Sleep!!!

However, if ADHD is involved and not just Autism, one has to look at biological Steroids, hormone levels and possibly research the effects of SSRIs on neuroplasticity such as this paper https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/marine-science/articles/10.3389/fmars.2020.603789/full 

Professionals seem all over the place on all of this. If I read about how the brain works, it seems to me hyper-signalling is involved. 

Some neurotransmitters aren't affected, others are. I do recall reading a paper recently that stated companies were trying to make antidepressants which wouldn't affect certain GABA neurotransmitters to the degree some do. There is an Alphabet of different types of GABA, but the umbrella term appears used quite often to refer to what they all seem to do.

It seems mushroom contain building blocks for these neurotransmitters, so it's a good long-term support. I also recommend Ashwaganda for long term. Feel Gud has a mushroom + ashwaganda combination. Sunshine is worth seizing when the opportunity arises as well. 

But in a pinch, there is literally a drug designed to boost GABA. I'm quite big on Moderation, so would never suggest a long-term use. But having been given a small prescription, found it enabled me to think clearly and aid sleep: no sleep can be deadly, so better of two evils. That clarity of thought was all that was needed to begin to fix the external problem causing unnecessary stress-induced-anxiety. And it took a long time to get to where I rarely need a medical-grade boost. 

One thing I have stressed is that Autistics are using the term "Anxiety" when we often need to use the word "stress" - and by stress, emphasise the biological effects. Because Anxiety in NT-speak has come to mean a type of paranoia as that appears to be the instigator for most NT anxious thought. 

There are still mixed studies and it could depend on the brand. But a quick search pulls this https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/20/17/4247

Then there's ones where the anti depressant boosts one kind of transmitter but lowers another. It's a bit all over the map right now if you peel through these journals.

What I know for certain is what I've experienced, which is why I state this. 

Also, a lot of the 'sleep tips' I find online are borderline useless. They say stuff like 'if you can't get to sleep within 20 mins, get up and do something relaxing until you feel sleepy!!'

Uh no. I AM sleepy. I am SO exhausted. My brain and my body want to sleep but I can't actually fall asleep. 

I find listening to audiobooks through headphones helps a lot. While listening it seems to stop my mind from thinking about loads of other things and the noise cancelling part blocks out unwanted sounds. If I don’t get back to sleep then at least I’m learning something, generally after a couple of chapters I’m asleep.

Hi George, 

We are sorry that you are having difficulty sleeping. You may want to see our resource 'sleep and autism': https://www.autism.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/topics/physical-health/sleep 

Kind Regards,

Rosie Mod

I wrote something about your post about SSRIs lowering gaba. I just said that this is not the case. You know serotonin is quite similar to GABA actually as serotonin is the second biggest inhibitory neurotransmitter. This is why it works so well for anxiety disorders amongst many people. However autism is more complex than giving an SSRI for it. But yeh they do help. I haven’t heard about lions mane mushrooms. Are they good for gaba? I take the vitamins B6 for GABA production it works for me. Only supplement I have tried that actually works. I don’t understand the mechanism for why it works but it does for me. Probably the fact that it is like a CNS depressant that turns glutamate (excitatory) into GABA and kinda shuts down the excitation. Yeh it’s cool. 

No this is not correct. SSRIs do not lower gaba at all. They increase serotonin (another inhibitory transmitter similar to GABA). Serotonin and gaba work together to boost each others effects. Serotonergic antidepressants do inadvertently actually increase gaba. But they don’t do this very significantly. Whilst SSRIs may make you more confident. They do not cure anxiety as serotonin could be seen as a weaker longer acting version of gaba. GABAs effects are more immediate and powerful as it is the main inhibitory neurotransmitter. Never the less I don’t recommend you stop the SSRI especially if you feel worse coming off. That is a sign that it does do something. Have you ever tried vitamin B6 it increases serotonin and GABA? It is the main building block of gaba in fact. I take B6 everyday and it makes me drowsy and very relaxed. But it does take a few months to get full effects for me anyway. But having said that if you want to try B6 obviously speak with your doctor if you feel there is some concern with it. But yeh compared to addictive drugs like alcohol or benzos I’d definitely say B6 is safer when used appropriately. Hope this helps.

George said:

i cant sit still so even when i do all this it still dont wear me out its weird cos ya think it would, its as if me brain consistently needs stimulation with an activity or information.

This sounds very much like ADHD - and it responds well to medication which should also help with all the other issues you mention.

I would recommend speaking to your GP about it and asking for a referral to be assessed.

ASD and ADHD are quite common to exist together from what I have read here.

