🤣🤣🤣 I don’t have an issue with sleep, sleep has an issue with me.,
2 года назад+30
I was genuinely reading the comment and was like “oh seems like some autistic people don’t struggle with sleep I guess” but than the punch line made me laugh out loud. Good one lol
I think insomnia is more of an ADHD thing. Not saying that autistic people don't have any sleep problems. I'm autistic and it takes me about an hour to fall asleep. I have to sleep in the same position too, and I also have a tiny blanket with silky ends that has to go between my fingers. Sometimes I forget how fast typical people can fall asleep. Like, if I'm in the car with my friends, sometimes they'll just say "I'm gonna take a nap," roll over, then start snoring in two minutes. Like, how is that even possible!?
I have a silkie! (I call that the tiny blanket with silkie ends). I have to pull it through my fingers to fall asleep. It is also a huge stimming for me when I m at home reading. I have literally NEVER heard of anyone else doing this other than me or my brothers when they were younger....this is incredible!
Can definitely attest to the method of “fighting sleep” being SO much more effective than “trying to sleep.” My sleep has been so-so my whole life, but last year I started to get really terrifying insomnia episodes. Like not being able to sleep for over 48 hours, no matter what I tried. It is so soul-crushing to not be able to do one of the most “human” things you’re “supposed” to be able to do. I had to just grit my teeth and white-knuckle through these really bad episodes, but for my general sleep what helped was changing my prescribed sleep meds, working on my mental health, and disconnecting from major stressors that were making my anxiety so bad. I also heard here and there about the idea that people with ADHD might experience delayed circadian rhythms. So I put it to the test, and discovered that my body will usually be ready to sleep around 11pm - 2am. For me keeping some basic rhythm every day helps, so I always have my alarm set for 9am when I don’t have anything planned earlier, and I always wake up a few minutes before my alarm goes off.. for some reason? Anyway, my heart goes out to anybody struggling with insomnia. I think putting conventional advice to the side (like “read a book before bed”) and running some basic experiments on yourself/your habits (like “what times do I naturally start to feel ready to sleep?”) is a great place to start :)
@@harrietokeefe9658 Do you also notice someone will call or message you right before it happens? 0 Or that someone will ring the door bell right before it happens? I somehow can feel it all
I’m autistic and I have ADHD. While I don’t have trouble sleeping in general, sometimes my brain doesn’t wanna shut off before bed. I’m always thinking. My brain is always up to something. Edit: I heard somewhere that this is an autism thing, but I can function on little sleep.
Same thing here lol. I have autism and ADHD, and it's been especially hard for me to fall asleep and stay asleep, with both of my brothers being home from college and doing god-knows-what until the early hours of the morning. I ended up getting a sleeping aid and some earbuds, which work perfectly and helped me to fall asleep and stay asleep faster.
Hello, I am autistic and I have generalized anxiety disorder, which makes me wake up with any external noise and my brain starts to overthink and I came here to the video to find tips to sleep well. I think the key is to tell yourself "it doesn't matter if I don't sleep" and you automatically sleep, it has happened to me 🤪.
I have ADHD and my sleep is very very similar. It’s always been a struggle I need an audiobook to fall asleep,…because having something to engage my attention (but not too much) is way better than my internal monologue about my inability to sleep. I also suffer way more from not napping. It doesn’t ruin my sleep…it’s a way that I can get some. And I hate total darkness. It’s nice to realize that these are not personal failures, but common experiences for neurodiverse people. 😂
My whole life I never knew I had multiple severe sleep issues and was told just to go to sleep earlier, or get off my phone for good sleep hygiene. At 24 years old, I was just diagnosed with Severe Insomnia and Severe obstructive sleep apnea. So now I not only take my ptsd nightmare meds, but now also a sleep aid pill and wear an oxygen mask at night from my bipap machine. I feel better rested and have more energy now. I'm so glad I figured this out.
I'm neurotypical BUT I had pretty bad insomnia when I was younger, like from toddler age to like 16. It would take me 2-3 hours, occasionally more, to fall asleep at night and I always had a 9 or 9:30 bedtime and that was definitely part of the problem. Like you said, staying up until you're more tired - that helped me too when I started staying up later. As a kid I would act out these movies and stuff in my head so that I wasn't bored or worrying while just laying awake, and I would do that until I felt tired, fight the sleep while laying down, then fall asleep. Nothing worked better than that But now the way I fall asleep is I get ready for bed and lay in bed or on top of the covers watching videos until I get really tired, then take advantage of the fact that I'm already falling asleep and quickly put my phone away and turn off the light and go to bed while still very tired. It doesn't work every time but it works usually pretty well for me. I know you're not supposed to be staring at a screen before bed but it's proven to be the most effective way for me to fall asleep in a timely manner. And if I have to stay up pretty late to get tired enough then so be it, because even if I put myself to bed earlier I won't get any more sleep than if I stayed up
I do the same thing with my phone at night. It’s nice to hear that someone else does the same thing because everyone always has to let me know how bad it is for you. But i need sleep and it works! And it doesn’t have to be for forever. I have some go to RUclipsrs to fall asleep to usually.
While Ive yet to be officially diagnosed, the past year or so I've been learning a lot about ADHD, especially since my housemates (my partner and his mom) both ARE diagnosed with it, and things in my life, past and present, make so much more sense, particularly when it comes to sleep. I CANNOT sleep through the night without melatonin. Period. I can become tired and feel the need to sleep without the Mel, but if I didn't take it and I lay down, my eyes can't help but close while my brains like "well time to loop that song you've had stuck in your head all day again" or "ok let's recount all of the worst mistakes/embarrassing situations ever in your life" or "ok let's prepare our to do lists for the next 4 months right now at 2AM". So the whole brain not shutting off thing is 200% real and relatable. Though I'm the opposite when it comes to the light thing; needs to be pitch black otherwise any light source, no matter the size, my brain will hyper-focus on it to the point where I feel like it's blinding me and burning my retina. Like "how can anyone sleep in these conditions?! It's practically high noon with this much light!". But I absolutely need noise, dead silence creeps me out and leads my brain to overwork even more. Glad to hear that youve gotten a handle on your sleep. Its comforting to hear your similar struggles to mine and see you've been able to work at it and find a good balance that allows for better sleep. Peaceful dreamin' ✌️
I have ADHD and self-diagnosed autistic. I had the worst insomnia as a child. It's gotten better; though, recently having more issues again. Some of the things that I have found helpful are lighting some incense, coming up with my own stories to fall asleep to, playing sudoku on my phone (keeps my brain busy enough to not wander but not too active enough to keep me awake), and rain sounds/pink noise has also been really helpful. I also have a face mask on the way to try because I notice I try to close my eyes really hard to fall asleep. I also dislike the pitch black, but the lights through my eyelids are too much when I'm trying to fall asleep sometimes
Gosh, I relate to this so much-especially the bit about you counting the “required” hours of sleep and then worrying about that. I slept on my parents’ floor until I was 13 because it was the only thing that helped me (and even that wasn’t always perfect, I used to pretend to be asleep once my mom came in to go to bed cause I knew she’d be like “why are you still awake?” and I wouldn’t have a good answer, cause it wasn’t that I was even thinking of anything coherent/in particular, I was just... still awake).
I relate to so much of this. As an infant I was a terrible sleep baby. My parents would consider it a lot when I slept half the time that an infant was supposed to sleep. I still don't sleep well or a lot but I found that audiobooks really help or as you said shows that you already know (I usually watch HIMYM or Brooklyn nine nine). Also the idea of "So what if I don't sleep" helped me because I would get anxious about not sleeping which then kept me from falling asleep
Just a little heads up! St. John’s-Wort makes birth control ineffective! I’ve heard of people suggesting it for depression and sleep but just know that you can get pregnant if on birth control and taking this
I have adhd but I think I might be autistic too and you just helped me make sense of my sensory issues w my hair, clothes, and makeup! For sleep, I def struggle but I heard from somewhere if you can’t fall asleep, don’t try bc trying is going to make it harder. So now if it’s one of those nights, I get up, eat a snack, potty, waste a lot of time being slow about it, and lay back down and sometimes it helps. I also use a lot of those sleep videos on RUclips. I think this one that has a mermaid on it and some ocean sounds. I fall asleep thinking about being a mermaid in the deep ocean looking at all the cool fish and seascape. That helps when I have too many thoughts-to keep bringing my focus back to the sounds and the image of mermaid- me.
i’m having the hardest time sleeping lately too. i’m autistic & adhd, and i know i’m prone to insomnia. it’s like no matter how hard i try or no matter how early i wake up, i can never fall asleep until the sun is rising. ALSO THE PAIN THING??? SAME BRO. ugh it’s so wild. so glad i’m not the only one dude. also, i’ve been absolutely LOVING this autiehd series. it’s making me feel so much less alone.
I got a tv in my room when I was 10 because I can’t sleep otherwise. Now I use my phone to watch RUclips videos. I also am the same with naps. If I’m tired and I don’t have to do something at a certain time I will lay down and have a nap. This is also because I don’t know how much sleep I will get that night whether I have a nap or not and so that ensures that I get at least some sleep
I have Autism and ADHD and so much of this video was me just being like: "Yes, this is 100% my experience with sleep." I have also found that my ADHD medication helps me to relax and fall asleep. I think it is just a matter of how it slows down my thoughts so I don't feel like I'm going a mile a minute. I also find that when I'm struggling to sleep doing something that engages my brain like playing a video game is the fastest way to make myself sleepy. Don't know why it works but it does. I also can't sleep in total darkness either. I always sleep with the TV on for some light. I also identified with how you said that when you are awake you are engaged in like three different things at once because I am very much the same. I often will be watching a TV show and playing a video game and reading articles on my phone and be focused on all three.
@@kylereese4822 I've tried that and personally it hasn't done much for me. I don't doubt the science but I also don't think it is the only thing that works especially considering most studies focus on neurotypical brains.
I’ve also heard about ADHDers who essentially microdose their meds so they get the slowing down effect which gives them room to fall asleep but not the stimulant effect which would counteract that
I was diagnosed with CPSTD 6 years ago, I have very similar traits even down to childhood apparently. You’ve helped me work around society so much in the last year, I’ve been able to do so much I haven’t done since I can remember, so thank you💞.
Weirdly I never had problems with sleep. I fall asleep extremely fast, if I don't have an alarm on, I sleep 8-9 hours and I usually don't up during the night. I basically have the perfect sleep, despite having autism, adhd and C-PTSD. I do go to bed quite late, but it's not a problem for me, because I can choose freely when I want to study and work.
Yeah I’ve just got onto prescribed melatonin which for whatever reason doesn’t make me feel more tired but seems to reduce my morning grogginess. I would usually fall asleep at like 2-3am but this week for the first time in years I took my melatonin and fell asleep at 11! Honestly having a somewhat healthy sleep schedule has definitely helped me feel a lot better.
I've always had difficulties with sleep. Neurodivergent friends also seem to struggle with it. Personally, I've found sleepy teas to work pretty well, especially when combined with other supplements and daily exercise. Also, I'm not sure if this is just a me-thing, but I've always had to have one of those thermal hospital blankets. It's warm, but breathable, and the folds provide this really satisfying texture under your fingertips that is just fantastic for stimming. I've even been known to use them as a pillow, making it conform to my neck, as well as creating a small well I can deposit my ear into. Maximum comfort.
I'm undiagnosed so I don't have any "official" medications, but at one point they put me on something called Quetiapine. If you want a silent night's sleep, that's the ticket. One small tablet of that stuff could render an elephant unconscious.
@@elennapointer701 i spent 5 years tapering down on quetiapin with heroin-like withdrawal. It was HORRIBLE. It's called baby-heroin for a reason and I just want people to know that doctors DO NOT tell you this anti-psychotic is incredible addictive. It's crazy to me that they still give it to people for sleep. It's an anti psychotic that rearranges your brain. My therapist said it could take years to get "back to normal" after quitting. Beware and don't trust doctors blindly.
