Published on 12, July, 2020
I feel exhausted after work. OK, many people, ND and NT do. It often feels like autistic exhaustion and I can't do anything else that day and sometimes not the next either (I work two days a week). But over the last few months (I'm not sure when exactly), "exhausted" has become light-headed, dizzy, faint and generally unwell, although articulating more precise symptoms than "unwell" is hard. Sometimes it persists into the next day.
Has anyone else experienced autistic exhaustion like this?
Unfortunately, there are a lot of other potential suspects to eliminate:
- dehydration (but it doesn't always go after drinking).
- low blood sugar (but it doesn't always go after eating).
- low blood pressure (I do have low blood pressure, but this doesn't seem like a normal 'standing up too fast' headrush and lasts a long time).
- medication side-effects (entirely possible, but I haven't changed meds for a while, so it seems strange that it would just start).
- sleep issues (I'm being investigated for a sleep disorder, so it could be tiredness related to that, although sometimes it persists after sleeping).
Thanks for helping!
Just bumping this thread - I've been struggling with eyelids drooping, feeling very sleepy and dizzy and some muscle weakness at work for about a year on and off now. Blood tests all came back normal and I'm wondering if it's just autistic burnout?
Did you get any answers since this post was made?
Thank you :)
It could be burnout. There's a wide range of symptoms of autistic burnout and it affects everybody differently.
Reassuring that your tests came back clear, hopefully that will bring you a small comfort.
With burnout resting is key so you need to get as much rest as possible and hopefully your symptoms will improve.
That's how I diagnosed my own burnout as I also went to the doctor and had tests but all came back clear for me as well.
I read about burnout and started to rest and do less and gradually my symptoms started to ease and improve.
My burnout symptoms were similar to Luftmentsch and I also had extreme dizziness and light sensitivity.
Also hope things have improved for you OP and you're feeling better than when you made this post.
Thank you for the reply.
I'm resting as much as I can in between the demands of work and study but it doesn't make for the most exciting life. I can definitely recognise those light/sound sensitivities as a trigger for the exhaustion and lying down in a quiet room to let my brain cool off (not necessarily sleeping) has been working for me.
The issue is that at work I don't have the same opportunity to rest and I've resorted to taking a few minutes of rest in the bathroom when I get that exhausted. It's not good enough but it's all I have at the moment.