Insomnia Poll

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Keen to get an idea of how prevalent this is among Aspies.

I have been struggling with Insomnia since I was very young.

I go through periods when it is worse and I won't sleep all night without some aid. But then I may have a few days where I sleep reasonably well. Then I get the times when I wake up very early and feel too alert to go back to sleep.

I'm not sure if its technically insomnia, but the result is the same - I just can't get my brain to shut off its incessant internal monologue and shut the f**k up. I have no desire to take Big Pharma Meds, with their laundry lists of side effects, so I self medicate. It works for me.

I use a melatonin supplement (as of this year) & an ever-expanding plethora of herbal methods to get back off my feet after most days. It takes a LOT of hard work for me to become sleepy under my own steam.

Sometimes a few times a week.
I get to sleep no problem, but wake up after only a couple of hours.

Does anyone know why this is some-what prevalent in those with aspergers or similar?

I've had insane insomnia ever since I was a small child. In fact, I remember sleeping with my mother at about age four and lightly kicking her leg to wake her up because I was so restless. Unfortunately for me, she was a sound sleeper. If I knew the next day was something like the first day of school, I wouldn't sleep a wink because of anxiety. The only way I get any nightly sleep in now is through medication.

Not really insomnia. Just an unpredictable sleep cycle. I could be wide awake at 3 a.m. or ready to turn in at noon. As a baby I didn't sleep through the night... ever. Eventually I learned to go back to sleep or to lie there and daydream, and later on to read.

I keep it mostly regulated with melatonin and a big window, but the second I stop watching out, it's out of whack again.

I'm prone to staying up later each night & waking up later each morning/afternoon,
but other than that I don't have trouble falling asleep.

The current problem is with *remaining* asleep,
thanks to the medication I began a few months ago-I keep waking up over & over.
Can get right back to sleep, usually-
but I'll continue to repeatedly awaken (I know 'cause I turn & look at the clock)

That is me. Sometimes my brain just comes alive when I hit the pillow and I can think about my whole life in fast forward, seeing details and dimensions I didn't think were there.

I used to self medicate but found it only works occasionally. Alcohol has become an issue with me.

I have it a lot. I can't say for sure if it's every week or how regularly but I know that I have it often.

Welcome to WP Kapo. I noticed this is your first post. Is that you in your avatar pic? The person in your pic is very beautiful.

I've had insomnia on and off since I was a baby, and it got much worse in my early 20s. Since then, I've taken a sleeping pill virtually every night (sometimes over-the-counter, sometimes on prescription).

Obviously I'm not thrilled about the dependency aspect, but I have to hold down a job, and you can't do that if you never sleep.

That is bad. I was once prescribed sleeping pills and after three days of taking them I went on overload with anxiety. Those pills are lethal.

I have pretty bad insomnia. Sometimes I only get a few hours of sleep.

It depends on whether I am on my medicine or not. If I am, no, but if I am, almost every day.