Insomnia

[Mia]

Insomnia is a frequent finding in adults with Asperger's Syndrome:

.. Clinicians with substantial experience in AS have noticed that anticipatory anxiety is a nearly universal feature of AS as a result of the developmental deficit in intersubjectivity and excessive adherence to routines inherent in AS. Both the temperament and character of AS adults predispose to anxiety [23], which might be difficult to classify in terms of present clinical anxiety disorders. Most AS subjects in the present study had one or more anxiety disorders but also the remaining ones displayed subthreshold anxiety symptoms. This is in accordance with the observation that those few AS subjects without axis-I and axis-II comorbidity also had symptoms of insomnia.
Insomnia is a frequent finding in adults with Asperger syndrome

Conclusions: http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/1471-244X-3-12
the neuropsychiatric deficits inherent of AS predispose both to insomnia and to anxiety and mood disorders. Therefore a careful assessment of sleep quality should be an integral part of the treatment plan in these individuals. Conversely, when assessing adults with chronic insomnia the possibility of autism spectrum disorders as one of the potential causes of this condition should be kept in mind.


Reducing Anxiety
Reducing anxiety is another important component to reducing the instance of insomnia for those with Asperger's. General anxiety, and thinking about problems, can impact the sleep of people with or without Asperger’s syndrome. However, since anxiety disorders frequently co-exist with Asperger’s syndrome, it is important to address factors that impact anxiety. Begin by looking at ways to reduce stress such as improving time management with visual schedules, academic supports, counseling or a job coach.

- See more at: http://www.healthguideinfo.com/aspergers-syndrome/p111783/#sthash.SUbMvlGk.dpuf

The last link has helpful information for parents of children with ASD or autism, to aid in reducing anxiety at bedtime.

Do you have insomnia?

 

[Progster]

I don't have difficulty getting to sleep, but have difficulty maintianing sleep. I either wake up frequently during the night, or wake up early in the morning and can't get back to sleep again. As a result, I feel sleepy during the afternoon, or sometimes feel tired in the morning too and can't concentrate well.

 

[Wireless]

I was considering starting a thread to ask people what they think of this article http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-16964783
It says that people never used to sleep for a solid 8 hours, but broke it up into chunks. I was wondering if people would sleep better that way, rather than trying to sleep for 8 hours in row.
I thought people might find it interesting.
I hope this doesn't hijack the post, but adds to it.

 

[clg114]

I have had insomnia off and on all of my life. For a period of time I sleep good and then I go though a period of not being able to go to sleep. When I can not go to sleep, it seems like I can not stop thinking about something. During these times I would like to be able just shut my mind off. My mind is a very busy place, I am always thinking about something. Not always important stuff, just stuff. Sometimes this keeps me awake.

 

[metalminx24]

Yes, that's why I'm usually commenting at 2am. I can never shut my brain up, despite taking several anti - anxiety and sleep meds. As for 8 hours, that's a funny joke right?!

 

[AsheSkyler]

Very, very rarely does anxiety and worries cause me to be sleepless. Most of the time it's simple sensory issues and their root cause that keeps me up at night. The light from dawn, the noise of the ceiling fan or A/C, the wind from the fan, my husband turning over in his sleep. Yup, my ears are so annoying that ceiling fans wake me up no matter how quiet they are. And my body tends to be on a slower schedule than most people, so when it's time for a schedule shift it's very difficult and somewhat painful to try to maintain my current schedule. I can cycle through the full 24 hours a few times a year if I was let be.

 

[nyxjord]

I've never had issues with insomnia but I've heard/observed that it is a common trait in many (not all) of us.

 

[wanderer03]

Mia That's pretty interesting. I wasn't aware of a comorbidity there. I have difficulties with sleep, mainly with violent, disturbing dreams that keep me from sleeping well. It wasn't until my doctor prescribed Seroquel and Remeron that I could sleep with simply mild, harmless dreams. Are yours vivid when you do sleep?

 

[moteel]

As a child I had trouble with sleeping. Everyone said I was a night owl. Now I know it was my aspie mind zooming along. My insomnia is bad. I just can't stop thinking. Light and sounds are a big no no. If I have problem or a argument I can't get it out of my head. Everyone else in the house could argue,yell or have discussions then turn over and sleep. I would just spin along wishing I could sleep. Lately I've had dreams of some sort. Usually that can mean I'm sleeping better. To get to sleep I have to start early. I take melatonin before and read a little. Then when its lights out I repeat a nonsense word over and over like meditation while sometimes tapping my fingers on the bed. I usually wake up twice about 2 & 4 am. If I'm lucky I go back to sleep. I also grind my teeth-bruxisum. Does anyone else do that? I have to wear small guard stop it. Now that was hard. Had to relearn to sleep with that thing.