@elennapointer701 It's not a magic pill that works for everyone, no sleep medication ever helped me sleep Except Propofol- used for anesthesia. (Like Michael Jackson)
I know the feeling. I also have ADHD and autism, still confused with my diagnosis to this day. I also have sleep disorders too. I don't take prescription drugs for a good reason and I don't trust doctors for a good reason. I rather listen to you. 🖤
I have been called self-aware by many people especially my therapists and I agree it is a gift and a curse. Insomnia is the worst, I have a different issue with it where I do sleep but it is never good sleep because my brain never fully shuts off. I am glad you decided to discuss this because I feel like insomnia is talked about in passing but never in depth.
All the population in the world need to understand that not all people was born like everybody else. Like a neurotypical person. I am glad that you Paige spread knowledge about this on your channel....💖💖💖 I am sure, a lot of people like me, have found comfort in your videos. Have felt understood. And by a result of that, have gotten some help that may have been needed, for a really long time. You are making a difference 🌎🌎🌎🌎🌎
I’ve ADHD, and was clinical diagnosed as an adult, I take medication, and it’s has improved my life a lot. I remember my psychiatrist and I, 1-2 days after I’d started taking my medication, had a long conversation about how I felt etc, and I told him about the insane difference I felt between before and after meds. I was happy, and still am, but my psychiatrist close “monitoring” of me during my first month with Adhd-meds was mainly due to some difficulties I went through “outside” my new diagnose. Looking back, I feel privileged for this close contact with him, because it felt like a lot, just the realisation of how 1 tablets/day changed my perception of the world pretty drastic, from feeling I never fit in, feeling like a “fraud” because I had to mask in public to avoid my worries of people noticing that I was different, I saw myself as a chameleon. || Basically everything you said about sleep is true for me as well. In some weird way it’s pretty comforting to know others feel the same way as I do and have a similar experience (relationship) with sleep. I haven’t made a deep dive into why sleep isn’t “my thing”. But I guess, when I hyper focused about something, sleep isn’t inside the realm of whatever it is I’m doing. It’s foreign to me to “shut down my brain just to sleep” - when I’m in a flow, whether that flow is hours or a day or two doesn’t matter. Nowadays I’m aware and I feel the difference when I ignore sleep and when I don’t. My alarm on my phone helps me remember to eat and drink etc. Take care, I wish you a great weekend filled with happiness ❤️ With kindness and respect, Grace 🙏 (English isn’t my first language, but I hope it’s understandable)
I've been diagnosed with ADHD and would not be surprised if I was also autistic, but I've had trouble sleeping my entire life. I recently started taking Trazodone before bed and it has helped SO MUCH. Feeling drowsy is so euphoric for me because I never experience it on my own. I love anytime I've had to take Benedryl or NyQuil because it just knocks me out. Trazodone hasn't been 100% perfect, but it's been a big big help. And I love my ADHD meds! The first time I ever took them I couldn't stop talking about how calm my brain felt and how comfortable I was. I definitely took naps the first few weeks I was on it, but now they keep me awake. I have such an anxious relationship with sleep but after 22 years I'm finally working with my doctors to fix it, so here's to hoping for the best!
I realised now, in my teen years, that taking 2 hours for you to sleep isn't normal( 2 hours if it was good days and sometimes 3). Like people can fall asleep in an half hour?! What!? Honestly I think it's completely normal for autistics to suffer from insomnia (or sleep problems) their whole life. And that's just how it is u guess?
@@hyperfocus1963 yeah i know, right! It's so weird to discover that the things you thought were normal up until this point in your life really isn't . And like that NT's doesn't feel, think or experience things the way you do 😅
I have autism and dealing with sleep is like so relatable. so often I'd forgot to eat for the day. So I'd decide to eat something once I get tired. And by the time I've done that my tiredness is completely gone. I've gone to work many times with no sleep whatsoever and felt exactly the same.
Your childhood experiences mirror mine to a T. I had the panic attacks, and just a general anxiety related to sleeping. I also slept on my parent's floor for YEARS.. until I moved to the couch in the living room because my dad stayed up real late. I didn't sleep alone until I was maybe 16? And don't get me STARTED on sleepovers. Couldn't do it. I wish you all many nights full of easy sleep.
I’m gonna start binge watching your videos, I agree with the not being human and brain just has to catch-up with me a lot of the time. I been taking medicine for ADHD and autism for a very long time most of my life. Also I have photographic memory too that’s funny how similar you are to me
I love how lately I'm seeing a lot of people with autism and ADHD that merge the two diagnosis into one word. Cause when you have both it feels like all the symptoms are part of the same disorder (AuDHD). I also have trouble sleeping and I relate to many thins you say on this video. Contrary to you I need my room pitch black. If there's any little light, especially if it's intermittent, I need to turn it of or cover it, and my blinds are closed, protecting me from 99% of the light that comes from the street. I'm also a really good naper.
Im autistic and getting diagnosed w delayed sleep phase syndrome was seriously the actually most validating thing *ever 😂* i got prescribed melatonin and it worked for about a week, (seriously- it was so weird,) now it just makes me not fall asleep at 3am but i am still waking up at weird tmes? always tried to tell everyone ‘help im sleeping at 2am its actually like lowkey distrupting my life’ because i always was known for having a whack sleep schedule but, i get 8 hours? So its fine. But my family were just like ‘everyone wakes up in the middle of the night, you just need to stop staying up’ but like, *im trying 😂* and its still happening? And it was so frustrating because i was getting so stressed during the day if i could sleep that night, so it was just not sleeping bc i was stressed and then wanting to sleep bc i was tired but not wanting to? My neurologist sent me to a sleep person (litterally not related to my sleep problems, although i was very excited about it 😂) and then he was just like ‘oh yeah you have this’ and i was like *IVE BEEN SAYING THIS FOR LITTERAL MONTHS* xD
We are quite similar, but I have about a decade more of living with the maelstrom inside my head. Sleep is still a struggle. It all starts with max dose melatonin, I also take tart cherry. They are both supposed to help with sleep, I can't speak to the accuracy of that claim, but I'm still trying. I create a ritual around getting ready for bed with all the steps laid out before me or I'll forget them despite having done this for years. Feeding my sourdough starter, doing last minute cleanup and prep for the next day, I have 3 children, and checking all the doors. Then, pajamas, teeth brushing, and skincare. Checking the doors. I get into bed with a notebook and pen and write down all my anxious thoughts with the intent of ridding them from my head, this works so-so. Then I meditate for 20 minutes while I allow myself to actively fidget with whatever I have nearby. I often choose the pop-its or a slinky. I found allowing my body to stay in motion helps me calm my mind. Meditation is never a shutdown, just an acknowledgement of my thoughts without judgement. Check the doors. I also vacate my bladder like 4 times intermittently because I'm never sure if have to pee or not, especially at bedtime. I play three different types of white noise and have my husband rub my neck until I fall asleep. I average maybe 6 hours a night outside of the intense insomnia periods. I've also been a chronic napper and yes, just gotta give in to that. Is this oversharing? I can never tell.
I've been dealing with this for several decades and I've found that IF I do what my body wants to do - sleep for about 6 hours every 36 hours or so - then I have no problems with sleep. Of course that's problematic if you interact with the world in any way. What I actually end up doing is sleeping nightly until after a couple of nights I just have to stay up for a whole night because I just am not tired at all. Fortunately I don't really get tired when I'm running around (sleepy tired) and I NEVER fall asleep. The only way I can sleep is if I stop and tell myself I'm going to sleep which makes it easier I think.
Same, I'm pretty good at trying to get about 6hrs/ night, but it keeps fluctuating as if days weren't actually 24 hours long. I do seem to sleep in multiples of 3 tho: it's either 0, 3, 6, or 9 hours of sleep. Same goes for naps, I've tried setting alarms and taking shorter naps but if I actually need sleep during the day that's a 3 hour nap
I have a lot of autistic traits but I'm only diagnosed with ADHD (haven't had a doctor consider autism). But I definitely relate with always having to have something to do when I'm in social or stressful situations. I have a few stims that I loooove to do and when I'm in college lectures my go-to stim (that I have to do to concentrate and feel comfortable around other people) is play with strings and pills/fuzz from fleece sweatshirts in my pockets. It's perfect because people just think I have my hands in my pockets. And when im at home my favorite stim is weaving my fingers through the crochet trim on knitted blankets. I'll do it while I do homework, watching online lectures, watching TV, anything that is boring or requires focus or if I wanna feel more relaxed. I also HATE my hair touching my neck when I'm in bed.
I’m both also. I finally got ADHD meds and they make me feel very relaxed also! I can finally do things. Like normally if I see something on the floor I go “oh that should be picked up” and add it to the end of my mental queue, but I’ve found myself able to actually do things when I see they need to be done. I would also stay up all night watching TV as a young child, and until recently I couldn’t sleep without the tv on. When I had to spend the night somewhere where I couldn’t sleep with the tv I would panic. I can now listen to audiobooks instead and that helps! I still stay up until 4am every night, but since my eyes are closed it’s a little bit better. Everything you’re talking about is so incredibly relatable to me. Thank you for making the content. It’s so nice to hear that other people have the same experiences as me. Anytime I’ve tried to describe how hard it is to fall asleep, nobody understands. Trying to sleep and not being able to so miserable. So I just do the things I enjoy until my eyeballs start hurting. The part about putting something on that you’ve seen a bunch of times, yes. I’ve rewatched Inuyasha at least 40 times. And I’ll have it on when I’m doing other things, like reading or working on school work. And the napping, yeah. Same. I was thinking the other day about how sleepy I feel when I need a nap, and I had the epiphany that that’s how other people feel when it’s time for them to go to sleep at night. It’s crazy. I’ve never felt that when it’s time for actual bed. Just for naps. Again, sorry I keep writing novels in your comments. I’m just so happy I found your videos.
I'm autistic and I have sleep problems on and off... if I'm tired enough I will fall asleep quickly (during the semester I don't have sleeping problems because I am so sleep deprived) but during breaks I often have trouble sleeping. I use a sheet, blanket, comforter, and stuffed animals, which have helped me sleep since I was a kid and still do to this day. I don't have insomnia but I sometimes do think about how many hours I have left to sleep, and I am a clock watcher. I also find that I get really hot when trying to fall asleep but when I wake up I'm cold. My body wants to stay awake when awake and stay asleep when asleep, so I often go to bed late and wake up really late if I can.
That second paragraph is me right on the nose, wow. One thing I've personally noticed is that the longer I stay up the warmer I get (feels kind of like a computer overclocking itself) and that when I fall asleep and then wake up TOO cold, especially if it's my feet, then I can't get back to sleep no matter how tired I am. Has this happened to you? I also read something recently about the 'sleepy seed' in the corners of our eyes forming because the human body naturally regulates its temperature down whilst we're sleeping and the meibum that collects in the corner of our eyes is liquid at that higher waking temperature but solidifies at the lower sleeping temperature
I need sound to fall asleep. Lately it’s been podcasts I’ve already listened to with intent, so it doesn’t matter if I miss stuff while using it to fall asleep.
Recently discovered that pathological demand avoidance is a form of executive dysfunction that is often linked to autism - sent my mum some information on it and her reaction was "oh look, someone wrote an article about you!". Turns out, PDA can apply not only to external demands from people around us, but also to internal demands. As in, thirst is a demand to drink, so now I physically can't drink without gagging. Tiredness is a demand to sleep, so even though I'm tired my brain will not shut off. I've found that the best thing for maintaining regular sleep is to throw all the rules about sleep hygiene out the window. Common advice is to avoid screens for two hours before bed, dark room, regular bed time, etc etc etc. Doesn't work. If you need to watch movies until you fall asleep, do it. If you need to take a laptop to bed to watch youtube or play games, do it. Have the light, have the podcast, read the book. If it works, and it doesn't hurt someone else, stick with it and get that sleep. The evidence and rules most likely apply more to neurotypicals anyway.
