I’m not great with details, but I remember reading that many of us in the neurodiverse community struggle with sleep or energy levels.

Back in my early 20s, I went through the whole sleep clinic process. I was diagnosed with sleep apnea and mild narcolepsy. They prescribed me a full-face CPAP mask because my mouth doesn’t stay closed at night. That didn’t last long I dumped it after 2 months. I’m not a still sleeper — more like a rotisserie chicken — and the full mask just made me choke on my own drool. The doctors were frustrated and not very helpful. It felt like they expected me to control my body even while unconscious.

Now, over 10 years later, I’m going through the process again. Apparently, my body still isn’t getting enough oxygen during sleep, and it’s causing problems.

Still, I can’t help but wonder if the doctors are missing something — like autism as a potential root cause of sleep issues. In my neurodiverse friend group (both autistic and ADHD), I’m the only one not sleeping 12 or more hours a day. So now I’m left wondering what’s really going on — with me, and with them.

  • jet@hackertalks.comEnglish
    2·
    2 days ago

    Terrible snoring my whole life - the kind of band saw snoring that keeps the neighbors up, with sleep apnea thrown in as an adult, i had a very combative relationship with sleep either due to hyper focus or weird stimming behaviors around bed time.

    I went ketogenic for hypertension - but it also resolved my snoring and sleep apnea. My ectopic airway fat went away in about 6 months, and I’ve checked with multiple people… I don’t snore anymore. My sleeping habits did improve as well, and I started to fall asleep at a more “reasonable hour”

    For the last few months I’ve been going to the sauna every day, and its is like a magical sleep hack. Any day I go to the sauna, I fall asleep as soon as I get into bed and have amazing uninterrupted sleep. I’m not sure this would be a universal experience, but if you have easy access to a sauna its worth trying.

    • Seigest@lemmy.caOPEnglish
      3·
      2 days ago

      A sauna would be lovely but they are not very common around here at least not in ways that are accessible or cheap. And many of the ones we have are just a heat lamp in a hot room, they are not as effective on the airways without steam

      • jet@hackertalks.comEnglish
        2·
        2 days ago

        I personally prefer the dry sauna more, I like the shock more, and I feel like I can get to a higher core temperature more quickly.