 

[QueenBara]

I have had insomnia since I was, like, I think, 16? I've had issues sleeping all my life, especially if forced to sleep alone because I have severe anxiety when it comes to being alone at night, but never to the point had it been considered insomnia.

Before 16 I could fall asleep by 9 easy peasy, though I would always, without fail be awake around 5am. Then when I hit 16 suddenly I was staying up later and later. 10. 11. 12. Till I wasn't sleeping at all. At the time I hadn't been diagnosed with aspergers, only Bipolar, Depression, and ADHD. (I didn't get my autism diagnosis until I was 20, 21.) They hadn't even given me the Anxiety diagnosis, I got that this year. Nothing worked to help me sleep. It wasn't anxiety or anything that was keeping me up, more like the inability to get my brain to ever stop and the constant need to be thinking, talking, or doing something.

Now I take ambien to sleep, and even with that I can't go to sleep until I've spent at last half an hour indulging in ritualistic tactile diversion-- which sadly for me takes the form of dermatillomania at the moment, though I'm working to find something else I can do with my hands while I spend half an hour alone thinking before finally tucking in for the night. And even with my ambien and my tactile diversion I wake up everynight between 11 and 3 and have to fight my way back to sleep before waking back up between 5:30 and 7:30.

It's nice to know though that insomnia may be part of my autism, and that a lot of you guys have experienced problems with it. My mom and I have been wondering what caused mine, and what caused hers. (We'll probably never know for her. She's not autistic and her doctors haven't turned anything up....)

 

[Questella]

I also grind my teeth-bruxisum. Does anyone else do that?

I grind my teeth too sometimes, I try not too, sometimes I just let myself chew on soft plastic or straws just to try to save my teeth a little.

 

[Mia]

I was considering starting a thread to ask people what they think of this article http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-16964783
It says that people never used to sleep for a solid 8 hours, but broke it up into chunks. I was wondering if people would sleep better that way, rather than trying to sleep for 8 hours in row.

Wireless Interesting article about sleep patterns pre industrial revolution, not considered that people didn't sleep eight hours before the advent of lights. Have a tendency to wake after four hours or so of sleep, perhaps thats normal and shouldn't cause so much anxiety.

 

[Aspieistj]

I have had severe insomnia since I was a small child. I am retired and live alone now and I allow myself to sleep whenever my body can. I have a distinct pattern of not being able to sleep between the hours of 12 MN and 6 AM. It doesn't matter if I have napped during the day or not. For the most part, I can now sleep whenever I choose and I consider this a huge advantage of being retired and living alone. I would love to have a sleep study done but can't afford to pay for it. Twice a year, when the clocks change, my circadian rhythms go bonkers!

 

[Nisk]

I had problems sleeping as well as a kid. My mom would put on the old radio dramas so I could listen to them well trying to sleep (in retrospect it gave me something to focus on other then my thoughts). As I got older I would read before bed but that would sometimes end up with me getting so absorbed in the book I'd read all night. Eventually technology progressed to the point I could listen to stories at night again through websites like podiobooks.com. And audible.com. I've also started taking magnesium/calcium supplements in the last 4 years right before bed. Magnesium helps with the tossing, turning and muscle spasm well trying to fall asleep. I now usually have no problems sleeping now or at least no more then most people.

 

[Questella]

but that would sometimes end up with me getting so absorbed in the book I'd read all night.

I totally did this, the school tried to tell me to read to help me to go to sleep earlier but I just ended up reading until like 4am instead of my normal going to bed at midnightish (all before highschool age)

 

[asd8513]

I have insomnia as well

 

[Mia]

I don't have difficulty getting to sleep, but have difficulty maintaining sleep. I either wake up frequently during the night, or wake up early in the morning and can't get back to sleep again. As a result, I feel sleepy during the afternoon, or sometimes feel tired in the morning too and can't concentrate well.

Have similar sleep patterns Progster, in that I wake up often. It's been like that for years. Don't know any real ways to change that, other than exercise working for me sometimes, like a light walk two or so hours before bedtime. Do you do anything to help yourself sleep more deeply? Or is it a permanent pattern for you? Mine seems to be.

I have had insomnia off and on all of my life. For a period of time I sleep good and then I go though a period of not being able to go to sleep. When I can not go to sleep, it seems like I can not stop thinking about something. During these times I would like to be able just shut my mind off. My mind is a very busy place, I am always thinking about something. Not always important stuff, just stuff. Sometimes this keeps me awake.

