Sleep (deprivation) and Autism - Unmasking Autism

Like nearly everything I am discovering on this unmasking journey, my relationship with sleep is so important and I realise that I have actively sleep deprived myself so that I could fit into what I thought I was supposed to do rather than what I needed. I need much more sleep than I ever realised, and I think I always have done, and I feel sad that I haven't been looking after myself properly due to masking. And the funny part is, I was doing this even when there was no one else to see me do it! The masking has been so deeply conditioned into my being. So yes, I am now sleeping much more and I feel so much better for it!
Thank you so so much for watching my videos and commenting. Some of the comments have helped my further into my rabbit hole discoveries and I am very grateful for that!

[@user-js5et3gc8q]

Getting enough sleep is so important Gina. I need about 7 hours of sleep at night to function well, although 8 hours would probably be better. Anxiety is certainly a big reason why I wouldn't get a good nights sleep and I can feel anxiety if my routine gets disrupted or my schedule is thrown off for any reason. I need to sleep in my own bed every night. I have had very bad experiences when I had to travel. I could only manage a few hours of troubled sleep when I was in an unfamiliar environment and it left me miserable and unable to communicate well. Your video reminds me that I should try to get to sleep a little earlier. I hope that you will have consistent success at getting more sleep too. Our brains work so much better when we are rested. Thank you for your video.

[@TheGreatReveal]

My son is very similar to you, when we travel away I have to ensure that his bed expectations are going to be ok for him. As in using the same hotel chain that has the same set up at every location, or bringing his own bedding so it is the same for him. I think I was perhaps like that as a child too, but it was just thought of as being difficult.

[@Hermitthecog]

Anxiety as sleep disruptor seems to be very common for we neurodivergent folks, but it serves as an important tool by which to gauge the status of waking life i.e. the presence of any unbalancing factors immediately triggers sleep disturbances. Getting more sleep provides enough of a reset to be able to clearly assess, identify, and correct the dysregulating circumstance. It's infuriating that our culture persists in its belief that being underslept is somehow a noble sacrifice. I realized in adolescence that sleep deprivation was the worst thing for me but recognizing all the ways that masking and camouflaging were compromising my ability to settle at night has taken much longer because one's very survival under capitalism is contingent upon those so-called "noble" sacrifices. (Also: loved that wallpaper pattern design, very stimmy! 😊)

[@TheGreatReveal]

Having put sleep as a priority, I can feel myself less anxious and you're right though, that idea that is put across to us in society that being underslept is noble, is a hard one to challenge sometimes. Glad you like the wallpaper!

[@tracirex]

we are all victims of toxic capitalism. we don't need to conform to neurotypical or capitalistic standards. anxiety wrecks my sleep. I get hypervigelent and wake up many times during the night.