Sometimes when I can’t sleep I accept it and decide to just rest as much as I can. So like not moving my body not stimulating my brain too much. Like laying in my bed petting my cat listening to music and saying nice things to myself
I literally do multiple things at the same time all the time, like I remember watching tv and youtube and listening to music, while also doing physics at the same time. And the tv is also like often times just running in the background while i do other stuff. For example, i will listen to music while reading. I think concentrating on multiple things helps me focus somehow
(I'm Autistic but not ADHD) I was similar as a child. Often woke up in the night with terrible anxiety (which makes sense now I know I was an autistic child!), would have preferred the light on all night but my parents switched it off when I was asleep. I'd hide under the blankets overheated and terrified and never tell anyone about it. I had lots of anxious insomnia in teens and twenties and would try all sorts of weird sleeping positions and locations too. (Undiagnosed and untreated mental illness as well as substance use/misuse big elements in those years). Now as an adult and on the other side of anxiety and PTSD and in good mental health (amazingly) my natural sleep schedule is late to sleep and late to wake up. I easily slip into a 2-10 am routine. I am always fighting to pull it back to 12-8 if I can. My brain goes around and around on really heavy topics when I'm trying to sleep so I have to deliberately shut it up. I think staying up is partially natural body clock tendency, but also enjoying the peace and solitude of the late hours, and maybe avoiding the heavy thoughts I know will come with bedtime. Autistic inertia is a huge element in my life and I think that's part of why it's hard to go from awake to asleep and asleep to awake. I also have sleep apnea (more common among autistic people, I don't know why?) and sleep with CPAP which is not super comfortable but has definitely helped and I need way fewer naps now. But if I have any significant social contact or lots of sensory input I'll come home and collapse into a deep nap.
I'm Autistic and sleep has always been herculean task for me. My fiance who is also Autistic, has problems with sleep too. Our minds take forever to wind down. The sleep advice from neurotypicals is so ineffective, it's annoying. But when I hear sleep advice from Autistics, I find that it's more effective. One tip I got from another Autistic, is stim when you're craving sensory input.
I know so many people who are not autistic who need a TV on to fall asleep! But I cannot understand it at all as an autistic adhd person! Its interesting how much we all differ!!
I have autism and I have struggled greatly with sleep in the past, but I have slowly learned how to shut my brain off and just sleep, but on nights where I am more awake and cannot do that, I attempt to "overload" my imagination. Basically I picture an object and transition it into another unrelated object, whether that would be zooming in on the object in your mind until the next object comes into view or rotating it to reveal a new object, the more creative and unrelated the better. I do this as quickly as possible in my mind, having no thoughts just images loop into each other as quickly as possible, almost what I'd imagine LSD would be like 😂. I think it helps your brain produce those chemicals that you make while dreaming and eventually you will fall asleep and the images you have will turn into dreams. This method works fantastically for me and I'm usually asleep in less than 5 minutes
I definitely feel the reading before bed thing - I always think it’s a good idea but it never is because I get too into it. I have also tried the sleeping on the floor and in the bathroom and anywhere else kind of thing. I am ALSO super self aware which makes falling asleep hard because I’m aware that I’m awake
So I have ADHD and I have very similar issues with falling asleep (my sensory issues are pretty low compared to yours, so it's mostly hyperactive brain and pain that's keeping me up) and a few years ago, I found my solution: listening to podcast on a timer. It works best for me if there's only one voice and it's a story. It helps me to focus on the story instead of my body or whateverbI have to do tomorrow. The volume needs to be just perfect so I process it, but not too loud that it keeps me awake.
i totally agree with the going against sleep and it chasing back after you, like it'll be like 6am and ill be like screw this imma pull an all nighter and then my bodies like um no
I also just nap whenever I'm like stressed or not understanding something, I did it today, I was in my engineering class and there was this assignment that was stressing me out, and I almost put my head down to sleep but I asked to take a walk and I hid from class to take a break instead lmao, and in science I almost fell asleep doing my test because I wasn't understanding what I was reading very well, so my brain was like "you sleep now" luckily I pulled through and finished the test hahaha, I also do this half asleep half listening thing, where I'll put my head down and shut my eye's but I'll listen to every word my teacher says, they don't like it because they think I'm not paying attention and sleeping, but I find it's helpful to be in class and catch up on sleep by napping and listening at the same time, idrk how I do it
Fellow autiehd here :) I relate so hard to pretty much everything you’re saying. Since I can remember, I’ve needed music to be able to fall asleep (along with a made bed, can’t sleep in an unmade bed), but I recently found ‘sleepcasts’ on headspace and they also work! By the way, when I first started adhd meds, I got so sleepy, just like you. When I told my psychiatrist, they raised the dosage bc they said I was having my come down too early, so maybe talk to your doc? Love you and your channel, you’ve literally changed my life
I watch channels of guys camping in snow to fall asleep. My favorite is Mathew Posa, he makes 1:30-3h long videos with his cute dog, it has no music neither too much talking, only the natural sounds of the environment. I recommend it. I can relate to most of the things Paige said, also had never been able to sleep, ever, not even as a baby, my mom tells me the first time I slept a whole night was when I was 4 years old, but it never got much better. I hate it with all my being. Also, everything gets worse at night, all the terrible feelings come back, the intrusive thoughts, suicide ideation, obsessive thoughts, so sometimes I can't even distract myself with a video or something, I can only lay there and cry, try not to hurt myself, scream, you know, all that nice stuff, for hours and hours until I physically can't go on and pass out. And that's that. Sleep sucks and nights suck. I hate it.
Sometimes I just think that there're night human being to protect other group of human being or wild animals during the night...and in modern society there's less demand of night human, so we need to put ourselves to the form for day human being...
@@papaya9357 I guess, but in my case is just the illnesses. Sleeping in daytime is just as bad, cause then I have sleep paralysis (wich I don't at night) and the nightmares are worse then at night, for some reason. Either way it sucks. I don't go to school anymore and I don't work, I can sleep and wake up whenever I want, and I still don't have a steady sleep routine. I don't have a diagnosis, but relate a lot to ADHD, and I've seen some people say that their normal ADHD sleep schedule is a couple hours delayed in comparison to other people, so when they are not restrained to a routine demanded by society, they present normal sleeping patterns, only a bit delayed. But I don't even know what my "normal" is, or what it was supposed to be, restrained or not to some structure, the sleepy clock just doesn't work.
Same thing for me. I don't get near the recommended amount of sleep, but I get by. I've learned that if I go to bed around 9 or 10, I just lay awake most of the night anyway. So, I don't really have a bedtime. I just go to bed whenever I begin dozing off and usually, I'll put youtube on when I do go to bed, some channel that tells stories from Reddit. I try not to nap in the evening, but I can't seem to help it. So I do get an extra hour or so that way. I've just learned not to make sleep an enemy and to let it come as it will.
My ADHD medication fixed my napping problem. I went from napping every single afternoon to only napping maybe once a month. When I do nap, it's usually because I worked 8 hours without taking a break, or sometimes if I've been in social situations for extended periods I will require a nap... or it's like I can sense I need a nap but won't be able to take one. Usually exercise or going into nature helps me at that moment. It took a while for my meds to help me sleep at night, but now I do sleep much better and wake up easier.
I noticed the same thing when I started adhd meds. I can actually NAP on adderall. With adhd minds, it’s a calming effect and not a stimulate. I can do the same with a TON of coffee. I used to fall asleep in Starbucks after drinking 2 ventis and an espresso! But at least I can sleep now with some audio playing. When I’m reallly tired, I look hyper and unfocused. I’ve had insomnia since I was a little kid. I remember not being able to nap with the other kids in preschool and kindergarten.. I had to be quiet though and that was hard.
I'm 24 and have been struggling with insomnia for as far back as my memory goes! I remember heing like 4 and sitting on my windowsill at wee hours of the morning because I just couldn't sleep! I've tried everything and now I'm just learning to accept it
I'm really enjoy watching your videos , love all the information you talk about, I always struggled with sleep as well and the harder I tried the harder it was to get to sleep, I got a 20lb weighted blanket and that made all the difference in the world, I now look forward to sleep. Best purchase I ever made on sleep!
I need to reduce stimuli to be able to sleep, the only thing that I will accept for input is a white noise machine with a sound profile I customized (mixture of thunder storms, waves, and a fire pit). I've been wrapping my head in a blanket since I was a kid, much to the chagrin of my aunt who was worried I wouldn't be able to breathe. I resisted for years getting an eye mask and finally let my husband get me one and it honestly changed my sleep for the better.
Yes, I'm autistic and also have always struggled with insomnia. I have not had it as bad as you, but it has been an issue most of my life. What helps me is when I am working all day doing physical labor (zookeeping) after I woke up really early that day for work. It utterly exhausts me, and it's much easier for me to fall asleep quickly after work. However, I still wake up 2+ times every night
Damn I relate so much. Ever since I was a kid, I’ve always had either insomnia/hard time falling asleep or nightmares. So nights for me were always pretty scary. I’ve always needed light in my room and the door open to sleep or I’d freak out. I remember when I wouldn’t be able to sleep, and I’d get really anxious about not being able to sleep, I’d get up and go to the bathroom really often. My dad would get really annoyed and yell at me for not sleeping. He would come and close my bedroom door which made me absolutely panic and then I’d have an even harder time to sleep. At some point my parents suggested I read too. I tried and somehow it worked. Not always but it happened a few times that I fell asleep while reading and my dad had to come in my room to take my book away and turn off the light. Or I’d listen to music before going to bed and that would work as long as it was always the same songs as the other nights. Now my anxiety meds are what makes me sleep. Without them I can’t sleep at all. I tried to stop them once because the were making me really sleepy during the day too and I couldn’t sleep for 48h. I ended up taking them and the doctor gave me adhd meds that would compensate for how sleepy my anxiety meds made me and she told me to only take the anxiety meds before sleep (before I took them in the morning too). I need noise to fall asleep, I also have a small routine thing I do with my glass of water next to my bed that is probably not enough to be considered OCD but it’s similar. Since one time I had a really bad burn out and would wake up in the middle of the night and faint, I leave my salt lamp lit up all night in case I have to get up quick so I wouldn’t hurt myself. What ended up working for me to fall asleep, weirdly, was listening to ASMR. I can’t explain it, I’ve been made fun of for talking about it but that’s what works for me and I’m not gonna question it, if it works it works and that’s all that matters to me.
A lot of people in the ADHD community say that when they first taking stim meds, they feel very sleepy… the idea is that you have been sleep deprived for very long, but now that you are taking meds things slow down enough for you to finally _notice_ you’re super tired and want to go to sleep… 😅
19:40 Yeah, as an Autistic I sleep with two comforters, a 15lb weighted blanket, a knitted blanket under that, and a special textured one wrapped around my upper body or near my face. Not only that, I sleep on a giant bear (I'm 20 now, but it's been 10 years now since I've been using him) propped up by another pillow I've been sleeping on since I was two, all while holding my special stuffed bear I grew up with as a child. And if I do not have these items, I simply WILL NOT sleep. And it's hard sometimes, bc when it's hot, I want to get out of it, but if I do, I won't fall asleep -_- So usually I'm bundled up at night, a position my family and I have dubbed 'Caterpillar Time' for whatever reason-
I don't have adhd but I'm autistic and I always have to have something playing while I fall asleep, I also always have to have my hair up in a bun and I always have to have a weighted blanket.
