Is this common in autism?

Post Reply New Topic

... Or is it just common for everyone?

At night, I wake up unintentionally early, at around 3:55am to 4:05am. It takes me a long time (about three hours) to get to sleep after that. But once I wake up early once, it continues for weeks, and I wake up at the same time too. I've read somewhere that autism is related to sleep problems and I was wondering if anyone else gets this.

I always get 6 hrs of sleep max a night, no matter what time I go to bed. So, if I go to bed around 10, I will wake up at 4. I go to bed no earlier than 11 so I don't normally wake up before 5. (This is unless I am sick or unusually exhausted, but then I risk waking up super-early.) Very occasionally, I will wake up before 5, and even more rarely will I sleep longer than 6 hrs.

Once I wake up, I'm awake. If I go back to sleep later on, I consider it a nap. It's not even worth trying to fall back asleep.
I don't know if it is an Aspie thing, but I don't know anyone with this problem who is *definitely* NT.

I do know people with autism who have sleep issues like that. For myself I wake up several times during the night, but can usually fall back asleep relatively easy.

I have read that problems with sleep are more common for people on the spectrum than the general population - though that could be because we have higher occurrence of anxiety and depression, both of which can disturb sleep.

In my case, it's getting to sleep that I find difficult. Once I'm asleep I can be very difficult to wake.

Some folks dont actually need the full 8 hours that most folks need.

Both Napoleon, and Akbar the Great (Mogol emperor of India) only slept four hours a night- which helped them get stuff done contributing to their success in conquering whole continents.

Have seen ordinary folks on documentaries who only sleep 30 minutes a night.

Just go with it. Try starting the day at four am for a while, and see what happens. Maybe youll end up conquering an empire!

I do this too.

What, about my Penguin Empire! Mabye, I have more in common with Napoleon then I thought.

haha, maybe I shall

Antarctica is mostly uninhabited, and there has been a food shortage for then recently. It would be easy pickens for you.

Not saying it is the cause, but many comorbid symptoms like mood, digestive, immune/autoimmune & sensory issues are often connected to or correlated with, Serotonin (dys-)regulation.

As is sleep regulation.

When I was younger, it would take me a long time to fall asleep and I would frequently wake up in the middle of the night, sometimes more than once. This has mostly gone away but it still takes me longer than average to get to sleep most nights.

I too have read about sleep problems being common in autism.

I also find it difficult to maintain any sort of the definition of a "regular sleep pattern". It is not uncommon for me the lay in bed for 30 minutes to 2 hours before I am able to fall asleep and I tend to get woken up mid sleep for seemingly no reason at all. I will then have to lay there for for an additional 30 minutes or longer to get to sleep again. I also seem to only need 5-6 hours of sleep to be fully functional for the day, with an occasional day, two or three times a month that I will sleep for 11-12 hours before getting up. So to answer your question in my case I can say yes, I also have odd sleep patterns.

Sounds like Insomnia to me.

Not exclusive to autism but common in all sorts of neurotypes (actually very common on the spectrum its hard to find anyone on the spectrum who doesn't have sleep problems)

But just because its common doesn't mean its normal. It can be due to either Psychological reasons, healthy reasons or have a underlining Medical Condition.

If this is problematic for you please see your doctor ASAP

If its more bothersome than problematic look up some natural sleep aids online.

Sleeping problems are very rare in my case. Heat and having a cold makes sleeping more difficult.

As ZombieBride said, definitely worth looking for some help. Having more energy during the day by itself makes life so much easier to deal with.

Something else I would say is to be very honest with yourself about your 'sleep hygiene'. I've come to realise that I do just really like the quiet time during the early hours - no distracting noises, the phone isn't going to ring, and there'll be no knock at the front door. I have been known to "burn the candle at both ends" sometimes, so that I can really immerse myself in my special interests without the anxiety of feeling I might be interrupted - only to regret it later when the alarm goes off in the morning for work!

So I'm working on finding alternative ways to achieve the same peacefulness, but without having to stay up too late. For example, walks in the countryside are a better adapted way to get the same relief as late night pacing sessions (my most effective stim when I have worries on my mind.) I set aside quiet time, when I turn the ringer off on the phone, turn off notifications on my PC desktop, and switch from speakers to headphones. I've also asked friends to give my phone a couple of rings if they're thinking of popping round - If I don't pick up, they know that I'm having some quiet time, and I'll get back to them later.

Last edited by Trogluddite on 28 Feb 2016, 10:03 am, edited 1 time in total.

All I know is that my sleep cycle happens to be in absolute chaos and that I just happen to be autistic. No idea how common sleeping issues are amongst autistics in general.