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Sleep is Hard

A leg stretched out, resting on a dog
     
Sleep is a difficult thing to come by, and it's not just me. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have categorized insufficient sleep as a "public health problem" due to its prevalence and consequences. Among those consequences are difficulty concentrating, remembering, participating in hobbies, driving or taking public transportation, managing finances, and/or working.
[Source]

Problems with sleep are even more common in people, like me, who are autistic, mentally ill, chronically ill, or trauma survivors. This is especially frustrating since many of us already struggle with concentration, memory, travel, finances, work, etc.

Sometimes, pain, cluster headaches, or asthma keep me from sleeping at night. Here's what cluster headaches look like:
Shoulders-up view of a person with a cloth over their eyes laying in a bed
They feel a lot like migraines for me but are accompanied by restlessness. Other times, it's flashbacks, nightmares, paranoia or delusions that get in the way. I'm also a really light sleeper, and I tend to toss and turn and wake up a lot throughout the night. 

I'll probably never sleep as well as neurotypical people, but I have found some ways to sleep better over the years. Here are some of them:
  • A weighted blanket- A weighted blanket that is sufficiently heavy helps decrease the amount that I stim and tic at night. I used to end up knocking my limbs into the walls and waking myself up when it was bad.
  • My service dog- I realize this isn't an option for everyone, but her presence is comforting, and she'll often wake me up from nightmares. She also responds to the phrase "who's there" by letting me know if anyone/ anything is actually in the house, or if I'm experiencing paranoia.
  • A noise cancelling, drawstring headband from PangeaMea- It's pretty comfy, although not super flattering. I also use it to cover my eyes if I want to block out light.
  • A light filter, like F.lux, on my laptop and phone- This blocks out blue light in the evening to help with sleep.
  • Melatonin- This helps more with falling asleep than staying asleep.
  • ASMR- A quick Youtube search should provide plenty of videos.
  • Naps- I've realized that I can't sleep through the night whether I nap or not, so, if I have time and my body can sleep, I go with it. 
Everyone has different preferences and needs, but hopefully some of these things can help other people, too. 
[I wasn't paid to link anything in this blog post]





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