sleep masks, other sleep issues, and their cause

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I'm a new Aspie and I have a few questions about some of my behavior. I have already tried to find answers in a few books and I searched the internet, but wasn't satisfied with what I found. Now I turn to the forum! When my family first mentioned that I might have Asperger's, one of the many things they cited was my tendency to sleep with a shirt wrapped around my head and the use of a white noise CD I made (the sound inside the cabin of an airplane with Winston Churchill wartime speeches in the background). They claimed that this was something Aspies do. I also used to sleep all bundled up in a winter coat with the hood pulled up (and a hat under it) and then the shirt wrapped around my head! I liked the pressure it put on my eyes, and I still do this. Also, I felt uncomfortable sleeping in my bed (I felt like I was climbing into a coffin or something!) so I slept in a recliner. Now how is all of this connected with Asperger's? What drives people to do all this stuff? The white noise makes sense because it blocks out sounds, and Churchill's speeches kind of take my mind off the present. I recently told a friend about it, and she said it was "extremely disturbing." Actually, this all began when I started sleeping with the History Channel in the background, so I decided to make a CD (which is now on Youtube and called "Churchill Ambient Remix"). So, how is this connected with Asperger's? What's the cause of all this behavior? Should this be discontinued upon getting married? What are you supposed to do on the honeymoon night? I can't have the Churchill track playing. That would be embarrassing!

Having Winston playing on your honey moon is a very funny thought

I dont have anything in the way of answers, however I also dont like my bed, and sleep in a recliner. I think part of that is that I felt uncomfortable flat, and secondly I spent so many years of terrible sleep in my bed that I strongly associate my bed with not sleeping - so the different location is better mentally.

Regarding the noise, if I am worked up over something I find it relaxing to have one song playing quietly on repeat, I think my choices were also a bit unusual, along the lines of Green day's 'Holiday' or My Chemical Romance's 'The black parade'. I dont listen to music to sleep much anymore because I am now on meds so fall asleep much quicker. Maybe the sound and pressure is calming, so helps you relax, so helps you sleep?

"They" are finding that people with AS don't produce enough Melatonin, which is a hormone that signals the brain that it is time to sleep, thus, many Aspies have sleep difficulties and irregularities. In addition, certain sensitivities, particularly those that are aural, tactile or temperature based, can make it difficult for someone with AS to get to sleep.

For me, I typically have to sleep with a big heavy blanket wrapped around me, but the temperature in the room needs to be cool...so, I keep my window open in the winter, and in the summer, have a fan blowing on me.

When I use the fan, it provides sufficient white noise for me to fall asleep. When I have the window open, I play an hour-long video of waves crashing on a beach. I used to take Melatonin (even before the studies came out indicating a lack of Melatonin being associated with AS) to go to sleep, and it worked great, but once I discovered white noise did the trick, I decided to stop taking it.

Also, my head must be elevated in order for me to fall asleep. It's impossible for me to fall asleep if my head is laying flat.

I think your sleep abnormalities certainly sound like they could be associated with your AS, particularly the t-shirt that creates a pleasant sensation of pressure, and the white noise.

In terms of marriage, it's likely that your future wife won't appreciate falling asleep to the sounds of Winston Churchill, but you have options. For one, they make sleeping head bands that have built in headphones, so you could wear that and kill two birds with one stone (the pressure you like from tying the shirt around your head, and the Churchill white noise). Your future wife may also be willing to wear headphones. You could also try taking Melatonin and see how it works for you, or see if you can find a white noise substitute that would be pleasing for both of you. My NT boyfriend finds that wave video very relaxing, so I'm able to listen to it when I stay over at his house.

I congratulate you on getting married. I think that's awesome. I, myself, don't go to sleep unless I have my rainfall CD playing. I couldn't explain what it has to do with ASD, though. It's just something I do every night. I guess it comforts me as I drift away into dreamland.

I wear ear buds listening to music designed to induce delta waves -- I don't just need white noise or a lullaby, I need something with undertow that can pull me under. I also take lots of melatonin -- 30+ mg/night, and Valerian root.

Unfortunately, one of the things my husband and I have in common is insomnia. We lasted a year sleeping in the same bed before the mutually exclusive sleeping preferences and the 3am 'someone got up for the restroom and woke the other up' fights to be too much. For the past decade, we have had separate bedrooms on opposite sides of the house -- sleep deprivation is fatal to romance

For sleeping:

I have two sets of heavy curtains on my windows. Unfortunately my room gets A LOT of light, so a little still comes through, but the curtains help a lot. I also use an eyemask, a weighted blanket and wear ear plugs. Despite all of this I can generally only sleep for 4 hours straight before waking up. I've given up on getting a full night's sleep. It never happens unless I go for 2 days without sleep.