I am just excited because I've never been the first to comment before lol

[@consuelonavarrohidalgo5334]

The quality is all. I wish my coworkers were empath and smart enough to understand that.

[@rickenbacker6]

Everything makes sense and is sound, but it only really works if you're living alone, have no pets etc. I have a very light sleep, get easily disturbed and also can't phsychologically "go to sleep" when I know there is still stuff going on in the house or might happen later (like someone coming home late).

[@Judymontel]

I have a very regular sleep routine that helps when things are stressful, as they are at present. However one factor in building and maintaining both my sleep and life routine probably has been the flexibility that has come from being pretty socially isolated. I'm planning some changes that will change that isolation (I hope) in the future, so I was heartened to hear you have found ways to both socialize and still prioritize your own schedule. I was entertaining some "all or nothing" fears that I would have to choose between the two - both of which are very important to me.

[@karenfiggins7808]

My ADHD fights going to sleep even though I know I need it. And when I wake up in the middle of the night, my brain won't stop thinking about things thar are not really important at all. If I eat something or take an otc pain pill I will go back to sleep.😑

[@shaynaformity1384]

Eating a fat bomb or taking cod liver oil right before bed would probably help. Fat at bedtime prevents low blood sugar that wakes people up. You can google fat bomb recipe for lots of tasty options.

[@Sophia-nv7tw]

I'm watching this as 5am on my day off because I finally managed to get some kind of routine for the first time of my life, but it requires me to get up every morning very early no matter if work or not😂

[@FaethorFerenzcy]

Not sure of i am failing... it is 3 am here and i watch this video about sleep routine. 😂 (comment is before i watched)

[@lmack6596]

Totally agree about flipping the sleep advice round a bit. Nowadays I try to go to sleep about 8-9 hours before the time I want to wake up. I set an alarm just incase, but more often than not I wake up naturally a few minutes before my alarm, which is so much nicer than the old days when I was regularly jolted awake by a piercing alarm.

[@laural6122]

This is really good info. Thank you.

[@Misslou2425]

The irony of me watching this at 317 am... When l SHOULD be sleeping 😢😅

[@ahmedavdic4128]

- [01:18]🌙 **Sleep Importance:** Recognizing the profound impact of quality sleep on overall well-being, especially for individuals with autism, emphasizes the necessity of prioritizing and optimizing sleep routines. - [04:42]⏰ **Routine is Key:** Establishing a consistent sleep routine tailored to individual needs fosters better sleep quality by aligning with the body's natural rhythms and optimizing sleep opportunities. - [09:26]🔄 **Flexibility in Routine:** While consistency is crucial, allowing slight flexibility in waking up times can enhance sleep satisfaction and adaptability to varying sleep needs. - [13:50]📊 **Optimizing Sleep Duration:** Utilizing data from sleep tracking apps helps identify optimal sleep duration, promoting better decision-making regarding sleep habits and daily activities. - [18:10]🛌 **Sleep as Part of Lifestyle:** Integrating sleep routines into a broader lifestyle framework enhances overall well-being and fosters anticipation for daily activities, contributing to better sleep quality. - [22:40]🔥 **Avoiding Burnout:** Recognizing the interconnectedness of sleep optimization with broader lifestyle adjustments, such as reducing commitments and managing stress, is vital in preventing burnout and maintaining sustainable well-being.

[@InnerPoweredLifeCoaching]

This channel has been such a huge help for me in my journey. Eye masks & ear plugs really help with sleep. I take l-glutamine and l-tyrosine on days when I have problems transitioning sleep-to-wake. L-theanine for wake-to-sleep. I am AuDHD, so extra issues.

[@etcwhatever]

You take l-tyrosine in days that you have an hard time getting up and being active? Did i understand it right? Because i have that supplement at home and if it gives a bit of energy or mental clarity i will be all over it. I use a sleeping mask and ear plugs also. It helps me a ton

[@InnerPoweredLifeCoaching]

@etcwhatever Yes, I take it in the morning, on an empty stomach, along with my morning coffee or tea. It was actually recommended by my medical practioner who is also AuDHD. I wanted a non-pharmaceutical option. It is very helpful. I only use it on days when I haven't slept enough, but no harm using it every day. These are naturally occurring things, but sometimes deficient in neurodivergent people.

