The Sleep Conundrum

Sleep is an allusive beast when you are Autistic, it seems that although you can do so much physical exercise that your body wants to fall into bed and stay there for eternity, your mind on the other hand has other ideas. 

This can be anything from what is happening in your life, something you've over analysed or mine for example likes to make me stay awake until whatever time in the morning writing scripts or even books just so it can tire itself out more easily. 

Not being able to sleep is higher amongst Autistic Adults which is no surprise, and insomnia I imagine seems to be higher amongst Autistic Adults. 

But why is it that we cannot sleep? I mean we need up to 8 hours a day to be healthy but yet this never seems to happen. 

My sleeping patterns change constantly and dramatically depending on my anxiety levels and what is happening in my life at that period of time. Usually the number one cause for not being able to sleep with autistic adults is Anxiety. 

Over analysing everything that has happened in the day or even preparing for a huge new change or even just little niggles can become heightened at night when usually you want to fall into sleep.

It seems that even though you may have physically tired yourself out your mind is still in overdrive and whips you up until you cannot switch off. 

I have constant problems with my sleeping patterns but do try the holistic route, trying Lavender oil on my pillow, having a relaxing bath to switch off or even just to try and write down all my anxieties before I go to bed trying to get them out of my system so then I can finally just rest and get the sleep I need. 

I am naughty, I don't follow guides on how to achieve sleep or relax, I am a Netflix addict and do binge watch at night on series that you really shouldn't watch when you go to sleep. But I have always found that eventually i'll go to sleep with something on in the background and have learnt that actually I do need some noise to focus on when I go to sleep so it can take my mind off things for a while. 

I should however listen to the relaxation music that I have on my iPod that promotes sleep and a peaceful on at it, but I somehow try to resist it even though I know it'll be better if I did, although I should advise using proper headphones rather than the ones that go directly into your ears as you can wake up with wax stuck in your ear or worse more likely to get ear infections. 

There are plenty of aids online to deal with problems sleeping and some are for Autistic adults exclusively - which I would go and take a look at as well as speaking to your GP about your sleep patterns and see what they advise. 

Sleeping Medications as normally used as a last resort in most cases, as they are addictive and can be overly used until you build a tolerance to them, this also applies to Herbal medications that you can get over the counter, they do stop working after a while. 

When it comes to trying to get yourself off into the land of nod, it can be difficult but I find that trying to put simple steps in place usually work. 

For most Aspergers men and women the first thing is routine. 

Routines are important, we live our lives basically in a constant routine whether we realise it or not, so when this gets altered or changed for reasons unknown although we might not panic about it consciously but our subconscious has already identified this and has begun to panic whether we like it or not. The Subconscious mind is the mind used when you are asleep, so if you're an anxious for any particular reason trying to get to sleep is going to be harder! 

A good bedtime routine is the key, I don't mean set an actual time when you put yourself to bed but instead try and make time to maybe prepare, so allow yourself to have some time to maybe have a bath or a shower, get into your pjs, brush your teeth, check social networks or whatever you want to do before bed and then try switch off with something relaxing and try to sleep.

Trying to adjust to a new routine is difficult but can be managed with a little bit or fair warning if the change is planned so that you can adjust your routine and therefore put coping strategies in place to minimise anxiety.

 

Here is the science bit: 

Anxiety is controlled from the subconscious, specifically from the Amygdala - which is the tiny organ that is responsible for how the body reacts to information from our sensory organs and controls the level of Adrenaline that is produced to counteract this information. Basically an anxious person has had a reset to the Amygdala, and therefore this little organ overcompensates when it comes to the basic fight or flight response!  

Try finding relaxation techniques that work! 

I can hear the groans, and it sounds so obvious I know but trust me if you can find things that calm you down and relax you enough to allow you to get a decent nights sleep then that will be amazing! I have tried lots of things and have consulted my doctor about my sleeping problems and still to this day have some period of time where I do suffer from insomnia but not as badly as when I was a teenager. 

I find treating yourself to a long hot soak in the bath might be a good idea with some Lavender oil in your bath which will help you relax and heal any sore muscles you might have in the process, I also add Tea Tree oil to calm inflamed or irritated skin as well as maybe treating myself to a coconut oil hair mask. I also light candles and play relaxing music to really wind down after a stressful day, or if you want your Netflix fix watch that in the bath or having a cup of decaffeinated (avoid Caffeine or Alcohol) or herbal tea (there are sleep aiding teas available) to really relax your body and mind. 

 Once in bed, write everything down that you need to get out of your system and then try sticking your MP3 player on and use relaxation music which you can download is better and you can also find ones for stress and anxiety which is always useful - I have ones by Kelly Howell who has a wide range of relaxation and meditation techniques and I must say they do work!!! But others are available for free, searching youtube might also be a good idea!!! 

Consult your doctor or chat to your counsellor.

Just have a chat about your problems sleeping as it might be a underlying stress factor which might require some form of counselling to put some strategies in place and get to the route of the problem. Also if you're having nightmares or night tremors it is a serious issue that needs to be addressed and talking about it is a good way of getting out any worries or stresses that might be effecting you. 

Counsellors will talk through the reasons why you're not sleeping and the reason why you are anxious and try to put some strategies that are personal to you to help you when it comes to sleep. I would recommend trying to find a counsellor who is trained in Autistic behaviour as they will understand how your mind works better than a normal one. 

*NOTE*

Doctors usually prescribe sleeping medication as a last resort or in extreme cases so they will go through techniques as stated above to try and solve the problem. 

There are also herbal sleeping and stress remedies available over the counter to aid in the short term, but as a long term problem really it's about addressing the issues as to why you can't sleep!!! 

Hopefully the fight between not being able to sleep will then stop, it is a hard thing to do but fighting it isn't going to make it any easier. Just some simple changes might be the best thing to do to make you have a peaceful sleep and feel rested when you get up in the  morning!