15:00 yes, yes, YES to this! Haha for me it's often Grey's Anatomy that I fall asleep watching cuz I've seen it so many times. And I'm totally the same in constantly watching something the whole day
I've struggled with sleep since I was a baby too, I used to have meltdowns as a kid almost every night, and I used to go downstairs to watch infomercials on TV at like 3 in the morning until my dad got up for work... Then when I was a teenager I used to stay on the Internet all night until about 4/5 in the morning, go to bed and only get about 2/3 hours of sleep before school. I have no idea how I survived lol. Probably no wonder I have so many health issues now I'm older from all the stress. It never used to bother me when I was younger though, I never really cared about school so I just muddled by. It became a problem when I got older though, especially when I went to university in my mid 20s. But it gave me the opportunity to be a guinea pig in a trial for this company called "Sleepio", and over several months they record your sleep habits and encourage you to actually limit your sleep and then gradually add an extra hour every week or month (can't remember), they had a lot of good tips and stuff that they'd teach you in video format. One of them was actually to try to convince yourself that you don't need/want sleep, like you mentioned, because willing yourself to sleep and getting anxious about it isn't going to help you relax lol. Anyone can sign up for the sleepio course, but you have to pay for it (unless like me you were in the study). It really did help at the time (even though because my insomnia was so bad I was limited to 4hours sleep a night at first!), but now I'm in burnout, and my "autiehd" symptoms are a lot worse, some of the things that used to work, don't anymore. My current technique is to just stay up watching TV or reading something until I'm soo sleepy that I can't physically keep my eyes open, THEN go to bed. But sometimes even this doesn't work because as soon as I move from the sofa to bed I'm wide awake again for some reason. If I dont w fall asleep within half hour I get up out of bed so I don't associate the bed with the anxiety of not being able to sleep. Also I usually need to set up a RUclips playlist to lull me to sleep 😴. I can't sleep unless it's pitch black but I need the sound of someone's voice to focus on. If I try to sleep in complete silence, my brain just bursts into overdrive and I end up thinking about too many things, which gets me overstimulated and I'm wide awake again!
I have been the same way my entire life. The part where you mentioned you would read the entire book… I still do that. Once I’m focused on one thing i cannot stop. Sleep is the worst
Relating so much as usual. I always use to think to myself "If only I could just be more stupid I wouldn't have such a hard time." Being very self aware and just very aware in general is kind of exhausting
I have yet to find out what works for me. So i might be taking some of your new found tips to use and see if maybe that works for me. I am on my anti depression and anti anxiety meds along with some other stuff and i dont feel any different other than tired all the time. So idk. But i love hearing you talk. Unfortunately I can’t get on to watch you every time i want cause my life is crappy right now but it is so wonderful to come online to a new video that i can relate to or learn from or both.
Oh my goodness, so much of this matched my experience and I had no idea other people struggled with this?? I struggle with sleeping so much but especially as a kid. I remember usually being the last person awake in my house and I hated it because I felt so lonely and scared. Not being able to sleep made me panic, as a kid if my family was still out and about after a certain time (usually 10pm) I would cry and freak out because I should be in bed.
i need a text version of this video to send to anyone in my life who asks me about my sleep honestly. i'm only 10 minutes in so far because i keep stopping and being taken aback by how close to my sleep situation everything you're saying is. i had similar experiences/needs at the same ages, i tried the exact same things (locations, reading, melatonin, lights off (but i needed them on because visual snow), etc) was at similar points with exercise (swimmer+basketball) and not having caffiene until i was older. now blue v energy drinks are just my safe drink lmao
I feel like most of what you described can be explained by ADHD more so than autism. Like the “needing to do many things at once”, “thinking quickly and constantly so you can’t rest”. Even having TV in the background strikes me as ADHD bc it shows your brain needs white noise/stimulation to calm down rather than being in a quiet and unstimulating environment to unwind, which would just cause your thoughts to compensate and go faster bc it’s boring.
I can relate completely with this. I would escape my house as a toddler and wonder the streets in the we hours of the morning; and usually ended in waking up my neighbor for cookies...at 3am. He was pretty good about it, and took me home. My parents had to security lock my bed room door. I always had sleep issues and was worse in high school, and i would lay awake thinking of all the relationships in school, or planning school projects, or preparing my mind for the next days events. I still experience this as an adult, and now it is relationships relating to my work and music careers. I recently applied and got a new job, which the whole month long of interview process, i slept on average 2 - 3 hrs a night. I got the job though, but once i got that job notice, I crashed and slept for week straight. I use a Hush Blanket, which is super comfy and helps, plus use a heat pad and fan, with a white noise machine; just to try and regulate a better nights sleep. I used tv or RUclips science videos with some success, but if my brain in turned on, i will indulge in the videos rather than relax for sleep. I used to get frustrated, but being this is always a present problem, i don't let it bother me too much now a days. Love the videos Paige, thank you for another awesome topic!😁
I have ADHD and "autistic traits", meaning I show a lot of signs of autism, but don't tick enough boxes so they could be explained by ADHD. I don't have autism but my mom and brother do, though we didn't know this until very recently. I have the problem of my brain just never shutting off as well, and what really helped me is similar to what helped you. I listen to audio books to sleep. I need to have listened to it before and I like to have it play from two to six hours depending on when I have to wake up. As a teen I would listen to music to fall asleep. I had problems because if I played the album once I wouldn't have fallen asleep by the time it was done, but if I put it on repeat it would still be playing by the time my alarm went off and I'd just sleep through it. One year I got a new CD player and when you put the album on repeat it would play four times. It was absolutely perfect and not something mom was aware of when she bought it, haha. My favorite albums to play to fall asleep to were my Iron Maiden albums.... Not the choice of most people 😂
Watching you pick at your hair is so soothing. I'm growing mine out again (brilliant quarantine idea to cut my hair up to my shoulders, I know) so I can do that instead of picking at my skin. Also, yes, doing at least three things at once is a must.
I watch ASMR and that helps me sleep. I have to watch something engaging for a bit and then I'll start falling asleep, but i cant sleep with someone talking around me or at me, so then i swap to ocean or rain noises and then i sleep with that on.
I have ADHD and was recently diagnosed. I can say for sure that I am struggling with insomnia every single day. For me the tv is a big thing as well. as a kid I would always have my door open with light in the hallway and i always made sure i could hear the tv from the livingroom as well. same as you I would know how long it would take for the tv to turn of and if i hadn’t fallen asleep before that i wouldn't sleep that night. For me its all the thoughts in my head that is making it hard to sleep so when there is noise in the background it helps me refrain from my thoughts and just unconsciously focus on the sound from the tv. When I have explained this to my friends they thought it was weird and if I have a sleepover with my friends I have to bring headphones so I can fall asleep without bothering them.
The hyperlexia and reading before bed... yes! Everyone always used to tell me “read before bed so you get tired” and I would always be like “are you insane??” I didn’t even connect those two because it has been a long time since I don’t sleep (I have medicine now lol) and I wasn’t diagnosed yet at that time so this just brought up some memories
Just get someone to type random gibberish or the same chapter or paragraph over and over again and read that. You can't get sucked in to a story if you know what to expect and/or if there isn't a story in the first place.
Oh my god these tips were so helpful! This entire video is like a mirror of myself. I don’t have autism, but I do have adhd, and I can also agree that sleeping is never routine. I really liked these tips and I honestly don’t have any because I am to adhd to actually try anything that might help me.
I have problems sleeping too, always have and I'm certain that I have ADHD. I've always been annoyed that my friends and family could wake up at a set time and go to bed at a set time while I was constantly tired in the day and only awake at night. It feels like I'm being blamed for by bad sleeping patterns, like it's a personal fault but I can't help it. I fell asleep in school a lot and would nap the second I got home but then I'd stay up until midnight. I really related to you when you were talking about none of the advice working. I'm an avid reader and, yeah, I will finish a book once I start it. At this point I'm just going in a cycle of having a normal sleep schedule and then watching it slowly slide away as I start feeling tired later and later. I'm thinking of getting professional help at some point but for now this was a big help.It's good to know other people struggle with sleeping.
My best sleep things are either entering bed early with lights off and doing other things, or listening to audio books which causes the trying to stay awake process
Related to this video so much! I hate the dark not so much because I am scared, but because I can't see. Also really struggle with insomnia and would do the same thing where I calculate the hours. I also need sound to sleep and have my favorite sleep movie for when I am really struggling.
Your sleep journey is so so similar to mine. Insomnia my whole life until I decided to use my awake time for me time. I always wait until im exhausted to go to bed now and im asleep in less than 5 minutes. So interesting to hear someone else go through the same thing
Lifelong insomniac here. None of the standard treatments worked for me. These things did. Just throw them on your list of things to try, hopefully some of them will help someone. Chelated Magnesium: 100mg giant pill. Do not crush or take extra or you risk IBS. This helps me stay asleep instead of waking up constantly through the night. Cefaly Migraine Treatment: Expensive electronic device. It didn't do anything noticeable for my migraines, but it puts me to sleep, often while it's still attached to my head. Room temperature less than 22°C: It took me years to figure out that's why I could only sleep in the basement. Walking: 30 minutes a day used to be enough, until generalized anxiety hit. After that I needed 2-3 hours a day (which is a really long time). Mind-altering drugs brought that back to 30-60 min. Swimming: This is very effective for me, but I live nowhere near the ocean and swimming pools are just kind of awful for me. Reading: It must be something that bores me like history. It can't be something I dislike because then I just put it down, impatient to fall asleep. Interesting but boring is the key.
There was a period where I wore a really tight back brace to bed, and I'm jealous of my younger self bc that was the best I ever slept. Now I take naps (or try to) during the day to avoid work, stay up late numbing myself with RUclips and mindless games on my computer because I get anxious when I'm tired and can't focus on assignments that require writing or critical thought, take forever to get myself out of bed in the morning, and according to my watch am constantly waking up during the night. I think getting more exercise will help me sleep and get my body tired and not just my mind, hopefully help w/ motivation too. We'll see what I can do in 2022 I guess
my insomnia has been so bad since i was a bebe. it wasnt until i got chronic fatigue that i could FINALLY go to sleep when i wanted to, and sometimes when i didnt want to
I am autistic and actually have never had any problems with sleeping. The only thing is when I was a baby, I could not sleep when it was quiet, so my parents put a radio in my room, blasted some music and I slept like crazy. Now I can sleep quietly and I can function really well if I get less sleep at night, it's just that I can get moody sometimes.
As an autistic person I have no issue with sleep at all, I can get a solid 2 hours sleep each night.
🤣🤣🤣
I don’t have an issue with sleep, sleep has an issue with me.,
I was genuinely reading the comment and was like “oh seems like some autistic people don’t struggle with sleep I guess” but than the punch line made me laugh out loud. Good one lol
Magnesium Calm and GABA-Max, added to hot tea, help me to sleep.
Haha- felt ✋️😩
lmaoo
I think insomnia is more of an ADHD thing. Not saying that autistic people don't have any sleep problems. I'm autistic and it takes me about an hour to fall asleep. I have to sleep in the same position too, and I also have a tiny blanket with silky ends that has to go between my fingers. Sometimes I forget how fast typical people can fall asleep. Like, if I'm in the car with my friends, sometimes they'll just say "I'm gonna take a nap," roll over, then start snoring in two minutes. Like, how is that even possible!?
I have a silkie! (I call that the tiny blanket with silkie ends). I have to pull it through my fingers to fall asleep. It is also a huge stimming for me when I m at home reading. I have literally NEVER heard of anyone else doing this other than me or my brothers when they were younger....this is incredible!
@@linnaem.5542 I appear to have found my people because I also call mine a silky.. but it is all silk and I rub it on my face or between my fingers.