George said:

ive just started journaling and im finding it hard on what to write

Instead of just stopping at the end of day and trying to dump the contents of your mind onto the page, maybe keep it beside you in the evening and write down the subjects you are thinking about that have any anxiety factor associated with them.

By the time it comes bedtime then you can work through the list of these topics and maybe use a process like mind mapping or just creating a list of things to do or research the next day.

Until you get the ADHD from wrecking everything it is unlikely to work well as your attention span won't let you complete the task, will make you anxious about it and further sabotage your attempts to sleep.

That sounds a challenge all those noises. The only suggestion I have which helps is listening to quiet music before going to bed and sometimes to help me drop off to sleep. My son who is also autistic turns on a fan when he is ready to sleep. He finds the cool air helpful but it also blocks out other sounds.

Yeah tried them, dont work, but im exactly like you but cant sleep during day defo not. 

iain i curently go to the gym 5-6 days a week and also have a whippet where i do 4 miles a day with him also. The gym is more of a compulsion and i need to go i cant not go. i walk the same route every day with my dog aswell and according to my apple watch readings im doing 140-160mins of excersize a day plus i cant sit still so even when i do all this it still dont wear me out its weird cos ya think it would, its as if me brain consistently needs stimulation with an activity or information.

ive just started journaling and im finding it hard on what to write i just find that if i write whatever comes into my head seems to help but i dont know. 

I cant read a book either ive tried but i havnt got the attention span to read my brain just reverts to something else to stimulate it something active or a thought thats came into me head to look up on google. 

I watch the same films on tv to cant seem to watch anything different and when i do i lose concentrationand put something on ive seen a 100 times back on. 

its nuts......

This is exactly me, Its awful....I bought a cheap snooze band but can i hell listen to anything i love absolute quiet and dark but i do love the feel of the anoozeband around me head and eyes its very soothing. Thank you 

Im only on Sertraline 100mg but i have been on endless amounts of  medication to help me in the past. So now i just take this im not even sure if this works but i know it absolutely destroys me trying to come off when GP trys to change it. 

Thanks for that reply, i have been backwards and forwards to my GP in regards to sleep. Im currently having CBT and doing Sleep Diarys But its absolutely draining, I can not sleep during day at all im constantly on the go!

I have found to not worry about insomnia I nap in the day and do not get to stressed about night sleeping.I do think however talk to your GP as there may an underlying cause or therapy could help.Pills are another option but not sleeping pills they are addictive

In my experience and from helping other autistics, if you've been given SSRIs or anti depressants or anything which further lowers GABA, it will make it worse as this is the gut-brain axis which also helps regulate sleep, aids filtering external stimuli and calm excited out-of-control and looping thoughts. I take a mushroom based nootropics supplement daily with Lions Mane and Reishi. Always recommend a healthy dose of mushrooms to boost this.

I struggle with sleep too! Most nights I'm lucky if I get five hours sleep, and out of that I'll be up every hour, so I rarely get two hours of consecutive sleep. Any little noise or difference makes it very hard for me to 'drift off'. I bought a basic snoozeband and now listen to my hypnotherapy tracks through that, but if I do fall asleep during those 30 mins I generally wake up again before the end. I have lots of rain/storm/ocean sounds saved on YouTube, I find the ones that run for 8+ hours and have no mid play adverts, and dark screens. Weighted blankets don't work for me, I get too warm at night so prefer lighter layers I can chuck off as needed. The morning fatigue is dreadful, it's so demoralising to wake up each morning feeling like you've been steamrollered and have to go through the day when all you want to do is sleep

Two things I can think of:

1 - tire yourself out physically before bed. e.g. hard cardio session at the gym followed by a hot shower, earplugs (not loop, just the ones that look like a christmas tree) and an eyemask. If the gym isn't an option then a bit of self pleasure is an effective option for some.

2 - learn meditation and there are exercises from this that let you focus on relaxing your body starting from your toes and often by the time you get to your upper body you are already dropping off.

Cut out all stimulants (alcohol, caffeine and sugar) from about 7pm and get into a habit of journaling before bedtime (ie write out all the stuff you are thinking about, what you need to do the next day, things to remember to research etc so you mind is not trying to process anything or remember it.

Also avoid screens for at least an hour before bed - go to read a physical book (not newspaper or anything anxiety inducing like a horror story).

Those would be my off the cuff suggestions.

Have you tried weighted blankets? I find they help but I do struggle to sleep. I was awake at 3am but snoozed until 5.30am when I gave up but I do not worry about it and accept it. I find a midday nap helps with my energy levels. I also had my bedroom soundproofed and that makes it more calmer. 

I oversleep, due to my meds.

Today, I didn't get up until 1:30 pm.