Autism and Interoception

Hi, I was wondering if anyone could shed any light on interception for me and if they can relate to my experiences.

I can often tell when I'm hungry (and it's usually sudden) but I can't tell when I'm full until I stand up from eating and then feel absolutely awfully full. I will often get the urge to pee desperately but then just forget and then my body will remind me a couple of hours later that I still need to pee, by which time l'll need to run to the bathroom before I wet myself. I usually hold my pee for hours. I'm not really sure what the feeling of thirst is for most, but for me it feels like a headache, dry lips and sore throat. I often forget to drink for hours. For example yesterday I woke up and knew that I felt dehydrated, but didn't have a drink for 2 hours.

Generally, I will feel my bodies signals but then l ignore them and they go away then when they come back they're urgent and I feel unwell. This particularly happens when I'm hyper focused.

Does anyone share my experiences?

Parents
  • For me it's mainly not having enough fluids, and finding it hard to know whether I'm full up or not. I often don't know I need to drink till be being dry mouthed, harsh headache, and nauseous. Eating wise I have to discipline myself  not to go totally overboard. It's easier here, with its relative lack of takeaways, than it was in Essex. Where I had umpteen choices via Just eat , and takeaway menus put through my letterbox.

  • firemonkey; I'm with you re. fluids, I often just forget to drink, sometimes going all day before getting a headache which will make me aware. I then have to, sip by sip, start to catch-up.

    I'm sure it's unhealthy.

    Ben

  • So is not feeling thirst an autistic thing? I never feel thirsty, even after exercise, didn't realise it was autism related.

Reply
  • So is not feeling thirst an autistic thing? I never feel thirsty, even after exercise, didn't realise it was autism related.

Children
  • Cloud44, I've just searched the forum for 'thirst' and then 'thirsty'. I recall it coming up some time ago.  There are two or three threads on the topic so it could be an autism thing; however, we would need to ask the same question to a few allistic folk to be sure.

    Ben