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What's up with poor sleep and tantrums?

P

Pinecones

Well-Known Member
So I'm having one of those days where I just didn't quite get enough sleep after an exhausting day and I forced myself out of bed even though I knew I 'needed' more sleep. My body is very particular about getting just the right amount of sleep. Now I have this background tension, some physical anxiety, foggy headedness, irrational agitation, and inexplicable urge to fall apart and cry for no reason. Everything is 100x more difficult.
I describe feeling like this as being "a 4 year old that missed nap time". It's REALLY hard to push through and it eats up my day if I don't go back to sleep for awhile; which a lot of times you can't just 'go back to bed' in the middle of the day. Like today.

So what exactly is happening in the brain and body? Why does it do this? Wouldn't it be enough to just feel tired or slow? Why the urge to cry, and the crankiness, and the frustration with EVERYTHING? My brain and body want to have a total toddler tantrum; screech and throw inanimate objects and start bawling! >____> Why?!
And, less importantly, is this an ASD thing or do NT's get this way, too?
 
I think everyone gets cranky and irritable without the right amount of sleep so it's hard to say how much is normal and how much is ASD. :)
I remember when I was trying to adjust to nightshift and I would take a Benadryl to help sleep during the day. I realized I can't take Benadryl or anything with it - diphenhydramine. And with this opportunity I'd like to pass on some information for anyone older than 50 and taking anything with diphenhydramine in it not to. The amount of water in your body decreases by over half as you get older and diphenhydramine will deplete that even more. I know this from taking a specialty course in geriatrics. All those meds with PM on the label has diphenhydramine in it.
 
When I don't get my sleep I feel like a tired zombie, and if others aren't understanding or even push me to think or do stuff fast I get irritated so it is related to how tired and dizzy i am without sleep.
 
I have narcolepsy AND complex sleep apnea. I can fall asleep anywhere anytime, but I wake frequently. One of my sleep studies showed 20 wakenings per hour average.
A good night's sleep is something I haven't had since my early teens. I'm 65 now
 
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