Burnout sleep

Yep that would be appropriate for stress recovery 

I often sleep less well and I can't relax and downshift my nervous system.

Light exercise has several important effects on the brain.

1. Dopamine and reward

• Exercise stimulates dopamine release in certain pathways (like the mesolimbic system).
• This makes you feel motivated, alert, and rewarded, which is part of why even a short walk or easy cycling can feel good.
• Dopamine also helps with focus, learning, and working memory, so it can help your mind feel sharper.

2. Other neurotransmitters

• Serotonin: light exercise improves mood and stabilises emotional states.
• Norepinephrine: boosts attention and energy levels.
• Endorphins: mild analgesic effect, can produce a calm “lifted” feeling.
• GABA (indirectly): exercise increases inhibitory controlled in the brain, helping reduce anxiety and stress responses over time.
• So the “edge‑off” calmness you sometimes get isn’t just dopamine — it’s a combination of these systems being activated and balanced.

3. Brain function and structure

Even light, consistent movement:

• improves blood flow and oxygen delivery to the brain
• stimulates neuroplasticity, helping neurons form new connections
• reduces inflammation and stress‑related cortisol levels
• enhances executive function (planning, regulating impulses, working memory)

4. Stress regulation

Light exercise gently activates the sympathetic nervous system (alertness) but also triggers parasympathetic rebound (calm afterward).

Over time, this helps regulate your stress response, which is especially useful if your nervous system is easily overwhelmed or prone to dysregulation.

5. Practical takeaway

Even modest amounts — 10–20 minutes of walking, stretching, gentle cycling — can:

• improve mood
• reduce mental fatigue
• provide a mild dopamine “baseline” boost
• help your brain recover from stress without exhaustion

I love the comparison with the star fish.  It captures how I felt yesterday perfectly!  I blocked out all sounds and was in complete blackness and I eventually unfurled from my foetus-like state once my body and senses were ready to face the day again :-)

I don't know about you, but with my family it's hard for them to understand and I get that, but it can be a real uphill battle and I find myself accepting their lack of understanding in order to resume the status quo.  It's cyclical because at some point I'm inevitably going to have another burnout.  I feel sad that they don't understand and I often end up withdrawing, sometimes mentally but often physically which I hate doing, but I have to. When two worlds collide! :-)

No. I couldn't think of anything worse than staying in bed all day. I am going through a very low phase right now, the worst in a while and completely burnt out but somehow my mind and body want to be busy. I find I feel better if I am moving, maybe it's the effect of moving on the body and mind, for me at least. Sitting still or staying in bed trying to sleep while I think I need at times, my mind refuses. 

Yeah I know how that feels…. You need to shut off from the world and recover like a little star fish growing their leg back (your brain is recovering from trauma) but your neurotypical partner and other people are forcing you to do the opposite of what you need to heal. It’s hard especially if you know you’re coming back to life and recovering slowly and they keep criticising you and keep criticising your progress because you’re not neurotypical and need a little longer. 

i have just seen this post having only just joined the community.  i am definitely in burnout at the moment and have been sleeping so much just recently due to the stresses of life, especially at this time of year.  having a demanding job, i have been quite overwhelmed the last couple of months, and now, having a 2-week break, i am sleeping so much.  not 24 hours but certainly 12 hour stretches have been quite common recently.  the job, being a dad to 2 children, the stress of christmas and socialising etc...it all adds up and i found myself in a foetal position in bed with my hood up and ear plugs in at 2pm today because i couldn't cope with setting up my new phone.  i needed it to be exactly like my old one as it has my life on it and it was just too hard.  it sounds ridiculous, but this was a real trigger, probably brought on by stress and the exhaustion of constantly masking. i'm feeling really quite down at the moment and find my partner who is neurotypical just doesn't get it.  i know i'll come out of this the other side, but being asd can be very isolating and exhausting sometimes hey.  

This is what I would normally do but I don’t have the capacity for that at total head burnout 

I prefer to be physically active (can be undemanding stuff like housework of walking) which keeps my motor skills active and frees up my mind for processing the stuff that is clattering about in my head.

I find naps are better as too much forced sleep gives me too many dreams about whatever led to the burnout. 

Also taking time to just sit and watch something like the sea or people in a park can be therapeutic too and helps calm the mind.

Yes i am im burnout at the moment. Alls i want to do is sleep. Everything I do takes it out of me