When I'm tired

[Soleil]

When I get tired, the little things that make me think I'm autistic seem to get dialed way up. I don't know if this is true for neurotypicals, but my tolerance levels drop drastically.

For example, normally I have problems with lights being too bright. But when I'm tired, lights start to really hurt, even if they're not that bright.
Sounds become even more irritating and painful.
I start to really not want to be touched, moreso than usual.

I also start to move, almost uncontrollably, like rocking, tapping, flapping, and such. I figure this is just my body's way of staying awake, though.
I think my social filter starts to fail, too; I meow a lot more, and I say things and make jokes that I normally wouldn't do.

I can also get irritable and more easily frustrated than usual. I know that part is fairly standard in NTs, too, but not as bad as with me, I think.

My friend says these things aren't common in NTs...

 

[_eri_bellehumeur]

I experience this as well. For the most part, I'm fairly high functioning, so most people just chalk me up to being "weird", but yeah if I haven't slept properly I'm barely recognizable as a human sometimes to be honest. Controlling impulses becomes impossible, so I have very erratic movements, verbal outbursts of complete gibberish, I am very sensitive to external stimulus, can breakdown easily, and am on the verge of violence if somebody tries to touch me. Since Covid, I haven't really had to be out of my home much, so when these impulses hit I can just do what I need to do but when I have been in a space where doing these things is going to cause me a lot of discomfort or attract attention for which there will be extremely awkward consequences I either need to leave the environment, or I sort of shut down- monosyllabic "yes/no" responses, complete avoidance of eye contact and touch, etc. One thing which I don't utilize nearly enough but has helped in the past is keeping a pen and pad of paper that I can scribble in, literally sometimes just drawing a particular shape over and over until I've expended enough energy and focus to pull myself together.

 

[Thinx]

Meowing is ok, but catterwauling often indicates restlessness. Try hugging a catnip filled cushion mmm. Well it works for me, but perhaps you are not actually a cat? If not, meowing is still perfectly acceptable.

Tiredness probably just reveals the more basic, unvarnished version of you that you can mask or socialise when less tired.

 

[Judge]

Absolutely. Whether through exhaustion or stress, my traits and behaviors are far likely to stick out to where I can't necessarily mask them for any amount of time.

 

[Sherlock77]

For anybody really, even NT's

When people get extremely tired, they can do some rather interesting things, that they would not normally do...

 

[Progster]

Yes, same here. If I'm tired, I reach overload point more quickly.

 

[SusanLR]

I get very quiet and shut down.

 

[Streetwise]

Meowing is ok, but catterwauling often indicates restlessness. Try hugging a catnip filled cushion mmm. Well it works for me, but perhaps you are not actually a cat? If not, meowing is still perfectly acceptable.

Tiredness probably just reveals the more basic, unvarnished version of you that you can mask or socialise when less tired.

It depends on how you react to catnip, if you are energised /aggressive pointless.

 

[Streetwise]

When I get tired, the little things that make me think I'm autistic seem to get dialed way up. I don't know if this is true for neurotypicals, but my tolerance levels drop drastically.

For example, normally I have problems with lights being too bright. But when I'm tired, lights start to really hurt, even if they're not that bright.
Sounds become even more irritating and painful.
I start to really not want to be touched, moreso than usual.

I also start to move, almost uncontrollably, like rocking, tapping, flapping, and such. I figure this is just my body's way of staying awake, though.
I think my social filter starts to fail, too; I meow a lot more, and I say things and make jokes that I normally wouldn't do.

I can also get irritable and more easily frustrated than usual. I know that part is fairly standard in NTs, too, but not as bad as with me, I think.

My friend says these things aren't common in NTs...

It would be if they were stressed they do it with low blood sugar.