EXACTLY. like unless I'm already super tired it takes me 1-3 hours to fall asleep, which can be quite annoying but oh well ig :)
@@jude2032 whaaaaaatttttt THIS IS AMAZING HI JUDE
@Linnae M. @Jude Wow I've also never heard of anyone else doing it! I love the name silkie too, from now on that's what I'll be calling mine😊
Can definitely attest to the method of “fighting sleep” being SO much more effective than “trying to sleep.” My sleep has been so-so my whole life, but last year I started to get really terrifying insomnia episodes. Like not being able to sleep for over 48 hours, no matter what I tried. It is so soul-crushing to not be able to do one of the most “human” things you’re “supposed” to be able to do. I had to just grit my teeth and white-knuckle through these really bad episodes, but for my general sleep what helped was changing my prescribed sleep meds, working on my mental health, and disconnecting from major stressors that were making my anxiety so bad. I also heard here and there about the idea that people with ADHD might experience delayed circadian rhythms. So I put it to the test, and discovered that my body will usually be ready to sleep around 11pm - 2am. For me keeping some basic rhythm every day helps, so I always have my alarm set for 9am when I don’t have anything planned earlier, and I always wake up a few minutes before my alarm goes off.. for some reason? Anyway, my heart goes out to anybody struggling with insomnia. I think putting conventional advice to the side (like “read a book before bed”) and running some basic experiments on yourself/your habits (like “what times do I naturally start to feel ready to sleep?”) is a great place to start :)
Omg I wake up right before my alarm all the time too I have no idea why that happens
@@harrietokeefe9658
Do you also notice someone will call or message you right before it happens? 0
Or that someone will ring the door bell right before it happens?
I somehow can feel it all
I’m autistic and I have ADHD. While I don’t have trouble sleeping in general, sometimes my brain doesn’t wanna shut off before bed. I’m always thinking. My brain is always up to something.
Edit: I heard somewhere that this is an autism thing, but I can function on little sleep.
I've started to listen to podcasts. At least my thoughts aren't all over the place and I can focus on something.
At night remove all blue lights as our brains due to evolution are wired to stay awake in daylight aka blue sky's....
ASMR does wonders, if you are into that stuff.
Same thing here lol. I have autism and ADHD, and it's been especially hard for me to fall asleep and stay asleep, with both of my brothers being home from college and doing god-knows-what until the early hours of the morning. I ended up getting a sleeping aid and some earbuds, which work perfectly and helped me to fall asleep and stay asleep faster.
yeah so can i, i have gotten through math test and gotten A- with only 4 hrs of sleep
Hello, I am autistic and I have generalized anxiety disorder, which makes me wake up with any external noise and my brain starts to overthink and I came here to the video to find tips to sleep well. I think the key is to tell yourself "it doesn't matter if I don't sleep" and you automatically sleep, it has happened to me 🤪.
I have ADHD and my sleep is very very similar. It’s always been a struggle I need an audiobook to fall asleep,…because having something to engage my attention (but not too much) is way better than my internal monologue about my inability to sleep.
I also suffer way more from not napping. It doesn’t ruin my sleep…it’s a way that I can get some. And I hate total darkness.
It’s nice to realize that these are not personal failures, but common experiences for neurodiverse people. 😂
My whole life I never knew I had multiple severe sleep issues and was told just to go to sleep earlier, or get off my phone for good sleep hygiene.
At 24 years old, I was just diagnosed with Severe Insomnia and Severe obstructive sleep apnea. So now I not only take my ptsd nightmare meds, but now also a sleep aid pill and wear an oxygen mask at night from my bipap machine. I feel better rested and have more energy now. I'm so glad I figured this out.
I'm neurotypical BUT I had pretty bad insomnia when I was younger, like from toddler age to like 16. It would take me 2-3 hours, occasionally more, to fall asleep at night and I always had a 9 or 9:30 bedtime and that was definitely part of the problem. Like you said, staying up until you're more tired - that helped me too when I started staying up later.
As a kid I would act out these movies and stuff in my head so that I wasn't bored or worrying while just laying awake, and I would do that until I felt tired, fight the sleep while laying down, then fall asleep. Nothing worked better than that
But now the way I fall asleep is I get ready for bed and lay in bed or on top of the covers watching videos until I get really tired, then take advantage of the fact that I'm already falling asleep and quickly put my phone away and turn off the light and go to bed while still very tired. It doesn't work every time but it works usually pretty well for me. I know you're not supposed to be staring at a screen before bed but it's proven to be the most effective way for me to fall asleep in a timely manner. And if I have to stay up pretty late to get tired enough then so be it, because even if I put myself to bed earlier I won't get any more sleep than if I stayed up
I do the same thing with my phone at night. It’s nice to hear that someone else does the same thing because everyone always has to let me know how bad it is for you. But i need sleep and it works! And it doesn’t have to be for forever. I have some go to RUclipsrs to fall asleep to usually.
While Ive yet to be officially diagnosed, the past year or so I've been learning a lot about ADHD, especially since my housemates (my partner and his mom) both ARE diagnosed with it, and things in my life, past and present, make so much more sense, particularly when it comes to sleep. I CANNOT sleep through the night without melatonin. Period. I can become tired and feel the need to sleep without the Mel, but if I didn't take it and I lay down, my eyes can't help but close while my brains like "well time to loop that song you've had stuck in your head all day again" or "ok let's recount all of the worst mistakes/embarrassing situations ever in your life" or "ok let's prepare our to do lists for the next 4 months right now at 2AM". So the whole brain not shutting off thing is 200% real and relatable. Though I'm the opposite when it comes to the light thing; needs to be pitch black otherwise any light source, no matter the size, my brain will hyper-focus on it to the point where I feel like it's blinding me and burning my retina. Like "how can anyone sleep in these conditions?! It's practically high noon with this much light!". But I absolutely need noise, dead silence creeps me out and leads my brain to overwork even more. Glad to hear that youve gotten a handle on your sleep. Its comforting to hear your similar struggles to mine and see you've been able to work at it and find a good balance that allows for better sleep. Peaceful dreamin' ✌️
I have ADHD and self-diagnosed autistic. I had the worst insomnia as a child. It's gotten better; though, recently having more issues again. Some of the things that I have found helpful are lighting some incense, coming up with my own stories to fall asleep to, playing sudoku on my phone (keeps my brain busy enough to not wander but not too active enough to keep me awake), and rain sounds/pink noise has also been really helpful. I also have a face mask on the way to try because I notice I try to close my eyes really hard to fall asleep. I also dislike the pitch black, but the lights through my eyelids are too much when I'm trying to fall asleep sometimes
Gosh, I relate to this so much-especially the bit about you counting the “required” hours of sleep and then worrying about that. I slept on my parents’ floor until I was 13 because it was the only thing that helped me (and even that wasn’t always perfect, I used to pretend to be asleep once my mom came in to go to bed cause I knew she’d be like “why are you still awake?” and I wouldn’t have a good answer, cause it wasn’t that I was even thinking of anything coherent/in particular, I was just... still awake).
I relate to so much of this. As an infant I was a terrible sleep baby. My parents would consider it a lot when I slept half the time that an infant was supposed to sleep. I still don't sleep well or a lot but I found that audiobooks really help or as you said shows that you already know (I usually watch HIMYM or Brooklyn nine nine). Also the idea of "So what if I don't sleep" helped me because I would get anxious about not sleeping which then kept me from falling asleep
I have never felt more seen in my life. Still working on a diagnosis of AuDHD at 28, but I feel it in the depths of my being.
Just a little heads up! St. John’s-Wort makes birth control ineffective! I’ve heard of people suggesting it for depression and sleep but just know that you can get pregnant if on birth control and taking this
yep, definetly be carefull about any meds interfering with function of birth control. And when in a slightest doubt, consult an MD.
I have adhd but I think I might be autistic too and you just helped me make sense of my sensory issues w my hair, clothes, and makeup! For sleep, I def struggle but I heard from somewhere if you can’t fall asleep, don’t try bc trying is going to make it harder. So now if it’s one of those nights, I get up, eat a snack, potty, waste a lot of time being slow about it, and lay back down and sometimes it helps. I also use a lot of those sleep videos on RUclips. I think this one that has a mermaid on it and some ocean sounds. I fall asleep thinking about being a mermaid in the deep ocean looking at all the cool fish and seascape. That helps when I have too many thoughts-to keep bringing my focus back to the sounds and the image of mermaid- me.
i’m having the hardest time sleeping lately too. i’m autistic & adhd, and i know i’m prone to insomnia. it’s like no matter how hard i try or no matter how early i wake up, i can never fall asleep until the sun is rising. ALSO THE PAIN THING??? SAME BRO. ugh it’s so wild. so glad i’m not the only one dude. also, i’ve been absolutely LOVING this autiehd series. it’s making me feel so much less alone.
❤
I got a tv in my room when I was 10 because I can’t sleep otherwise. Now I use my phone to watch RUclips videos. I also am the same with naps. If I’m tired and I don’t have to do something at a certain time I will lay down and have a nap. This is also because I don’t know how much sleep I will get that night whether I have a nap or not and so that ensures that I get at least some sleep
I have Autism and ADHD and so much of this video was me just being like: "Yes, this is 100% my experience with sleep." I have also found that my ADHD medication helps me to relax and fall asleep. I think it is just a matter of how it slows down my thoughts so I don't feel like I'm going a mile a minute. I also find that when I'm struggling to sleep doing something that engages my brain like playing a video game is the fastest way to make myself sleepy. Don't know why it works but it does. I also can't sleep in total darkness either. I always sleep with the TV on for some light. I also identified with how you said that when you are awake you are engaged in like three different things at once because I am very much the same. I often will be watching a TV show and playing a video game and reading articles on my phone and be focused on all three.
At night remove all blue lights as our brains due to evolution are wired to stay awake in daylight aka blue sky's....
@@kylereese4822 I've tried that and personally it hasn't done much for me. I don't doubt the science but I also don't think it is the only thing that works especially considering most studies focus on neurotypical brains.
I’ve also heard about ADHDers who essentially microdose their meds so they get the slowing down effect which gives them room to fall asleep but not the stimulant effect which would counteract that
I was diagnosed with CPSTD 6 years ago, I have very similar traits even down to childhood apparently. You’ve helped me work around society so much in the last year, I’ve been able to do so much I haven’t done since I can remember, so thank you💞.
When you said you were ENFP and now INTJ...dude wtf
I am the same, it is supposed to be very close in symptoms. Cptsd disruption of core self is linked somehow...
Weirdly I never had problems with sleep. I fall asleep extremely fast, if I don't have an alarm on, I sleep 8-9 hours and I usually don't up during the night. I basically have the perfect sleep, despite having autism, adhd and C-PTSD. I do go to bed quite late, but it's not a problem for me, because I can choose freely when I want to study and work.
Yeah I’ve just got onto prescribed melatonin which for whatever reason doesn’t make me feel more tired but seems to reduce my morning grogginess. I would usually fall asleep at like 2-3am but this week for the first time in years I took my melatonin and fell asleep at 11! Honestly having a somewhat healthy sleep schedule has definitely helped me feel a lot better.
When I talk really fast like you do in this video, it's an indicator my mood is elevated with bipolar disorder. Also less sleep.
I've always had difficulties with sleep. Neurodivergent friends also seem to struggle with it.
Personally, I've found sleepy teas to work pretty well, especially when combined with other supplements and daily exercise.
Also, I'm not sure if this is just a me-thing, but I've always had to have one of those thermal hospital blankets. It's warm, but breathable, and the folds provide this really satisfying texture under your fingertips that is just fantastic for stimming. I've even been known to use them as a pillow, making it conform to my neck, as well as creating a small well I can deposit my ear into. Maximum comfort.
At night remove all blue lights as our brains due to evolution are wired to stay awake in daylight aka blue sky's....
I totally agree with what you said about ADHD meds, it just feels like you can finally do the things you want or need to.
I'm undiagnosed so I don't have any "official" medications, but at one point they put me on something called Quetiapine. If you want a silent night's sleep, that's the ticket. One small tablet of that stuff could render an elephant unconscious.
