Autism and Nocturnality

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I have coped with my night owl tendencies by trying to always work night shifts. Although, a pm shift like 3:30pm to midnight would probably be even more ideal for me. By and large if you are in work that has shifts - most employers are happy to have employees who want to work only nights - since most employees want to work only days. Getting up early in the morning to go to work has always been torturous for me. Even though I might have just as much actual work to do on a night shift - sometimes more - than on day shift - there are a lot less people around that I have to interact with and a lot few distractions so getting my work done goes a lot smoother.

I've been a night owl since my teens, so the night job I work at now is pretty easy for me. On my days off, I don't have a specific sleep schedule; I just go to bed when I'm tired.

I am often tired during the day, I think more clearly and feel better in general at night. If it wasn't so inconvenient I probably would choose to be awake at night and sleep during the day. But even if I didn't have a day job that would be difficult to do, just because most places are closed and everyone else is asleep at night. Still, I often stay up pretty late, even when I have work the next day, as my mind feels so much clearer at night.

I've been a late nighter for years. Going to bed at around 3 or 4 a.m. and sleeping till 2 or 3 p.m. I like to try to fall asleep in the dark - trying to fall asleep once it's light out is more difficult for me.

Although this week my sleep schedule has been getting worse & worse (it's a hormonal thing) The last few days it's gotten to about 7 a.m. and I'm just falling asleep. I hate this as by the time I get up with the days getting shorter I don't have much daylight left to get errands done...

I've tried many times over the years to back up my sleep schedule by staying up all night and one whole day, hoping to exhaust myself into falling asleep at a better time like 10 or 11 p.m. but it doesn't work. I still wind up staying up all night, even though I'm absolutely exhausted. I don't know how to fix it.

I know better than to lie down in bed trying to will myself to fall asleep. I'll just lie there. I have to either watch TV or be on the computer till I feel I'm sleepy enough to go to bed. I've found that there is a big difference between being tired and being sleepy. I can be extremely tired, overtired, and still not be sleepy enough to fall asleep.

Thank goodness I'm no longer working - I had days when I barely slept a couple of hours and I'd have to go in to work exhausted because my sleep schedule is so screwy.

I just bought some blue-light blocking glasses on ebay that seem to help alot of people fall asleep faster & easier, judging by the reviews on them on amazon. I am eager to receive them and give them a shot.