It's the anxiety of overthinking stuff, an appointment for something, a visit, a short trip or a phone call from a family member will keep me from sleeping properly for weeks. Go though periods usually in the winter where I sleep really well, but those really good ones are only once in awhile. It might be age too clg114, as I've gotten older sleep is a bit lighter as well, probably is something like that for most people.

Yes, that's why I'm usually commenting at 2am. I can never shut my brain up, despite taking several anti - anxiety and sleep meds. As for 8 hours, that's a funny joke right?!

Wish there was a way to stop thinking as soon as I try to sleep, like being able to turn our active thoughts off like a light and just dream. I drink herbal teas like camomile, and st. john's wort and they usually help.

Most of the time it's simple sensory issues and their root cause that keeps me up at night. The light from dawn, the noise of the ceiling fan or A/C, the wind from the fan, my husband turning over in his sleep. Yup, my ears are so annoying that ceiling fans wake me up no matter how quiet they are.

Lately they have been building nearby, so trucks with sand go up and down my street, at six in the morning. So now instead of seven I wake up at six. My hearing drives me crazy as well, it's much too sensitive AsheSkyler, know a bit how that is. Tried earplugs but can't stand things in my ears, guess you can't win. Wish things weren't so complicated. Sometimes wish I could sleep like I did as a kid.

Now I know it was my aspie mind zooming along. My insomnia is bad. I just can't stop thinking. Light and sounds are a big no no.

Always thought that it was just me, the zooming thoughts. Now I don't feel as if I'm such a 'freak' as my sis used to say. My insomnia seems to be related to what's going on in my life, but like you I can't sleep with too many thoughts in my head, wish I could.

 

[Mia]

It wasn't anxiety or anything that was keeping me up, more like the inability to get my brain to ever stop and the constant need to be thinking, talking, or doing something.

It seems to be quite common that people can't turn their thoughts off, that they are continually rethinking things. Have been that way most of my life, and it is related to ASD. Usually take something like an over the counter sleeping pill if it's really bad.

I grind my teeth too sometimes, I try not too, sometimes I just let myself chew on soft plastic or straws just to try to save my teeth a little.

I have a sort of plastic thing that hockey players wear in their mouths, can't get used to it though, also grind my teeth too.

For the most part, I can now sleep whenever I choose and I consider this a huge advantage of being retired and living alone.

Semi retired now, and will be fully retired in 2016, I too do that when I can, seem to sleep better during the day at times. Depending on how active I've been, only wish all my neighbours were a little quieter.

I've also started taking magnesium/calcium supplements in the last 4 years right before bed. Magnesium helps with the tossing, turning and muscle spasm well trying to fall asleep. I now usually have no problems sleeping now or at least no more then most people.

That actually might be something I'd try, usually do herbal tea, but anything that would help with this is worth trying.

I have insomnia as well

Seems that many people on the site have similar sleeping problems. Can't seem to turn my brain off. Wish there was a miracle cure for this one.

 

[23andaspie]

I've always had trouble initiating sleep, way back as a child, as far back as I can remember. Staying asleep has typically not been a longstanding problem, but chronic daytime sleepiness would result because of the inadequate amount of sleep I would get on most nights. In attempts to alleviate my symptoms, I've gone through much experimentation including melatonin, supplements (valerian root), diphenhydramine (Benadryl), doxylamine, and prescription medications, to some success. The problem is that the more potent agents, such as benzodiazepines (I was prescribed ativan/lorazepam short term for insomnia and anxiety) are not implicated for long-term use due to their high dependence potential as well as negative effects on cognition.

I can't reference any specific studies off the top of my head, but my general understanding is that the high co-morbidity of insomnia amongst the autistic population could be explained in terms of disproportional levels of glutamate/GABA in the central nervous system. Glutamate is excitatory and GABA is inhibitory -- and it is believed that autistics have excessive glutaminergic and low GABA-ergic activity.

 

[Progster]

Have similar sleep patterns Progster, in that I wake up often. It's been like that for years. Don't know any real ways to change that, other than exercise working for me sometimes, like a light walk two or so hours before bedtime. Do you do anything to help yourself sleep more deeply? Or is it a permanent pattern for you? Mine seems to be.

About an hour before I go to bed, I switch off my PC and lie in bed and read until I feel really sleepy. I also have blackout curtains so the morning light doesn't wake me up, and wear earplugs so I'm not disturbed by the traffic. Also, I don't eat late at night. I sleep better in winter than in summer, in part because I can use my thick, cosy, warm, heavy winter duvet