@@elennapointer701 i spent 5 years tapering down on quetiapin with heroin-like withdrawal. It was HORRIBLE. It's called baby-heroin for a reason and I just want people to know that doctors DO NOT tell you this anti-psychotic is incredible addictive. It's crazy to me that they still give it to people for sleep. It's an anti psychotic that rearranges your brain. My therapist said it could take years to get "back to normal" after quitting. Beware and don't trust doctors blindly.
@elennapointer701
It's not a magic pill that works for everyone,
no sleep medication ever helped me sleep
Except Propofol- used for anesthesia. (Like Michael Jackson)
I know the feeling. I also have ADHD and autism, still confused with my diagnosis to this day. I also have sleep disorders too. I don't take prescription drugs for a good reason and I don't trust doctors for a good reason. I rather listen to you. 🖤
I have been called self-aware by many people especially my therapists and I agree it is a gift and a curse. Insomnia is the worst, I have a different issue with it where I do sleep but it is never good sleep because my brain never fully shuts off. I am glad you decided to discuss this because I feel like insomnia is talked about in passing but never in depth.
All the population in the world need to understand that not all people was born like everybody else. Like a neurotypical person. I am glad that you Paige spread knowledge about this on your channel....💖💖💖 I am sure, a lot of people like me, have found comfort in your videos. Have felt understood. And by a result of that, have gotten some help that may have been needed, for a really long time. You are making a difference 🌎🌎🌎🌎🌎
100%. We’ll said! :)
*well
As an autistic adhd person myself I can relate to everything you are saying! Thank you!
I’ve ADHD, and was clinical diagnosed as an adult, I take medication, and it’s has improved my life a lot. I remember my psychiatrist and I, 1-2 days after I’d started taking my medication, had a long conversation about how I felt etc, and I told him about the insane difference I felt between before and after meds. I was happy, and still am, but my psychiatrist close “monitoring” of me during my first month with Adhd-meds was mainly due to some difficulties I went through “outside” my new diagnose. Looking back, I feel privileged for this close contact with him, because it felt like a lot, just the realisation of how 1 tablets/day changed my perception of the world pretty drastic, from feeling I never fit in, feeling like a “fraud” because I had to mask in public to avoid my worries of people noticing that I was different, I saw myself as a chameleon. ||
Basically everything you said about sleep is true for me as well. In some weird way it’s pretty comforting to know others feel the same way as I do and have a similar experience (relationship) with sleep. I haven’t made a deep dive into why sleep isn’t “my thing”.
But I guess, when I hyper focused about something, sleep isn’t inside the realm of whatever it is I’m doing.
It’s foreign to me to “shut down my brain just to sleep” - when I’m in a flow, whether that flow is hours or a day or two doesn’t matter.
Nowadays I’m aware and I feel the difference when I ignore sleep and when I don’t. My alarm on my phone helps me remember to eat and drink etc.
Take care, I wish you a great weekend filled with happiness ❤️
With kindness and respect, Grace 🙏
(English isn’t my first language, but I hope it’s understandable)
i have bpd and adhd (along too many other things) and this video felt like you were reading my brain and speaking my exact feelings and thoughts
I've been diagnosed with ADHD and would not be surprised if I was also autistic, but I've had trouble sleeping my entire life. I recently started taking Trazodone before bed and it has helped SO MUCH. Feeling drowsy is so euphoric for me because I never experience it on my own. I love anytime I've had to take Benedryl or NyQuil because it just knocks me out. Trazodone hasn't been 100% perfect, but it's been a big big help. And I love my ADHD meds! The first time I ever took them I couldn't stop talking about how calm my brain felt and how comfortable I was. I definitely took naps the first few weeks I was on it, but now they keep me awake. I have such an anxious relationship with sleep but after 22 years I'm finally working with my doctors to fix it, so here's to hoping for the best!
I realised now, in my teen years, that taking 2 hours for you to sleep isn't normal( 2 hours if it was good days and sometimes 3). Like people can fall asleep in an half hour?! What!?
Honestly I think it's completely normal for autistics to suffer from insomnia (or sleep problems) their whole life. And that's just how it is u guess?
wait.... scuse me?
I'm an adult and didn't know this. Waat?
@@SunburntComposer the pure autistic confusion when you realise what you thought was normal really isn't 🤣
@@karoline2622 that's been me so many times over the last couple of years 😅🤣
@@hyperfocus1963 yeah i know, right! It's so weird to discover that the things you thought were normal up until this point in your life really isn't . And like that NT's doesn't feel, think or experience things the way you do 😅
I have autism and dealing with sleep is like so relatable. so often I'd forgot to eat for the day. So I'd decide to eat something once I get tired. And by the time I've done that my tiredness is completely gone. I've gone to work many times with no sleep whatsoever and felt exactly the same.
Your childhood experiences mirror mine to a T. I had the panic attacks, and just a general anxiety related to sleeping. I also slept on my parent's floor for YEARS.. until I moved to the couch in the living room because my dad stayed up real late. I didn't sleep alone until I was maybe 16? And don't get me STARTED on sleepovers. Couldn't do it. I wish you all many nights full of easy sleep.
I’m gonna start binge watching your videos, I agree with the not being human and brain just has to catch-up with me a lot of the time. I been taking medicine for ADHD and autism for a very long time most of my life. Also I have photographic memory too that’s funny how similar you are to me
i love us
I love how lately I'm seeing a lot of people with autism and ADHD that merge the two diagnosis into one word. Cause when you have both it feels like all the symptoms are part of the same disorder (AuDHD). I also have trouble sleeping and I relate to many thins you say on this video. Contrary to you I need my room pitch black. If there's any little light, especially if it's intermittent, I need to turn it of or cover it, and my blinds are closed, protecting me from 99% of the light that comes from the street. I'm also a really good naper.
Im autistic and getting diagnosed w delayed sleep phase syndrome was seriously the actually most validating thing *ever 😂* i got prescribed melatonin and it worked for about a week, (seriously- it was so weird,) now it just makes me not fall asleep at 3am but i am still waking up at weird tmes? always tried to tell everyone ‘help im sleeping at 2am its actually like lowkey distrupting my life’ because i always was known for having a whack sleep schedule but, i get 8 hours? So its fine. But my family were just like ‘everyone wakes up in the middle of the night, you just need to stop staying up’ but like, *im trying 😂* and its still happening? And it was so frustrating because i was getting so stressed during the day if i could sleep that night, so it was just not sleeping bc i was stressed and then wanting to sleep bc i was tired but not wanting to? My neurologist sent me to a sleep person (litterally not related to my sleep problems, although i was very excited about it 😂) and then he was just like ‘oh yeah you have this’ and i was like *IVE BEEN SAYING THIS FOR LITTERAL MONTHS* xD
We are quite similar, but I have about a decade more of living with the maelstrom inside my head. Sleep is still a struggle. It all starts with max dose melatonin, I also take tart cherry. They are both supposed to help with sleep, I can't speak to the accuracy of that claim, but I'm still trying. I create a ritual around getting ready for bed with all the steps laid out before me or I'll forget them despite having done this for years. Feeding my sourdough starter, doing last minute cleanup and prep for the next day, I have 3 children, and checking all the doors. Then, pajamas, teeth brushing, and skincare. Checking the doors. I get into bed with a notebook and pen and write down all my anxious thoughts with the intent of ridding them from my head, this works so-so. Then I meditate for 20 minutes while I allow myself to actively fidget with whatever I have nearby. I often choose the pop-its or a slinky. I found allowing my body to stay in motion helps me calm my mind. Meditation is never a shutdown, just an acknowledgement of my thoughts without judgement. Check the doors. I also vacate my bladder like 4 times intermittently because I'm never sure if have to pee or not, especially at bedtime. I play three different types of white noise and have my husband rub my neck until I fall asleep. I average maybe 6 hours a night outside of the intense insomnia periods. I've also been a chronic napper and yes, just gotta give in to that.
Is this oversharing? I can never tell.
I've been dealing with this for several decades and I've found that IF I do what my body wants to do - sleep for about 6 hours every 36 hours or so - then I have no problems with sleep. Of course that's problematic if you interact with the world in any way. What I actually end up doing is sleeping nightly until after a couple of nights I just have to stay up for a whole night because I just am not tired at all. Fortunately I don't really get tired when I'm running around (sleepy tired) and I NEVER fall asleep. The only way I can sleep is if I stop and tell myself I'm going to sleep which makes it easier I think.
Same, I'm pretty good at trying to get about 6hrs/ night, but it keeps fluctuating as if days weren't actually 24 hours long. I do seem to sleep in multiples of 3 tho: it's either 0, 3, 6, or 9 hours of sleep. Same goes for naps, I've tried setting alarms and taking shorter naps but if I actually need sleep during the day that's a 3 hour nap
I have a lot of autistic traits but I'm only diagnosed with ADHD (haven't had a doctor consider autism). But I definitely relate with always having to have something to do when I'm in social or stressful situations. I have a few stims that I loooove to do and when I'm in college lectures my go-to stim (that I have to do to concentrate and feel comfortable around other people) is play with strings and pills/fuzz from fleece sweatshirts in my pockets. It's perfect because people just think I have my hands in my pockets. And when im at home my favorite stim is weaving my fingers through the crochet trim on knitted blankets. I'll do it while I do homework, watching online lectures, watching TV, anything that is boring or requires focus or if I wanna feel more relaxed. I also HATE my hair touching my neck when I'm in bed.
Sleep with fan on or air con is the best. The low sounding background noise and cool air flow/breeze is the most amazing sensory experience!
I’m both also.
I finally got ADHD meds and they make me feel very relaxed also! I can finally do things. Like normally if I see something on the floor I go “oh that should be picked up” and add it to the end of my mental queue, but I’ve found myself able to actually do things when I see they need to be done.
I would also stay up all night watching TV as a young child, and until recently I couldn’t sleep without the tv on. When I had to spend the night somewhere where I couldn’t sleep with the tv I would panic. I can now listen to audiobooks instead and that helps! I still stay up until 4am every night, but since my eyes are closed it’s a little bit better.
Everything you’re talking about is so incredibly relatable to me. Thank you for making the content. It’s so nice to hear that other people have the same experiences as me. Anytime I’ve tried to describe how hard it is to fall asleep, nobody understands.
Trying to sleep and not being able to so miserable. So I just do the things I enjoy until my eyeballs start hurting.
The part about putting something on that you’ve seen a bunch of times, yes. I’ve rewatched Inuyasha at least 40 times. And I’ll have it on when I’m doing other things, like reading or working on school work.
And the napping, yeah. Same. I was thinking the other day about how sleepy I feel when I need a nap, and I had the epiphany that that’s how other people feel when it’s time for them to go to sleep at night. It’s crazy. I’ve never felt that when it’s time for actual bed. Just for naps.
Again, sorry I keep writing novels in your comments. I’m just so happy I found your videos.
I'm autistic and I have sleep problems on and off... if I'm tired enough I will fall asleep quickly (during the semester I don't have sleeping problems because I am so sleep deprived) but during breaks I often have trouble sleeping. I use a sheet, blanket, comforter, and stuffed animals, which have helped me sleep since I was a kid and still do to this day.
I don't have insomnia but I sometimes do think about how many hours I have left to sleep, and I am a clock watcher. I also find that I get really hot when trying to fall asleep but when I wake up I'm cold. My body wants to stay awake when awake and stay asleep when asleep, so I often go to bed late and wake up really late if I can.
That second paragraph is me right on the nose, wow. One thing I've personally noticed is that the longer I stay up the warmer I get (feels kind of like a computer overclocking itself) and that when I fall asleep and then wake up TOO cold, especially if it's my feet, then I can't get back to sleep no matter how tired I am. Has this happened to you?
I also read something recently about the 'sleepy seed' in the corners of our eyes forming because the human body naturally regulates its temperature down whilst we're sleeping and the meibum that collects in the corner of our eyes is liquid at that higher waking temperature but solidifies at the lower sleeping temperature
I need sound to fall asleep. Lately it’s been podcasts I’ve already listened to with intent, so it doesn’t matter if I miss stuff while using it to fall asleep.