[@etcwhatever]

@@InnerPoweredLifeCoaching thank you i appreciate that you took time to answer me. I will try this out. 🙂

[@shaynaformity1384]

@@etcwhatever be careful with l-tyrosine. In some people, it can increase anger. It took me several months to figure out that it was a problem for me, because nobody warned me! Unfortunately, the only way to know whether it's a godsend for you or a problem is to experiment.

[@lmack6596]

I've been taking L-tyrosine for about a year too, and think it's helping me to think more clearly. (Although I've also been prioritising sleep, nutrition, exercise and getting a healthier work-life balance- so they're probably helping too) Another thing that's helping me is to wait an hour or two before having caffeine. Nowadays I start my day with water and a decaf coffee. And wait until I get to work before I have my first cup of tea of the day. It's supposed to help stop cortisol levels spiking and crashing.

[@emensour78]

Thank you again. As helpful as usual. I dare proposing a little strategy, for times of stress : finding rituals. That is, at times when I have to deal with too many, unregular, activities at once and really can't avoid that, other than trying to prioritise as much as possible, I find it helpful to intersperse, whenever it is possibe to do so, acts, gestures, moments of "me time", like having a cup of tea, listening to one song (they usually lasts a few minutes only, after all), practising a few yoga movements or breathing excercises. other readers/watchers proposed, very correctly, a walk in a green space ; that it's an activity that has been scientifiically proven to optimize oxygenation and regulate body's functioning. unfortunately for me, at the moment, I live in a heavily urbanised area and can't practise it regularly, but I have found it true for me, whenever I am in the countryside.

[@murtazaarif6507]

Thank you for your response in the chat Paul. It made my day. I appreciate it buddy. Good strategy. Coming out of crisis and then stabalizing to optimize the situation is something i need to work on too. I think our bodies are powerful mechanisns like biological intercellular battery chargers. I use activities such as snacking and showering only at weekends to create the triggers or in other words increading the happy chemical hormones such as dopamine 😊

[@assimilateborg]

how fitting as my sleep routine is currently so messed up that I woke up at 23:00 and it's now 02:00 and still not sleepy.Trying to get sleepy watching you 🤣 Not really going to fix it as I am soon going on holiday trip which will mess it up again anyway.

[@micahspeacefullife4203]

Hello, I’m autistic. I think it would be very nice if humans didn’t even need sleep anymore to maintain. Please pray that God‘s gonna make it that way! and I struggle with sleep. Thanks for the instructions!🙏🏼☀️✨🌝

[@rishikakrishna]

brilliant, as always!

[@pikmin4743]

great advice and ideas to consider. thank you

[@BruceDanton-xw6eg]

Thank you of coutdr you are so rigjt too

[@autismenlightenment]

I get really tired in the middle of the day but sleeping is not an option when you have no childcare. I just push myself and end up wired so i cant relax when its bedtime. If i get woken up i rarely can return to sleep. I hate living like this.

[@TruckzNTrainz]

My sleep? Train wreck. I am going to try some of the things you mentioned. I want to do youtube as well. Do to fun stuff first, such as filming the video hard stuff later, like editing.

[@lynnstillwell2]

I've found the sleep mask helpful if I wake up too early. I also have no lights in my room such as digital lighted clocks. Also, if I read a real book or magazine (not electronic), my body moves into sleep mode. However, I've found that I require a prescription medication that helps regulate my serotonin level. It's actually an antidepressant (amitriptylline) but the dosage is lower than they even manufacture, not enough to really act as an antidepressant (I don't have depression anyway). I've been taking it for 30 years. I've tried a number of times to wean off it, but no go. I have no side effects with the low 5 mg dosage. It has been a lifesaver for me, as I have mild fibromyalgia. When I get good sleep (7 hours a night for me), my pain level is low or even zero. -- Thanks for addressing this vital topic.

[@Catlily5]

I almost never relax due to PTSD. My sleep is messed up but I am working on it.

