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Do you have a ritual for going to bed?
Yes 73%  73%  [ 38 ]
No 27%  27%  [ 14 ]
Total votes : 52

Kenjitsuka
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19 Jul 2012, 1:07 pm

Hey,

I couldn't find any topic dedicated to the bedtime rituals autistic adults have developed, so I made this one.

I live on my own so I really need rituals to deal with the day. I've got this morning ritual to start the day, a ritual of going through the daily motions, and -most importantly- one for getting to sleep.
I have always struggled with getting to sleep very badly, so I would like to share rituals and see if we might be able to learn something from each other!

My ritual:
around one and a half hours before I want to sleep I start by turning off all the lights/closing all curtains and blinds.
I turn on my electric blanket to pre-warm the bed, as I cannot stand getting in when it's cold.
Then I take my Seroquel as directed (it has no direct effect on sleepiness at all in me, it's just upkeep once every 24 hrs against angst).
Next it's water the plant and give the cat two scoops of food.
Then I prepare a light snack in three parts, which I eat at the PC.
Checking the bolts on the doors, putting my phone into 'airplane mode'.
Triple check the alarm clock if I need to be someplace the next day.

The most important part is I change my MP3 playlist from "Rated 5 stars" to "Evening Chill", meaning softer, low tempo music (often instrumental).
I read on websites (like this one and cracked.com, which has many fascinating lists with facts and humor) to pass the time and calm down.
Eventually I drink a few sips of vodka. I've always hated alcohol, but it's the only way to not lie awake for many hours...
Then brushing my teeth whilst browsing websites.

I write down what time I go to bed in an Excel file, where I also write my weight, BMI, waist circumference, emotions experienced (scale of 1-10 for Sad, Happy, Angry, Scared and Energy).
In the morning I'll write in the file how long I slept and how long I laid in bed.

I end it off with watching a funny video or two I have accumulated via downloading from youtube...
Then I turn the electric blanket off, put my earplugs in and fall asleep at last.

Some notes:
I used to be able to do this ritual in under an hour, but like with most rituals it seems to expand ever so slowly all the time...
I recently realized something important:

When I get really nervous (in this case I just couldn't commit to watching a film or tv series, because I was scared it would not be that much fun after all, or that some other film or activity would be more fun) I suddenly flee from the situation by starting this ritual and going to bed an hour early...
Advice from my therapist: Don't let the ritual get twice as long, because before you know it you'll "need" those two hours instead of one each night!


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Empathy quotient: 14
Your Aspie score: 185 of 200
Your neurotypical (non-autistic) score: 14 of 200
The Broad Autism Phenotype Test: You scored 132 aloof, 126 rigid and 132 pragmatic. IQ: 139. AQ: 45/50


Last edited by Kenjitsuka on 19 Jul 2012, 2:06 pm, edited 3 times in total.

LtlPinkCoupe
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19 Jul 2012, 1:15 pm

Mostly what I do before I go to bed is just mindlessly surf the internet until I feel tired enough to actually sleep...there's usually too much going on in my head for me to fall asleep at a prescribed time.

One thing I always do before actually going to bed is check the walls and ceilings for spiders...sorry to those who actually like them, but they just creep me out.

When I lived in the dorms, I would sometimes buy a quart of cranberry juice from a convenience store on campus, go home, change into my pajamas, put on fuzzy socks, get into bed with my plushies, laptop, and Cars blanket, pour myself a glass of juice, and just sit there all cozy, waiting to get sleepy and taking sips of juice. :D It was sooo sweet...and I get to do it again when I move back in again in a month.

....I actually voted that I really don't have any bedtime rituals, but after typing all this out, it's apparent that I DO. :oops:


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Mirror21
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19 Jul 2012, 1:26 pm

Before I go to bed I always go to the bathroom.
check under the bed for bugs
change into a comfy shirt
put on bedtime socks
get in the bed with a movie on repeat of the following: rocky horror, little shop of horrors, aunt bam's place, death proof or zombie strippers.



CyborgUprising
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19 Jul 2012, 1:40 pm

I wear one of my two outfits specifically reserved for sleeping, lock all doors, ensure all windows are locked (though I don't open them), check for spiders, listen to Dunkelwerk (or similar music by another artist) and engage in tactile stimming until I'm out.



persian85033
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19 Jul 2012, 1:41 pm

Before I go to bed, I pick out my pajamas, put them on about half an hour before going to bed, and then read at least one or two chapters of whatever book I'm reading, then I put the book next to the lamp, put my shower cap on top of the book, check to see that the closet and all the drawers are completely closed, and finally go to bed. My bedtime ritual is actually my favorite part of the day. Even if I'm completely exhausted, I have to do it, otherwise, the next morning I don't feel like I rested during the night. It just doesn't feel like I slept a good night's sleep at all. More like as if I'd taken a long nap.