Recently discovered that pathological demand avoidance is a form of executive dysfunction that is often linked to autism - sent my mum some information on it and her reaction was "oh look, someone wrote an article about you!". Turns out, PDA can apply not only to external demands from people around us, but also to internal demands. As in, thirst is a demand to drink, so now I physically can't drink without gagging. Tiredness is a demand to sleep, so even though I'm tired my brain will not shut off. I've found that the best thing for maintaining regular sleep is to throw all the rules about sleep hygiene out the window.
Common advice is to avoid screens for two hours before bed, dark room, regular bed time, etc etc etc. Doesn't work. If you need to watch movies until you fall asleep, do it. If you need to take a laptop to bed to watch youtube or play games, do it. Have the light, have the podcast, read the book. If it works, and it doesn't hurt someone else, stick with it and get that sleep. The evidence and rules most likely apply more to neurotypicals anyway.
Sometimes when I can’t sleep I accept it and decide to just rest as much as I can. So like not moving my body not stimulating my brain too much. Like laying in my bed petting my cat listening to music and saying nice things to myself
I literally do multiple things at the same time all the time, like I remember watching tv and youtube and listening to music, while also doing physics at the same time. And the tv is also like often times just running in the background while i do other stuff. For example, i will listen to music while reading. I think concentrating on multiple things helps me focus somehow
(I'm Autistic but not ADHD)
I was similar as a child. Often woke up in the night with terrible anxiety (which makes sense now I know I was an autistic child!), would have preferred the light on all night but my parents switched it off when I was asleep. I'd hide under the blankets overheated and terrified and never tell anyone about it.
I had lots of anxious insomnia in teens and twenties and would try all sorts of weird sleeping positions and locations too. (Undiagnosed and untreated mental illness as well as substance use/misuse big elements in those years).
Now as an adult and on the other side of anxiety and PTSD and in good mental health (amazingly) my natural sleep schedule is late to sleep and late to wake up. I easily slip into a 2-10 am routine. I am always fighting to pull it back to 12-8 if I can. My brain goes around and around on really heavy topics when I'm trying to sleep so I have to deliberately shut it up. I think staying up is partially natural body clock tendency, but also enjoying the peace and solitude of the late hours, and maybe avoiding the heavy thoughts I know will come with bedtime. Autistic inertia is a huge element in my life and I think that's part of why it's hard to go from awake to asleep and asleep to awake.
I also have sleep apnea (more common among autistic people, I don't know why?) and sleep with CPAP which is not super comfortable but has definitely helped and I need way fewer naps now. But if I have any significant social contact or lots of sensory input I'll come home and collapse into a deep nap.
You make me feel so incredibly understood.
I'm Autistic and sleep has always been herculean task for me.
My fiance who is also Autistic, has problems with sleep too. Our minds take forever to wind down.
The sleep advice from neurotypicals is so ineffective, it's annoying. But when I hear sleep advice from Autistics, I find that it's more effective.
One tip I got from another Autistic, is stim when you're craving sensory input.
Just reread the comment you made until you fall asleep.
Macey, mikado & I are loving our new mattress :) birchliving.com/paigelayle to get $400 off your Birch mattress plus two free pillows!
I know so many people who are not autistic who need a TV on to fall asleep! But I cannot understand it at all as an autistic adhd person! Its interesting how much we all differ!!
I have autism and I have struggled greatly with sleep in the past, but I have slowly learned how to shut my brain off and just sleep, but on nights where I am more awake and cannot do that, I attempt to "overload" my imagination. Basically I picture an object and transition it into another unrelated object, whether that would be zooming in on the object in your mind until the next object comes into view or rotating it to reveal a new object, the more creative and unrelated the better. I do this as quickly as possible in my mind, having no thoughts just images loop into each other as quickly as possible, almost what I'd imagine LSD would be like 😂. I think it helps your brain produce those chemicals that you make while dreaming and eventually you will fall asleep and the images you have will turn into dreams. This method works fantastically for me and I'm usually asleep in less than 5 minutes
I definitely feel the reading before bed thing - I always think it’s a good idea but it never is because I get too into it. I have also tried the sleeping on the floor and in the bathroom and anywhere else kind of thing. I am ALSO super self aware which makes falling asleep hard because I’m aware that I’m awake
So I have ADHD and I have very similar issues with falling asleep (my sensory issues are pretty low compared to yours, so it's mostly hyperactive brain and pain that's keeping me up) and a few years ago, I found my solution: listening to podcast on a timer. It works best for me if there's only one voice and it's a story. It helps me to focus on the story instead of my body or whateverbI have to do tomorrow. The volume needs to be just perfect so I process it, but not too loud that it keeps me awake.
i totally agree with the going against sleep and it chasing back after you, like it'll be like 6am and ill be like screw this imma pull an all nighter and then my bodies like um no
I also just nap whenever I'm like stressed or not understanding something, I did it today, I was in my engineering class and there was this assignment that was stressing me out, and I almost put my head down to sleep but I asked to take a walk and I hid from class to take a break instead lmao, and in science I almost fell asleep doing my test because I wasn't understanding what I was reading very well, so my brain was like "you sleep now" luckily I pulled through and finished the test hahaha, I also do this half asleep half listening thing, where I'll put my head down and shut my eye's but I'll listen to every word my teacher says, they don't like it because they think I'm not paying attention and sleeping, but I find it's helpful to be in class and catch up on sleep by napping and listening at the same time, idrk how I do it
Fellow autiehd here :) I relate so hard to pretty much everything you’re saying. Since I can remember, I’ve needed music to be able to fall asleep (along with a made bed, can’t sleep in an unmade bed), but I recently found ‘sleepcasts’ on headspace and they also work! By the way, when I first started adhd meds, I got so sleepy, just like you. When I told my psychiatrist, they raised the dosage bc they said I was having my come down too early, so maybe talk to your doc? Love you and your channel, you’ve literally changed my life
I watch channels of guys camping in snow to fall asleep. My favorite is Mathew Posa, he makes 1:30-3h long videos with his cute dog, it has no music neither too much talking, only the natural sounds of the environment. I recommend it.
I can relate to most of the things Paige said, also had never been able to sleep, ever, not even as a baby, my mom tells me the first time I slept a whole night was when I was 4 years old, but it never got much better. I hate it with all my being. Also, everything gets worse at night, all the terrible feelings come back, the intrusive thoughts, suicide ideation, obsessive thoughts, so sometimes I can't even distract myself with a video or something, I can only lay there and cry, try not to hurt myself, scream, you know, all that nice stuff, for hours and hours until I physically can't go on and pass out. And that's that. Sleep sucks and nights suck. I hate it.
Sometimes I just think that there're night human being to protect other group of human being or wild animals during the night...and in modern society there's less demand of night human, so we need to put ourselves to the form for day human being...
@@papaya9357 I guess, but in my case is just the illnesses. Sleeping in daytime is just as bad, cause then I have sleep paralysis (wich I don't at night) and the nightmares are worse then at night, for some reason. Either way it sucks.
I don't go to school anymore and I don't work, I can sleep and wake up whenever I want, and I still don't have a steady sleep routine. I don't have a diagnosis, but relate a lot to ADHD, and I've seen some people say that their normal ADHD sleep schedule is a couple hours delayed in comparison to other people, so when they are not restrained to a routine demanded by society, they present normal sleeping patterns, only a bit delayed. But I don't even know what my "normal" is, or what it was supposed to be, restrained or not to some structure, the sleepy clock just doesn't work.
Same thing for me. I don't get near the recommended amount of sleep, but I get by. I've learned that if I go to bed around 9 or 10, I just lay awake most of the night anyway. So, I don't really have a bedtime. I just go to bed whenever I begin dozing off and usually, I'll put youtube on when I do go to bed, some channel that tells stories from Reddit. I try not to nap in the evening, but I can't seem to help it. So I do get an extra hour or so that way. I've just learned not to make sleep an enemy and to let it come as it will.
My ADHD medication fixed my napping problem. I went from napping every single afternoon to only napping maybe once a month. When I do nap, it's usually because I worked 8 hours without taking a break, or sometimes if I've been in social situations for extended periods I will require a nap... or it's like I can sense I need a nap but won't be able to take one. Usually exercise or going into nature helps me at that moment. It took a while for my meds to help me sleep at night, but now I do sleep much better and wake up easier.
I noticed the same thing when I started adhd meds. I can actually NAP on adderall. With adhd minds, it’s a calming effect and not a stimulate. I can do the same with a TON of coffee. I used to fall asleep in Starbucks after drinking 2 ventis and an espresso! But at least I can sleep now with some audio playing. When I’m reallly tired, I look hyper and unfocused. I’ve had insomnia since I was a little kid. I remember not being able to nap with the other kids in preschool and kindergarten.. I had to be quiet though and that was hard.
completely off topic but i literally love your hair today!!!
I'm 24 and have been struggling with insomnia for as far back as my memory goes! I remember heing like 4 and sitting on my windowsill at wee hours of the morning because I just couldn't sleep! I've tried everything and now I'm just learning to accept it
I'm really enjoy watching your videos , love all the information you talk about, I always struggled with sleep as well and the harder I tried the harder it was to get to sleep, I got a 20lb weighted blanket and that made all the difference in the world, I now look forward to sleep. Best purchase I ever made on sleep!
I need to reduce stimuli to be able to sleep, the only thing that I will accept for input is a white noise machine with a sound profile I customized (mixture of thunder storms, waves, and a fire pit). I've been wrapping my head in a blanket since I was a kid, much to the chagrin of my aunt who was worried I wouldn't be able to breathe. I resisted for years getting an eye mask and finally let my husband get me one and it honestly changed my sleep for the better.
Yes, I'm autistic and also have always struggled with insomnia. I have not had it as bad as you, but it has been an issue most of my life. What helps me is when I am working all day doing physical labor (zookeeping) after I woke up really early that day for work. It utterly exhausts me, and it's much easier for me to fall asleep quickly after work. However, I still wake up 2+ times every night
Damn I relate so much. Ever since I was a kid, I’ve always had either insomnia/hard time falling asleep or nightmares. So nights for me were always pretty scary.
I’ve always needed light in my room and the door open to sleep or I’d freak out. I remember when I wouldn’t be able to sleep, and I’d get really anxious about not being able to sleep, I’d get up and go to the bathroom really often. My dad would get really annoyed and yell at me for not sleeping. He would come and close my bedroom door which made me absolutely panic and then I’d have an even harder time to sleep.
At some point my parents suggested I read too. I tried and somehow it worked. Not always but it happened a few times that I fell asleep while reading and my dad had to come in my room to take my book away and turn off the light. Or I’d listen to music before going to bed and that would work as long as it was always the same songs as the other nights.
Now my anxiety meds are what makes me sleep. Without them I can’t sleep at all. I tried to stop them once because the were making me really sleepy during the day too and I couldn’t sleep for 48h. I ended up taking them and the doctor gave me adhd meds that would compensate for how sleepy my anxiety meds made me and she told me to only take the anxiety meds before sleep (before I took them in the morning too).
I need noise to fall asleep, I also have a small routine thing I do with my glass of water next to my bed that is probably not enough to be considered OCD but it’s similar. Since one time I had a really bad burn out and would wake up in the middle of the night and faint, I leave my salt lamp lit up all night in case I have to get up quick so I wouldn’t hurt myself. What ended up working for me to fall asleep, weirdly, was listening to ASMR. I can’t explain it, I’ve been made fun of for talking about it but that’s what works for me and I’m not gonna question it, if it works it works and that’s all that matters to me.
