#sleep disorder

[cringecorp]

so. i do this thing where i wake up still half-asleep, write a note in my phone, and then fall back asleep and forget about it completely until i find the note later.

and i need to show you all some of these because ?????

[miinobobeano]

It bothers me so much that the healthcare system relies so much on the patient's ability to advocate for themselves, organize their history, and be so persistent against every medical “professional” who says there’s nothing wrong/they can do. But so many struggle with fatigue, brain fog, and face such ingrained systemic barriers, that the people who need and deserve help and support can’t access it.

I saw something recently that resonated with me: “Access shouldn't depend on who has the energy to fight for it.” And I’ve never agreed with anything more.

[purrfurnax]

[directactionforhope]

Sleep, insomnia, and sleep schedule are all disability and accessibility issues.

Period.

[cadaverkeys]

SLEEPSOMNIA!

A short comic about comorbidity rates between autism and various sleep disorders, from autistic people's own reports and accounts of their experiences.

I originally made this for #asdcomictakeover 2023, but my schedule was woeful and I didn't get it finished until many months after autistic acceptance month. But I figured I should have it somewhere on the internet before 2024 rolls around. Thanks for reading! Please understand that I'm just one person and I'm by no means a medical authority. This is not a diagnostic tool, but it does highlight the reality that many autistic people face with chronically disordered sleep patterns. I hope it can help for autistic people to seek help and feel understood if they fall into these comorbidities.

[parliamentrook]

Part of why I didn’t date for ages is because I thought my non24 would be too much for someone to deal with.

Boyfriend mentally keeps track of my forward shift and sends me a good morning text when he estimates I’ll be getting up, and he’s very good at it.

He’s gotten up early for breakfast dates when I’m nocturnal and it’s my “dinner” time and is great in general at being adapting to my schedule.

He’s fine with making future plans knowing well that we may need to be flexible or even cancel if my sleep is off.

Last week I made a comment that I wish I could predict the shift longer term. He immediately texted some techie friends and one of them is working on an app to make a calendar with a shifting time slot.

[clearmindtips]

sometimes the fog hits the day after you did “too much.”

you had a good day. maybe you pushed yourself a little. cleaned. socialized. ran errands.

and now your brain feels like it shut down.

you cannot think clearly. reading is hard. conversations feel overwhelming. it is not just tired. it is heavy. thick. consuming.

post exertional malaise does not just affect the body. it affects your mind too.

when your system crashes, cognition is one of the first things to dim. that does not mean you did something wrong. it means your body needs deeper recovery.

you are not weak for needing rest. and you are not dramatic for wanting your clarity back. with the right kind of steady support, the fog can lift more gently. this can help you recover without pushing harder

[this-is-neuropsych-ableism]

Not enough people talk about how debilitating circadian rhythm sleep disorders can be.

[PT: not enough people talk about how debilitating circadian rhythm sleep disorders can be. /End PT]

It is genuinely so fucking exhausting living in a world built for people with a 9am-5pm (or at latest 11am) expectation of wakeness.

I have a circadian rhythm sleep disorder. Sleep disorders already aren't spoken about enough, but almost nobody talks about CRSDs.

CRSDs mean a person wakes and sleeps at atypical times. A person with a CRSD isn't just a "night owl" or "early bird".

They are not "choosing" their body's natural sleep schedule. (PT: They are not "choosing" their body's natural sleep schedule. /End PT.)

In fact, usually, they cannot voluntarily change their schedule - their body will not readjust to a schedule change, and will continue to produce melatonin and sleepy chemicals at its predetermined time.

Specifically, I have non-24 sleep wake disorder (N24.) This means that my sleep schedule either slowly shifts an hour or two every other day, or it drastically swaps.

Example:

Sunday: I am falling asleep at 9 pm and waking up at 10 am. Monday: Same as sunday. Tuesday: I am falling asleep at 11 pm and waking up at 12 pm. Wednesday: Same as tuesday. Thursday: Same as wednesday. Friday: I am falling asleep at 2 am and waking up at 3 pm. Saturday: I am falling asleep at 4 am and waking up at 5 pm.

Etc, etc, etc. My sleep either constantly does slow rotations over the course of several weeks, or one day I wake up and don't produce melatonin at all for like 20 hours, and suddenly my sleep schedule is turned all around.

I cannot take melatonin or sleep medications. [PT: I cannot take melatonin or sleep medications. /End PT]

It does not help. It just leaves me incredibly groggy and disoriented for literal weeks afterwards.

I cannot force it to change through all-nighters. Not really. Sure, after an all-nighter, I *physically* sleep at the "correct" time, but my body still produces melatonin at the time it wants to sleep, too.

So I may be physically awake at the "correct" time, but I'm *mentally* groggy and barely conscious.

N24 is debilitating. It makes you incapable of having 99% of jobs. It leaves you unable to spend time with friends like 70% of the time, unless you're willing to be groggy doing so, or they happen to be free to hang out during the times you're awake.

You can't schedule a lot of things in advance. You have to sacrifice sleep to do so, so you have to be selective about which things you schedule. I schedule two markets a month, maybe 1 other (non-work) event, and I pray my sleep schedule aligns. Most of the time, it doesn't align, and so I have to sacrifice my sleep.

Since 70% of my time awake is during the night, that means it gets lonely. It's depressing. Most places are closed at night, most people I know are asleep, my one solace is my best friend who lives across the world and is awake during the night, and my mom who also has a circadian rhythm sleep disorder (specifically delayed sleep phase disorder, which means she doesn't sleep until late into the night).