Published on 12, July, 2020
I’m currently struggling with my sleep. My sleep pattern is strange. I’ll get to sleep at around 10.30pm then I’ll wake around 2am then about an hour later get back to sleep until 6am.
The problem is that I feel tired during the afternoon, since I’ve been off work I’ve been sleeping in the afternoons. It just feels I’m always wanting to sleep.
Is this normal.
I am worrying too much myself, it has got me having trouble sleeping.
Sometimes we build worry chains that can take over our brain waves...
I struggle to fall asleep at night.
Once I am asleep, I dream/remember dreaming a lot.
I tend to wake in the very early hours and be very wake but often if I stay in bed and listen to an audiobook then after an hour or so I'll fall back asleep again.
I wear a Fitbit... I have no idea how accurate they are but I like data... It suggests that I struggle to sleep deeply... This seems reasonable based on my own experience and what others have told me when I've shared a room for the night...
I too often need an afternoon nap. I find it helps me function better in the evenings when I have activities I attend.
Napping helps my mental well-being too. I generally feel better able to cope and calmer after a nap.
A psychologist suggested to me that you should nap before 3pm if you need to to avoid affecting your nighttime sleep.
Sometimes I need lots of sleep and sometimes I need much much less.
I think sleep problems are thought to be common amongst autistic individuals. I've recently heard of some new research regarding this very topic.
Are you physically run down as well? I know from previous posts you are under alot of emotional stress. I only ask as when I'm under stress my eating gets unpredictable and I get anemia which leaves me constantly tired.
However my daughter who we believe is asd only sleeps about 3-5 hours a night and not all at once and she has done so for the last 5 years, which I keep being told is normal!
So I guess it depends on you, if you normally sleep well and are struggling now might be worth talking to gp
I've always struggled with sleep. I go through phases where it's hard to get to sleep or I wake up very early or I wake up a lot or I have a split sleep where I wake for a long time in the middle. Or a combination of the above. I have for a long time taken to sleeping when I get in from work. At the moment I'm actually sleeping really well (for me anyway) and I still feel the need to sleep when I get in.
When I had my assessment my assessor asked about whether I get tired. I said I did and he suggested it is from the effort I have to put into interaction.
yep!
I'm like you in that I largely go to sleep fairly quickly, around 10.30. Then I frequently wake in the night and am restless for an hour or so. then go back to sleep until wake at 6sih. Unfortunately no afternoon naps for me on work days, but I usually fall asleep on the sofa (either intentionally or not) early evening. At weekends i will purposefully nap on the sofa, for between 30 mins and 2 hours.