I Want To Own Pets No Other Human Wants Because That's Exactly What Will Help Them Help Us When We Get

Just yesterday, already tired, I tried to go to sleep but I felt like I literally forgot how to fall asleep.

I slept like an hour even though I barely slept the night before??

Do I need to buy more plushies? Is there some kind of sleep chant I need to listen to?

Source ~ Neurodivergent Insights

ADHD and Autistic Sleep

Part One: Sleep Struggles

Neurodivergent Sleep 101

Both ADHD and autism are associated with several sleep issues, including:

Insomnia

Sleep Walking

Sleep Terrors

Sleep apnea

Sleep paralysis

Narcolepsy

Flattened melatonin curve

Circadian rhythm sleep disorders (CRSD)

Restless leg syndrome

Sleep Stats: Autism

Nearly 80% of Autistic children age 2 to 5 have sleep problems (Reynolds et al., 2019).

Autistic people tend to get less REM sleep. On average, we spend about 15% of our sleep in REM sleep (Allistics, on average, spend 25% in REM sleep). This means we need MORE sleep to get the same amount of REM as the average person (Buckley et al., 2010; Neumeyer et al., 2019).

Autistic people are more likely to experience insomnia, which includes everything from difficulty falling asleep to night waking and early morning rising (Furfaro, 2020).

Autistic people are more likely to have gene mutations that impact melatonin regulation & circadian rhythms (Furfaro, 2020).

Sleep Stats: ADHD

As many as 83% of ADHDers experience sleep disturbances, including nonspecific sleep disruptions, parasomnias, hypersomnia, and limb movement disorders (Sobanski, 2008).

Approximately 25-50% of ADHDers struggle with:

• Insomnia

• Circadian rhythm sleep disorders

• Narcolepsy

• Restless leg syndrome

• Sleep-disordered breathing

Nightmares and insomnia are also common among ADHD children. Up to 70% of ADHD children have sleep difficulties (Sciberras, 2020).

Causes of Neurodivergent Sleep Struggles

Common co-occurring conditions such as anxiety, depression, and gastrointestinal disorders can interfere with sleep.

Sensory sensitivities can interfere with sleep

Sensory sensitivity to light can cause a person to avoid light during the day, further disrupting their circadian rhythm.

It is more common to have breathing-related sleep disorders, which can impact the quality of sleep.

ADHDers and Autists are more likely to have gene mutations that impact melatonin regulation and circadian rhythms. (Van der Heijden et al., 2007; Yan et al., 2020).

Health Consequences

On average Neurodivergent people experience less REM sleep. REM sleep is valuable for several reasons:

• We consolidate learning and memory during REM Sleep

• It is vital for physical and mental health

• REM sleep is critical for detoxing the brain • Less REM sleep affects serotonin and dopamine, influencing mood and mental health

• Disruptions to REM sleep impact neurotransmitters, which have implications for mood, sleep cycles, and more.

When we are sleep deprived, we are more likely to

• Be in car accidents

• Experience heightened pain and sensory difficulties,

• Have difficulty regulating emotions

• Have less resilience to stress

• Struggle with executive functioning

Sleep Supports

Throughout this sleep series I will be introducing the six "Buckets of Sleep Support" I draw from to support neurodivergent sleep struggles.

Sleep Hygiene

Sensory Supports

Relaxation Strategies

Sleep Stimulus

Sleep Routine

CBT-I

"Surely I am faking this" I tell myself crying quietly and alone. "I am doing this for attention", I sob.

"surely im faking this," i think, directly experiencing all the symptoms nd not benefiting from it at all

Gonna stop calling myself 'weird' and replace that with 'interesting'.

Yet another reminder that faking is a conscious choice that you make.

It is not something you can do accidentally, regards of what you're talking about.

You can't accidentally fake depression, or anxiety, or bipolar disorder, or schizophrenia, or any other mental illness.

You can't accidentally fake Borderline Personality Disorder, Histrionic Personality Disorder, personality disorders.

You can't accidentally fake ADHD, autism, Tourette's Syndrome, auditory processing disorder, aphasia or any other neurodivergence

You can't accidentally fake being trans or ace-spec or aro-spec or any other LGBTQIA+ identity.

You can't accidentally fake chronic illnesses like CFS, fibromyalgia or any chronic illness.

You also can't accidentally fake being good/intelligent at something. You didn't fool your peers into reaching your position.

You can't accidentally fake trauma, PTSD/cPTSD, DID/OSDD/DDNOS or any other trauma-based disorder.

Tldr:

Faking is a conscious choice.

You cannot do it by accident.

If you are worried that you are faking, that in itself is proof that you are not.

"I am confusion"

- the vine the describes my whole life

This sounds like an amazing introduction to his autobiography

mar chrysler

when i type '!!' separately after various words and phrases that is because !! is a word herself. learn this rule

Wild how just being allowed to do the "if it looks stupid but it works" fixes to regulate your mood actually fixes things?? Like your mood is now successfully regulated because you were allowed to do that. Had to sit in a car for 3,5 hours straight today - we were supposed to take a break every hour or so but because of trucks and other traffic nonsense we could only manage one stop during the whole way, and by the end side I was so irate and agitated I was pissing myself off with it, I had been Sitting Too Long, it was hot, I could feel bedsores developing on my ass and the back of my thighs, I was getting mad about my face being oily and ugly and the sun was touching me and I was too angry to wear shoes.

And just when we were just about to get home, and needed to stop for something, found the shop closed, and the next one was a 3 minute drive away, I was not going back into the car. I get that my boyfriend had been sitting right next to me and driving takes more out of him than being a passenger takes out of me, but I was done being in the Hurty Confinement Box, I can't make myself go back in and he can't make me. I'm walking there, it's a 3 minute drive and it's going to take like 15-20 minutes by foot but I NEED to walk.

And he was just like "alright I'll meet you there" and I angry-speedwalked there, mentally and physically cooling down and decompressing, and was completely fine once I got there.

Funny how just being allowed to do the stupid shit you need to do for the betterment and maintenance of your mental state actually does, indeed, help improve and maintain a better mental state.

I should do that, but I either:

- fizzle out in doubt 3 seconds into asking if you want popcorn and weird myself out as well

- focus my entire being on my motives of asking if you want popcorn to make sure it's not a weird impulse

- stay happy and say wrong thing ("I hate popcorn with you"), continue watching the movie oblivious, and after few weeks of this you'll think I'm passive aggressively eating that popcorn, because I'm still insisting on popcorn each movie night, and said a dozen other (untrue) things

because that's what ADHD taught me. I need to communicate, with care.

if you ever want to talk to someone. talk to them!!! if you ever want to be friends with someone. talk to them!!!! if you ever face any issues and need help. ask for help!!!! if you are uncomfortable in a situation. express yourself!!! if you like someone. tell them!!! life is not going to take you anywhere if you do not act. cliche and all but life is actually too short to think too much about your normal actions. sometimes, you just need to communicate.