Insomnia

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It's quarter after 1 in the morning and I'm not even close to being tired. I hate having insomnia. I need my 8 hours of sleep but don't like waking up at 9 because then I get grief for sleeping in so late. I've read insomnia is very common for those on the spectrum. Anyone else have the problem and how do you manage?

Lately, I have had this problem too. I was on leave-of-absence from my job due to an injury (slipping on the ice). It's been a month, I'm going back this Monday.

I usually ended up staying up way too late and sleeping in well past 9 (try 11 or 12). I have to figure out how to "reset my clock" also. I would suggest (and I am going to try this myself) setting an alarm for whatever time you need to get up, regardless of when you go to sleep, and then looking out the window at the sun immediately. I have read that exposure to natural light early in the morning helps push your internal clock back to where it should be so, eventually, you will start to get tired earlier.

With that being said, I have no idea if this will actually help--it may take a while, even if it does, but it can't hurt to try. Good luck.

The Squid is still here. Enough said.

I have sleep apnea and require the use of a cpap. I hate using my cpap. When I don't, I end up in a situation where I sleep in the evening for 1-3 hours. Then I'm up late even if I want to sleep.

Also over the last five weeks, I've had two days where I've gotten more than 6 hours of continuous sleep. This is regardless of cpap use, sleep aids, or anything else I can figure. I can wake up anywhere from 2-4 hours after I start sleeping and then I'm up for an hour or more before I can get back to sleep. From last night, I got about four hours total in sleep and I did wake up a few times.

Fun Stuff this lack of quality sleep.

yes,am a sufferer of lifelong severe insomnia,was never given support with it until a couple of years ago though because doctors didnt understand like they understand the milder sleeping issues of people whove only had it for a week,the problem is with us lifelongers;its part of the brains routine as well as being a dysfunction.
melatonin is the only thing that has helped self,have tried sedatives like zopiclone but that only worked for a couple of days then stopped working.

I've always had sleep issues and the insomnia comes and goes. What persists though is that my mind is totally incapable of switching off. EVER. So no matter how tired I am it always takes at least an hour to get to sleep.

Also, I find it totally impossible to fall asleep anywhere other than in a bed. I can't sleep sitting up in a chair, a moving vehicle or anything like that, no matter how long it's been since I last slept.

How people can fall asleep in front of the tele is totally beyond me.

My bed is also the place I feel the safest.

I have problems with insomnia, too. A combination of mirtazapine and melatonin helps me sleep. Without that I tend to not sleep at all, or get to sleep around 5am.

Yeah me too. I cannot sleep unless I have drugs to turn my brain off. Back in the early 2000's, after being treated for depression for a couple years without success, one of my psychs started giving me Seroquel, because he felt I had rapid cycling bipolar [funny how that's a classic misdiagnosis of many people who flew under the autism spectrum radar]. I've always disagreed with that diagnosis because I'm never manic, but the very small dose of Seroquel does wonders to shut my brain off. One of the biggest issues with it though is waking up with a really foggy brain.



Once I've my sleep med, I can fall asleep anywhere, but I'd much rather be in bed. Without them, I can't sleep anywhere other than my bed, that is if I can fall asleep at all. I used to work on an ambulance, and I marveled at my partners' ability to sleep in the rig (either sitting up or lying on the bench in the back).

Last edited by perpetual_padawan on 24 May 2014, 7:48 am, edited 1 time in total.

I've tried melatonin, and it works fairly well, yet I've suffered from severe depression for most of my life, and I think it tends to make the depression worse. I laugh now at my depression though, because no matter how down I was, I couldn't figure out why I couldn't get better. I think the real problem is that I was never treated for the proper underlying cause--autism.

I find weighted or heavy blankets can help. It can be difficult to manage this in the summer though.
OTC helps can be tylenol or benedryl.
My recent insomnia helper is a mix of prescription meds. Trazadone is a new addition to the mix.
I had severe insomnia. If I used no meds I got about two hours sleep at any attempt day or night, and no dream sleep (yes, we did a sleep study). The trazadone seems to help me get some REM sleep. I do still use weighted blankets to help prevent "sleep interruptions". I get more restful sleep when I use them.

Cue broken record goldfish21 post..

It's been my experience that insomnia (and other things) is caused by salicylate acid sensitivity (which I've read that 70% of those on the spectrum are sensitive to). Detox the acids via using epsom salts on your skin (lotion, or a foot soak or bath) to absorb the salts which then allow your body to detox the acids. Sure, I've had some light nights of sleep here and there since... but overall I have slept pretty soundly since detoxing the acids and using an epsom salt lotion daily after I shower so that I'm always absorbing the salts like a time release medication.

When I have trouble getting to sleep I have some things I try. One is to work some kind of word game or puzzle. Another is to close my eyes and imagine I am riding the roller coasters on the historic blueprints I collect. You might lie down, close your eyes, and think about your interests. That can relax you enough to get to sleep.

I like broken records because sometimes I really need them to get something done. Ask my wife =/
I think I will try that epson salt detox out. How often (per day) and how long before one might feel the effects of said detox?

When I first cut out all sals and started using a homemade epsom salt lotion on my chest/shoulders/back daily after I shower, I noticed significant improvements in the first 5 days - especially in terms of reducing anxiety, depression, and audio sensory overload. Then over the coming weeks/months I experienced a lot more improvements, especially in executive brain functions. But there were very noticeable improvements within the first 5 days. At least one person I know says she felt amazingly relaxed and calm after just one ~1 hour or so foot soaking session in hot water saturated with epsom salts, so you may experience something similar yourself.

I still use the lotion daily, but haven't avoided the acids for more than a year now & have eaten MASSIVE quantities of them in some herbs/spices I would overload on. I believe I've healed my digestive tract well enough to no longer be so sensitive to them, but I still use the lotion daily just to keep their levels in check.

A lotion is most convenient, but a foot soak is most effective. Apparently we absorb the salts better through the bottoms of our feet than anywhere else. And since the acids get detoxed out through urination, it would help to drink plenty of water, especially in the first week or so, in order to detox them out as fast as they will leave your body. As for how often.. as often and as long as you can. Soak your feet in hot water and epsom salts while online or reading or watching tv etc. Using a lotion is just much cleaner & more convenient - rub it on, then the salts just constantly absorb vs. having to have your feet in hot water or take a bath to soak.

This reminds me, I should try to sleep now.

Also, I've always had insomnia. I take Cipralex (an SSRI) and melatonin at night, they do help. I'm trying to exercise everyday in the daylight and wake up the same time every morning (things that have been shown to aid sleep) but it's quite difficult for me.

I get periods of insomnia and either take trazodone or herbal supplements to help but then I still end up not getting enough sleep then eventually crash and get a bit much sleep