SLEEP PROBLEMS FOR PEOPLE WITH ASD

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I've had problems falling asleep before when my anxiety was bad. Perhaps it would help to talk to your doc/psych about taking a med for anxiety regularly & maybe you wouldn't need the Valium or the Valium would help better on nights you need it. An antidepressant might help or Busapr. Buspar is specially for anxiety & not a benzo or an antidepressant & can be taken with benzo's &/or antidepressants.

I can't sleep mainly because I hear too much going on outside and I am very sensitive to how everything feels so wrinkles in the sheets or pj's wake me. And my body temp changes as well and that wakes me. I have a nature noise machine and music that I usually have to have on 24/7. Also my thoughts race. I have a bedtime routine which helps calm me and I also have lavender essential oil blowing into my face from a diffuser on my night table. And I do massages in bed as well. I don't always get to sleep but I try to relax as much as possible.

Here I am still not asleep, yes, on the computer, however, the one thing I found that helps me fall asleep quick is to read a good, relaxing book. Not a non-fiction book, but a novel. Yes, I hated novels before, but someone suggested one once, a brainless type of novel lol and it has helped me ever since...of course, when I turn off the computer . PS only on my Kindle though

yes this is me (it is also 5:45 am and I have not gone to sleep yet despite being tired out of my mind). I hate sleeping meds because they make me feel groggy and dazed the entire next day, so it's not any better than being sleep deprived, in fact it's worse for me at least. anxiety. I have an essential oil diffuser and have been trying to use lavender in it around when I should go to sleep, not sure if it helps but it sure smells nice. restless thoughts and shakiness? sometimes when I finally start to drift off I get scared that I'll forget to breathe and die. I have bad dreams a lot, oftentimes it's better not to have them at all. usually not the intense scary wake up screaming and covered in sweat type but the ominous type, the type where if I told someone it was a nightmare and then explained it to them they would not understand why it was that scary. sorry I have no advice for you, as you can see I don't have any solutions. occasionally if I get really drunk I'll get a good 8 hours, unhealthy to do that though obviously.

btw seeing intrusive repeating images can be a symptom of ocd, my friend has moderate ocd and one of her symptoms she describes is exactly how you've described it. not saying this is necessarily a factor in your case but maybe worth thinking about.

Three other advices which work for me:

1/ Look at your thoughts coming into your head, don't reject them because you "have to" sleep, just look at them coming and going
2/ If you want to get up, no use forcing yourself to lye for hours, just get up and do some relaxing activities you like or read in bed. Don't get anxious because you are not sleeping, it makes it worse...
3/ As soon as the "sleep bell" rings (eyes closing or yawning), close light and lye right away (even if the book is very interesting...)

Have sweet dreams!

I don't like sleeping yet I love dreaming. I once stayed up past midnight and didn't feel so sleepy in the morning. I just don't want to miss anything!

I am finding I wake up 3am almost on cue every night. Doesn't matter what time I go to bed I always wake up at 3. I usually find it tough to sleep but at 7:30 or so it is pure torture getting out of bed. Tried cutting out caffeine, TV and iPad to little effect except to make it harder.

I tried every trick under the sun, and never found a long term solution. Meditation was the only trick that I still used, but still achieved poor results. I take mirtazapine now, which is an anti-depresent with a strong drowsy side effect. Within an hour of taking it, I can notice my face numb and a feeling of sleepiness coming over me. I take it at 9pm, and go to bed around 11pm, I'll be fast asleep by 12.30. It's pretty poor for depression/anxiety, but I recommend it purely for the sleep. If I don't take it, I'll be up all night, guaranteed.

I have to properly "prep" for bed. Without the following I usually have big trouble getting to sleep...

1. Totally darkened room (my bedroom window is boarded up on the inside)
2. Earplugs or cotton stuffed into my ears (even though I'm already half deaf)
3. Three pillows under my head (helps me breathe and prevents my binky from falling out of my mouth)
4. A pillow between my legs (total necessity now, originally a childhood habit promoted by my ballet teacher)
5. Something to hug (such as my stuffed Darth Vader or Batman figure)

These practises also seem to help...

1. No caffiene at least four hours pryor to bedtime
2. Taking a couple of Benadryl tablets an hour or two before I lay down
3. Restrict liquids late at nite so I don't keep waking up with a full bladder
4. A very warm bath
5. Getting my "rocks off" when I first lay down for the nite.

Also it seems I tend to sleep sounder when I have freshly washed sheets on the bed.

I have sleep problems off and on. I was up at three in the morning and I forced myself to go back to bed, because I was tired and weak from all that cleaning I did.

I have always struggled to stay or fall asleep, didn't figure out the issues till I was diagnosed as an adult. I have sensory intergration issues and was instructed to get a weighted blanket. Since getting the blanket, I am able to fall asleep much faster and stay asleep thru the night. This has helped cut down on my meltdowns and shutdowns tremendously. Proper sleep is very importand, much more so for someone on the spectrum according to my therapist. Mike

I don't generally have sleep problems, and I drink a lot of caffiene. I think it's caffiene that makes me wake up to go to the toilet several times throughout the night, but I still get back to sleep easily.

Stress and anxiety actually makes me drowsy. When I've been at work all day, I crave a nap when I get home (which lasts about hour and a half or two hours), and I sleep like a log at night too.

If I sometimes can't get to sleep (this happens occasionally), I take an Avomine pill. It is a travel sickness pill, but a common side effect to it is drowsiness. It works every time, and it even makes me fall asleep on public transport (the driver used to often have to wake me up when it got to the bus station). So Avomine works like a dream (no pun intended). Not sure if they do it in other countries but here in the UK you can ask for them at a chemists.

Ive had chronic insomnia for 18 years, which is pretty bad considering im only 20.

I cant sleep for lots of reasons. Racing thoughts, tinitius, anxiety, too many noises, too silent. Getting distracted before bed, caffine addiction.

Right now, my bed time is 6am and i usually sleep till 4pm.

Marijuanan and cutting out electronics has helped me in the past, and having a schedual but it can still take me hours to fall asleep.