A lot of people in the ADHD community say that when they first taking stim meds, they feel very sleepy… the idea is that you have been sleep deprived for very long, but now that you are taking meds things slow down enough for you to finally _notice_ you’re super tired and want to go to sleep… 😅
19:40 Yeah, as an Autistic I sleep with two comforters, a 15lb weighted blanket, a knitted blanket under that, and a special textured one wrapped around my upper body or near my face. Not only that, I sleep on a giant bear (I'm 20 now, but it's been 10 years now since I've been using him) propped up by another pillow I've been sleeping on since I was two, all while holding my special stuffed bear I grew up with as a child. And if I do not have these items, I simply WILL NOT sleep. And it's hard sometimes, bc when it's hot, I want to get out of it, but if I do, I won't fall asleep -_- So usually I'm bundled up at night, a position my family and I have dubbed 'Caterpillar Time' for whatever reason-
I don't have adhd but I'm autistic and I always have to have something playing while I fall asleep, I also always have to have my hair up in a bun and I always have to have a weighted blanket.
15:00 yes, yes, YES to this! Haha for me it's often Grey's Anatomy that I fall asleep watching cuz I've seen it so many times.
And I'm totally the same in constantly watching something the whole day
the "sleep is like a cat: it only comes to you if you ignore it" quote is actually Gillian Flynn; it's from Gone Girl :)
I've struggled with sleep since I was a baby too, I used to have meltdowns as a kid almost every night, and I used to go downstairs to watch infomercials on TV at like 3 in the morning until my dad got up for work...
Then when I was a teenager I used to stay on the Internet all night until about 4/5 in the morning, go to bed and only get about 2/3 hours of sleep before school. I have no idea how I survived lol. Probably no wonder I have so many health issues now I'm older from all the stress. It never used to bother me when I was younger though, I never really cared about school so I just muddled by.
It became a problem when I got older though, especially when I went to university in my mid 20s. But it gave me the opportunity to be a guinea pig in a trial for this company called "Sleepio", and over several months they record your sleep habits and encourage you to actually limit your sleep and then gradually add an extra hour every week or month (can't remember), they had a lot of good tips and stuff that they'd teach you in video format. One of them was actually to try to convince yourself that you don't need/want sleep, like you mentioned, because willing yourself to sleep and getting anxious about it isn't going to help you relax lol.
Anyone can sign up for the sleepio course, but you have to pay for it (unless like me you were in the study). It really did help at the time (even though because my insomnia was so bad I was limited to 4hours sleep a night at first!), but now I'm in burnout, and my "autiehd" symptoms are a lot worse, some of the things that used to work, don't anymore.
My current technique is to just stay up watching TV or reading something until I'm soo sleepy that I can't physically keep my eyes open, THEN go to bed. But sometimes even this doesn't work because as soon as I move from the sofa to bed I'm wide awake again for some reason. If I dont w fall asleep within half hour I get up out of bed so I don't associate the bed with the anxiety of not being able to sleep.
Also I usually need to set up a RUclips playlist to lull me to sleep 😴. I can't sleep unless it's pitch black but I need the sound of someone's voice to focus on. If I try to sleep in complete silence, my brain just bursts into overdrive and I end up thinking about too many things, which gets me overstimulated and I'm wide awake again!
I have been the same way my entire life. The part where you mentioned you would read the entire book… I still do that. Once I’m focused on one thing i cannot stop. Sleep is the worst
Relating so much as usual. I always use to think to myself "If only I could just be more stupid I wouldn't have such a hard time." Being very self aware and just very aware in general is kind of exhausting
I have yet to find out what works for me. So i might be taking some of your new found tips to use and see if maybe that works for me. I am on my anti depression and anti anxiety meds along with some other stuff and i dont feel any different other than tired all the time. So idk. But i love hearing you talk.
Unfortunately I can’t get on to watch you every time i want cause my life is crappy right now but it is so wonderful to come online to a new video that i can relate to or learn from or both.
Oh my goodness, so much of this matched my experience and I had no idea other people struggled with this?? I struggle with sleeping so much but especially as a kid. I remember usually being the last person awake in my house and I hated it because I felt so lonely and scared. Not being able to sleep made me panic, as a kid if my family was still out and about after a certain time (usually 10pm) I would cry and freak out because I should be in bed.
i need a text version of this video to send to anyone in my life who asks me about my sleep honestly.
i'm only 10 minutes in so far because i keep stopping and being taken aback by how close to my sleep situation everything you're saying is. i had similar experiences/needs at the same ages, i tried the exact same things (locations, reading, melatonin, lights off (but i needed them on because visual snow), etc) was at similar points with exercise (swimmer+basketball) and not having caffiene until i was older. now blue v energy drinks are just my safe drink lmao
also forgot to mention: i have adhd and autism, late diagnosed in 2021
I feel like most of what you described can be explained by ADHD more so than autism. Like the “needing to do many things at once”, “thinking quickly and constantly so you can’t rest”. Even having TV in the background strikes me as ADHD bc it shows your brain needs white noise/stimulation to calm down rather than being in a quiet and unstimulating environment to unwind, which would just cause your thoughts to compensate and go faster bc it’s boring.
I can relate completely with this. I would escape my house as a toddler and wonder the streets in the we hours of the morning; and usually ended in waking up my neighbor for cookies...at 3am. He was pretty good about it, and took me home. My parents had to security lock my bed room door. I always had sleep issues and was worse in high school, and i would lay awake thinking of all the relationships in school, or planning school projects, or preparing my mind for the next days events. I still experience this as an adult, and now it is relationships relating to my work and music careers. I recently applied and got a new job, which the whole month long of interview process, i slept on average 2 - 3 hrs a night. I got the job though, but once i got that job notice, I crashed and slept for week straight. I use a Hush Blanket, which is super comfy and helps, plus use a heat pad and fan, with a white noise machine; just to try and regulate a better nights sleep. I used tv or RUclips science videos with some success, but if my brain in turned on, i will indulge in the videos rather than relax for sleep. I used to get frustrated, but being this is always a present problem, i don't let it bother me too much now a days. Love the videos Paige, thank you for another awesome topic!😁
I have ADHD and "autistic traits", meaning I show a lot of signs of autism, but don't tick enough boxes so they could be explained by ADHD. I don't have autism but my mom and brother do, though we didn't know this until very recently.
I have the problem of my brain just never shutting off as well, and what really helped me is similar to what helped you. I listen to audio books to sleep. I need to have listened to it before and I like to have it play from two to six hours depending on when I have to wake up.
As a teen I would listen to music to fall asleep. I had problems because if I played the album once I wouldn't have fallen asleep by the time it was done, but if I put it on repeat it would still be playing by the time my alarm went off and I'd just sleep through it. One year I got a new CD player and when you put the album on repeat it would play four times. It was absolutely perfect and not something mom was aware of when she bought it, haha. My favorite albums to play to fall asleep to were my Iron Maiden albums.... Not the choice of most people 😂
Watching you pick at your hair is so soothing. I'm growing mine out again (brilliant quarantine idea to cut my hair up to my shoulders, I know) so I can do that instead of picking at my skin.
Also, yes, doing at least three things at once is a must.
I watch ASMR and that helps me sleep. I have to watch something engaging for a bit and then I'll start falling asleep, but i cant sleep with someone talking around me or at me, so then i swap to ocean or rain noises and then i sleep with that on.
I have ADHD and was recently diagnosed. I can say for sure that I am struggling with insomnia every single day. For me the tv is a big thing as well. as a kid I would always have my door open with light in the hallway and i always made sure i could hear the tv from the livingroom as well. same as you I would know how long it would take for the tv to turn of and if i hadn’t fallen asleep before that i wouldn't sleep that night. For me its all the thoughts in my head that is making it hard to sleep so when there is noise in the background it helps me refrain from my thoughts and just unconsciously focus on the sound from the tv. When I have explained this to my friends they thought it was weird and if I have a sleepover with my friends I have to bring headphones so I can fall asleep without bothering them.
I watch the tv show friends all the time just to go to sleep most of the time and I also got a weighted blanket witch helps sometimes
The hyperlexia and reading before bed... yes! Everyone always used to tell me “read before bed so you get tired” and I would always be like “are you insane??” I didn’t even connect those two because it has been a long time since I don’t sleep (I have medicine now lol) and I wasn’t diagnosed yet at that time so this just brought up some memories
Just get someone to type random gibberish or the same chapter or paragraph over and over again and read that. You can't get sucked in to a story if you know what to expect and/or if there isn't a story in the first place.
Oh my god these tips were so helpful! This entire video is like a mirror of myself. I don’t have autism, but I do have adhd, and I can also agree that sleeping is never routine. I really liked these tips and I honestly don’t have any because I am to adhd to actually try anything that might help me.
Autism->demand avoidance, ADHD->multiple racing thoughts. I relate.
I have problems sleeping too, always have and I'm certain that I have ADHD. I've always been annoyed that my friends and family could wake up at a set time and go to bed at a set time while I was constantly tired in the day and only awake at night. It feels like I'm being blamed for by bad sleeping patterns, like it's a personal fault but I can't help it. I fell asleep in school a lot and would nap the second I got home but then I'd stay up until midnight. I really related to you when you were talking about none of the advice working. I'm an avid reader and, yeah, I will finish a book once I start it.
At this point I'm just going in a cycle of having a normal sleep schedule and then watching it slowly slide away as I start feeling tired later and later. I'm thinking of getting professional help at some point but for now this was a big help.It's good to know other people struggle with sleeping.
I recommend that you reduce the amount of coffee and energy drinks if you want to sleep.
My best sleep things are either entering bed early with lights off and doing other things, or listening to audio books which causes the trying to stay awake process
Related to this video so much! I hate the dark not so much because I am scared, but because I can't see. Also really struggle with insomnia and would do the same thing where I calculate the hours. I also need sound to sleep and have my favorite sleep movie for when I am really struggling.
Your sleep journey is so so similar to mine. Insomnia my whole life until I decided to use my awake time for me time. I always wait until im exhausted to go to bed now and im asleep in less than 5 minutes. So interesting to hear someone else go through the same thing
Lifelong insomniac here. None of the standard treatments worked for me. These things did. Just throw them on your list of things to try, hopefully some of them will help someone.
Chelated Magnesium: 100mg giant pill. Do not crush or take extra or you risk IBS. This helps me stay asleep instead of waking up constantly through the night.
Cefaly Migraine Treatment: Expensive electronic device. It didn't do anything noticeable for my migraines, but it puts me to sleep, often while it's still attached to my head.
Room temperature less than 22°C: It took me years to figure out that's why I could only sleep in the basement.
Walking: 30 minutes a day used to be enough, until generalized anxiety hit. After that I needed 2-3 hours a day (which is a really long time). Mind-altering drugs brought that back to 30-60 min.
Swimming: This is very effective for me, but I live nowhere near the ocean and swimming pools are just kind of awful for me.
Reading: It must be something that bores me like history. It can't be something I dislike because then I just put it down, impatient to fall asleep. Interesting but boring is the key.
There was a period where I wore a really tight back brace to bed, and I'm jealous of my younger self bc that was the best I ever slept. Now I take naps (or try to) during the day to avoid work, stay up late numbing myself with RUclips and mindless games on my computer because I get anxious when I'm tired and can't focus on assignments that require writing or critical thought, take forever to get myself out of bed in the morning, and according to my watch am constantly waking up during the night. I think getting more exercise will help me sleep and get my body tired and not just my mind, hopefully help w/ motivation too. We'll see what I can do in 2022 I guess
ohmygod you articulated how i feel on adhd meds so well it is like i can suddenly just do things and the steps don’t seem so huge
I LOOOOOVE THE BACKGROUND
my insomnia has been so bad since i was a bebe. it wasnt until i got chronic fatigue that i could FINALLY go to sleep when i wanted to, and sometimes when i didnt want to
I am autistic and actually have never had any problems with sleeping. The only thing is when I was a baby, I could not sleep when it was quiet, so my parents put a radio in my room, blasted some music and I slept like crazy. Now I can sleep quietly and I can function really well if I get less sleep at night, it's just that I can get moody sometimes.