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lady_katie
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19 Jul 2012, 1:44 pm

-have a snack (typically ice cream) while watching a show or chatting with my hubby
-if it's winter, I sweep around the wood burning stove and make absolutely sure it's closed and safely burning
-double/triple check the door locks to make sure they're locked
-make sure the stove top and coffee pot is turned off
-make sure the dryer is closed so that the light inside isn't on all night
-make sure the guest room closet light is off and the windows in there are closed
-put on my PJ's
-make sure the bed is in "sleep mode"
-floss, brush teeth, go to the bathroom (in that order)
-lay in bed and wait for hubby to finish his ritual
-ask him at least once if our sons motion monitor is turned on
-put ear plugs in

I was developing a need to check on my son and make sure he's breathing, but I kept waking him up which was no fun for anyone, so I had to put a stop to that.



rebbieh
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19 Jul 2012, 2:01 pm

- I'm on the computer reading forums etc until about 40 minutes before I'm going to bed.
- Then I go to the bathroom, brush my teeth and wash my face (in that order).
- Check and double check that the door's locked and the oven's off.
- Then I read a book for about 30 minutes.
- When I'm done reading I put the book to the right of my laptop, which is lying next to my bed. On my book I put my glasses and my phone (after I've turned on the alarm and checked it 5-ish times).
- Pray a short prayer. Always the same one where I pretty much pray that I'll sleep well, that I'll dream something nice and that there won't be any spiders in my bed.
- Put ear plugs in my ears.
- Lights out.



Dirtdigger
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19 Jul 2012, 2:09 pm

Just before I go to bed I use the toilet and fill my bottle full of water to sip on since I have dry mouth problems.
Then I turn off the light over my computer and turn off the TV.
Next I turn on the light next to my bed.

I then snuggle next my my diecast backhoe loader toy. Besides feeling secure with it I love the feel of the cold metal even in the winter time. And while I'm snuggling I think about the days events for anywhere from 1/2 to 1 hour before turning off the light and going to sleep all snuggled up next to my toy.

8)



PixelPony
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19 Jul 2012, 2:17 pm

No bedtime ritual, except possibly checking my email, facebook, forums, etc. once each before bed.

I do have a morning ritual though, and it's been problematic in getting to work on time several times.


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SilkySifaka
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19 Jul 2012, 2:54 pm

Firstly I check the house, make sure everything is switched off correctly, that the chain is on the front door and that the balcony doors are locked and the curtains drawn.

I have a warm shower for 5 minutes. I used to use a special 'baby bath time' liquid I used in the evening, but I can't afford that these days so I just use soap. I get changed into my pyjamas. I pour a glass of water for the night and put it on the night stand. I light a candle and sit on the bed and read (usually a religious book) while drinking a mug of warm milk and honey. After that I go to the bathroom and clean my teeth before getting back into bed. I apply hand cream, blow out the candle, say my prayer and say goodnight to Mr Silky and then fall asleep.

This is my ideal routine. Occasionally I get very anxious and my routine falls apart which makes me even more anxious and then I end up lying in bed feeling all 'wrong' and unable to sleep.



cathylynn
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19 Jul 2012, 3:06 pm

i take my meds, undress, snuggle with my husband, then snuggle with my cat. then i turn on my right side in fetal postion with a thick cover (in all weather) just up to my chin and my hair pulled back away from my face.



JesseCat
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19 Jul 2012, 3:07 pm

I clean the kitchen, there can be no dishes in the sink, clean my room, then take a shower. I can't go to bed feeling dirty. Check that I locked the doors. Check my ceiling for centipedes. Turn the lights out. Take a melatonin pill. Read or surf the internet until I get sleepy. Put in earplugs. Shut down all electronics. Go to sleep.



lostmyself
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19 Jul 2012, 3:47 pm

I wait till I get hungry in the night then eat something sweet and drink milk and fall asleep watching TV [comedy sitcoms]. If I don't watch something or read something till I fall asleep I can't sleep.



emmyy
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19 Jul 2012, 4:11 pm

my bedtime rituals start with taking my meds if needed, few hours before i go to sleep. Then after it i stop drinking.. I can't drink anything in few hours before i go to bed. Then i walk my dog, play with him. Change in pajamas. Brush my teeth and face, go to toilet. Then go to bed for a while, making it warm. Then go to toilet again, go back to bed and cuddle with my pillows and plushies. Then hopefully fall asleep. With lights on. And doggy keeping my toes warm. Sometimes i cry until i fall asleep.


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LtlPinkCoupe
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19 Jul 2012, 4:13 pm

emmyy wrote:
my bedtime rituals start with taking my meds if needed, few hours before i go to sleep. Then after it i stop drinking.. I can't drink anything in few hours before i go to bed. Then i walk my dog, play with him. Change in pajamas. Brush my teeth and face, go to toilet. Then go to bed for a while, making it warm. Then go to toilet again, go back to bed and cuddle with my pillows and plushies. Then hopefully fall asleep. With lights on. And doggy keeping my toes warm. Sometimes i cry until i fall asleep.


Yeah, I do that, too, sometimes.


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Apple_in_my_Eye
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19 Jul 2012, 8:23 pm

Take my evening meds and supplements,

brush my teeth (while sitting in my computer chair),

clean up whatever stuff I've brought out during the day and not put back (usually a lot of stuff)

and then dress for bed, get in

set my iPod to playing something on sleep-mode

and hopefully fall asleep.


*I think that isn't a true ritual, though -- if it were it wouldn't take so much willpower to do it.