Autism, Sleep Disturbances, and Insomnia

My neurodivergent experience with sleep disturbances and insomnia and how good sleep hygiene and a bedtime routine have helped me. #asd #latediagnosedautistic #autistic

[@theedgeofoblivious]

I have something called a "kSafe", which is a locking box with a simple timer(which you can set for even ten days into the future). You put your phone(or other things) within the box, and set the timer. 5 seconds later, the box locks, and it won't open until the timer runs out. You can even run a charging cord into the kSafe and charge your phone while your phone is locked up.

[@Sensory0verlord]

I didn’t know those existed! That’s a great idea. I’ll look into that. These days I’m not too tempted to look at my phone. I even keep my ringer & all my notification sounds turned off bc they startle me.

[@theedgeofoblivious]

@@Sensory0verlord I actually have three of these. They work really well to prevent you from using your phone, to prevent you from using cash, or to make it so you can buy snacks and limit how many you can eat within a given time. They're super helpful.

[@gregorydotreppe1970]

The jetlag heading east is the worst. I lived in France and Belgium for several years and crossing the Atlantic really took a toll on me.

[@Sensory0verlord]

Yes, it is awful! Very draining. I can’t imagine what it would be like to do that on a regular basis.

[@kirstinline]

another enjoyable and insightful video. please keep on making these because your honesty and self understanding is very encouraging. i really appreciate your journey and i think youre great.

[@Sensory0verlord]

Thank you so much! 😊

[@_droid]

I always sleep better when I travel West too. Even just one hour difference feels great.

[@Sensory0verlord]

Yes! That one hour can make a huge difference.

[@MIOLAZARUS]

Thanks for reminding me of sleep hygiene. Im the worst😂❤

[@Sensory0verlord]

You’re welcome!😉 I sometimes forget & my nervous system quickly reminds me.😆

[@roberttravers7587]

Great video!😁

[@Sensory0verlord]

Thank you!😊

[@MrDaydreamer1584]

Here are the two rules that I use for sleeping: 1. When you lie down to go to sleep, have your mind made up that simply lying there with your eyes closed is almost as good as being asleep. Have your mind made up that it almost doesn't matter if you fall asleep or not, because it feels good just to rest with your eyes closed. (This will make it much easier to fall asleep.) 2. Have your mind made up that once you crawl into bed, you will not make eye contact with any clock until your morning alarm goes off.

[@Sensory0verlord]

Those are very good rules! I try to stick to both of those as well. I agree. Going into energy saving mode is a better rest alternative than staying up & keeping those processes running. I’m guilty of sneaking a peek at the clock if my body wakes me up, just to see if it’s close to alarm time & worth getting up.

[@MrDaydreamer1584]

@@Sensory0verlord ""I’m guilty of sneaking a peek at the clock if my body wakes me up, just to see if it’s close to alarm time & worth getting up." That's a mistake. Forget about time, until the alarm goes off. Until the alarm goes off, there is no time, there are no clocks. For to fall asleep, you must forget that you're awake. And to stay asleep, you must remain in that state of forgetfulness. Whenever you look at the clock--- or even _think_ about looking at the clock--- you are reminding yourself that you're awake. So don't look at any clock, until your alarm goes off in the morning. When you get into bed, make your mind up that --- until your alarm goes off --- there is no time, there are no clocks. (That's exactly what I do, and it works.)

[@Sensory0verlord]

@@MrDaydreamer1584 I only do that if my bladder or a migraine wakes me, but I still probably shouldn’t. I like your concept that there is no time, there are no clocks while in bed.

[@MrDaydreamer1584]

@@Sensory0verlord Many nights I'll get up to pee, but I don't look at the clock, I just go back to bed. Sometimes I'll go the kitchen to get a snack--- but I don't look at the clock, I just get my snack and go back to bed. I know where the kitchen clock is, but I don't make eye contact with it. Let me ask--- _why_ do you look at the clock? When you're trying to sleep, there is no logical reason to check the time. Suppose you need 7 hours of sleep. (I do.) So I set my alarm for 7 hours 15 minutes, and crawl into bed. For the next 7 hours, there is no logical reason to look at a clock. If my goal is to get 7 hours of sleep-- or as close as I can to 7 hours-- how does looking at the clock help? There is no logical reason to look at a clock until morning.

[@Sensory0verlord]

@@MrDaydreamer1584 I look to see if it’s completely necessary to get out of bed or if it can wait til the alarm goes off. Let’s say I check the time and it’s 6AM. Depending on how rested I feel, I might go ahead & start my day or I’ll wait because my alarm will go off within the hour. If it’s 3AM, I can’t wait that long, so I have to get out of bed. For me personally, physically leaving the bed has a greater likelihood of disrupting my sleep than checking the time, so I avoid going vertical til morning if I can. But overall, it’s a rare occurrence.

[@m2pozad]

Helpful. Thank you. Did melatonin supplementing come up? It usually works for partner if used sparingly. But she will not limit bedroom electronics in her room.

[@Sensory0verlord]

Not that I remember, but I don’t think it’s recommended for people with depression. And recently, my best friend was using melatonin before she developed severe insomnia. I don’t know if there was a connection.

[@tracirex]

sorry about your burnout and insomnia. ive been there. 0i havent researched it, but ive heard there is something called hyperfantasia which might cause intense realistic hallucination-like dreaming.

[@Sensory0verlord]

I looked up hyperphantasia and it sounds like it could quite possibly describe/explain my vivid dreaming.

[@pamelaruigh8185]

Are you my twin? I have everything you have except migraine.

[@Sensory0verlord]

Possibly? Maybe separated at birth & never told?😆 It’s great finding people with relatable experiences. I’m glad you don’t have migraines, though!

[@gothboschincarnate3931]

I haven't had a headache in 22 years....

[@Sensory0verlord]

@@gothboschincarnate3931 A couple of my family members don’t get them. I get the full body migraine 😒

[@wesbeuning1733]

Totally me. Hardly slept for most of my life until got on hypertension meds and stopped masking. Four-time grammy winning Ghost: 🤘🤘🤘. Ive woken up singing "Infestissumam" many times. Maybe tonight.

[@Sensory0verlord]

Yes!!🤘🏻On the rare occasion that my sleep is interrupted these days, I usually wake up with a Ghost song stuck in my head.