Hello! I'm tentatively self-dx and I have reached the end of the rope with sleeping issues and insomnia. 1. Is it actually helpful to go to the doctor to discuss sleep issues? 2. What kind of tests would they be doing? 3. Would it help them if I sought a prof dx? 4. Can the mods share any tips that help them get to sleep? Thank you!!!!
It won’t change anything, except they are less likely to prescribe meds.
They’ll do an eval for sleep apnea, but that’s about it. They may do a home sleep test, in which case, I highly suggest you skype with me before hand, because I have never had an unexperienced patient get it right.
But they don’t prescribe meds anyway because sleep docs, ESP pulmonary are only after $$$$$ for PAP machines. Doctors get a sort of gratuity (like how salesmen do at car dealerships) for each of whatever type of machine they sell. They’ll typically give you the most expensive they can justify. My lab isn’t AWFUL about that, but the one I worked prior was made of crooks.
But, sleep hygiene will do the bulk of it:
1) Few Naps, all naps before 2am, not lasting longer than 30 minutes
2) No caffeine after 12p/Noon
3) Eat a light, mild meal two hours before bed
4a) Natural Light, 15-45 minutes EARLY (before 10a) can help. best upon wakingÂ
4b) Light therapy helps. Start at 15 min. Before going into light therapy, look into the side effects. If you have a seasonal affective disorder, or a bipolar disorder (or a family history of these), it may have adverse side effects. Talk to your doctor. Here is what I use. I use it when I am organising my day and/or getting dressed/ready.
5) ROUTINE. Get up, eat, and start bedtime routine at same times every day.
6) Ideal Bedroom: Dark, Cool, no electronics/blue lights. Bedroom is ideally for sleep and sex only, BUT as spoonies are, try to keep tasks in bed non stressful.Â
I would say light therapy (that is, regulated light exposure, ideally in the form of sunlight), routine, and enviroment are the best.
More on sleep hygiene here and here.
Also, there’s a marked correlation between weirdness with autistics’ serotonin, and melatonin is a derivative of serotonin, which aids in sleep.
Also, melatonin is a hoax. Capitalism is a big part to blame, honestly. It can help calm down, but it is not a miracle sleeping pill, it’s just a hormone. I did a big post about it a while back here. Melatonin does help with sleep, but only when your brain makes it from serotonin. It is 100% placebo and as of 2015 we have 3 studys, 1 that is no, 1 that is under these specific conditions it may work, and 1 that is “idk we couldn’t tell”. So the thing is, depending on what kind of medication you are on, adding certain kinds of meds together can possibly help with sleep. SSRIs allow for serotonin not to bind as much, but that can frazzle us too. Talk to your meds provider and serotonin syndrome and the whole bit.
That said, please note that I legally cannot give medical advice, so do consult with your doctor to address any issues you have or changes you’d like to try.
1. That depends entirely on what is causing your sleep issues.Â
2. I’m in the process of getting my sleep issues looked at, my gp started me off with a standard blood test and depending on the results from that we’re going towards a sleep test or possibly a brain scan.
3. Me being autistic hasn’t really come into the equation so far, though my gp is shining in his ignorance of ASD so I honestly don’t know if that would help or harm you specifically.
4. For me listening to Welcome to Night Vale helps. It’s enough stimulation that I don’t end up bored and daydreaming the entire night and calming enough that I drift off. I need complete darkness, as well as to be in a comfortable position (with a lot of pressure stimming involved) and for the temperature to be right.
Like Wren, darkness and pressure stims are really helpful for me in getting to sleep.  I’ve also found that I fall asleep faster on days where I’ve been physically active (like shovelling snow or going to the gym - something more intense than just a walk on the bike trail).