[@peterwynn2169]

I have always needed a lot of sleep (yesterday, I slept from 9:30am to 1:20am when I had to wake up, and I slept again until 7am, when I had something to eat and then went to bed at 9am and slept until 4:30pm). I think we need to consider things like room temperature (a cool room but a warm bed). We also need to see if there are issues such as sleep apnea that are occurring and if so, get them attended to.

[@katya1031]

Thank you , very helpful

[@ChristophersMum]

Thank you for your videos...they are always very helpful... I really needed this...😁🌠

[@ivanaamidzic]

Small changes thing - yes, James Clear has such helpful book on the topic. I have it and constantly reread it when need to change things up in my life.

[@zidaryn]

The problem with "solve the crisis, then optimize" is that sometimes you're stuck in a crisis for a while and you can't get a routine till you get out of it. For me right now it's the minor crisis of not having a job. Before, my job gave me a schedule. But now, I don't have it.

[@MisterLobb]

The migraine part struck a chord.

[@2011Frame]

Oh…need some education for those relatives who have moms with children :( I had no chance to establish my sleeping routine when my child was small) now luckily he is quite good…sleeping on time though)

[@MartKart8]

The only times, I've heard people mention sleep issues, there's been zero mention of Autism or any type of disability on telly, I did learn of that some people can only do 4 hours, some do 7.5 which gets rounded down to 8 hours, some 12 hours, sometimes it can be because of the things around, other times, it's just how the body is.

[@BorksmithandTheBeef]

I haven't found anything that works for me because my anxiety is too intense to fall asleep in under 2-3 hours. Hurray.

[@claireh.7605]

I work the night shift. I then sleep listening to KZbin and drink coffee when I wake up. I feel like a crazy zombie going on autopilot. Then I started and stopped an SSRI and when I stopped it I started emotionally abusing and insulting people openly and being agitated and acting erratically.

[@terry-]

Great!

[@jay3898]

So it sounds like we’re all the same fing person. That’s kinda cool in theory, but what’s next? How do we talk to each other?

[@jay3898]

Zuck needs to find a way to gather us together.

[@jay3898]

Autistic Zionism 😂

[@stuartp2006]

I've found that being pretty jazzed about something means it takes me fucking forever to get to sleep. Also, all the people I like to hang out with tend to do events between 9 PM and 3 AM. >.> Which would be fine if the rest of the world was ok with my going to sleep at 3 AM regularly. :/

[@NZKiwi87]

I’m interested in any good eye mask suggestions anyone has…?

[@shaynaformity1384]

I love my Bucky eye masks! Have been using them for many years. They are shaped so that they really block out all the light, although they can shift off of my eyes in the course of the night (I can't sleep if I make it so tight that it doesn't slide around). I also tried a Manta sleep mask that had a supposedly cool cotton wrap - it was not cool at all! It was like sleeping with a hat on, I got so hot I never wore it again.

[@NZKiwi87]

@@shaynaformity1384 thank you, I’ll look into those 👍 I really appreciate the comment on the manta masks, I get very hot at night too so that’d be no good at all! Sweet dreams :)

[@tvpi-z1v]

turn the sound down dude

[@Nitrinoxus]

Who _sleeps_ anymore? I dunno about the rest of you, but I get most of my work done after my insomnia kicks in.

[@matiasgaray470]

Do you feel alive?

[@Nitrinoxus]

@matiasgaray470 I don't know if I _ever_ really felt alive. I'm _living,_ but that's not really the same thing, is it?

[@murtazaarif6507]

​​@@matiasgaray470maybe you recharge your batteries by not spending much energy on lower energy activities. You may be good at maintaining and spending your energy. Spoon theory comes to mind.

[@matiasgaray470]

@@Nitrinoxus Not sure, but do you feel good afterwards of this?

[@Nitrinoxus]

@@matiasgaray470 If I get enough work done to make the time spent worthwhile, yeah.

[@tobyfitzpatrick3914]

I think you might be pronouncing your surname wrong..?

[@ChristophersMum]

He 's Australian...not Scottish...❣

[@SS-qx7nh]

Wait . . . You’re telling someone they might be pronouncing THEIR OWN NAME wrong??? Really???

[@MandaPanda254]

​@@SS-qx7nhit's crazy isn't it.. my thoughts exactly matched yours