In my over 4 year journey of independence as an autistic adult, one of my constant struggles is the fact that I struggle with going to bed. This is further enhanced with the belief that because a medication helps me sleep, that it is what puts me into a trance. This is something that was taken literally by me for the longest time and am now turning a corner for the better.
Being autistic, if desired and needed, it is likely that one takes medication. I have spoken of it many times in the writing in my blog. However, to be honest it has never stuck in the course of me being independent because of the willingness to follow instructions along with former beliefs that were told to me years ago. Nonetheless, I continued to believe these thoughts and remain ignorant to the fact that I do need to sleep and not only my disregard to do this and the lack of the other benefits of a certain medication that I was at times skipping for nearly four years .
However, things as I knew they were would be changing within a very short notification early last week that would cause me to want to be serious about being consistent with my medication regimen and going to sleep, but it was apparent that it would have to be occurring as soon as I was told of that change. Therefore last week I began to be on plan and as such had to eliminate my fears about sleep and the struggles that they bring.
It can be hard when the brain is constantly pumping factoids, etc. into the autistic brain and they have difficulty shutting down to the point where one can not only get to sleep but also stay asleep. One can say that diet can contribute to a proper sleep regimen, and I do agree with that some. However, the effects of the medicine can be rough at times. It is required to counteract the things that help me sleep to have a delicate balance of nourishment and care so I can have the best of both worlds.
Going to bed for an autistic person has to include the right environment where one can focus solely on the purpose of sleeping when it is time to do so. This means that there should be no electronics, unless it helps one. Maybe playing sounds or a screen at a distance help one wind down. It is basically the trial and error of one to learn and whether or not it is an established routine for someone to work properly.
Sometimes going to bed can cause worry about the days ahead, especially if those days have events that produce more anxiety or are more out of routine than following the normal routine.It is good to have conversations with those that help the individual so that they are calm and if they can, comprehend things about the day ahead so their worries do not go to bed with them.
Sleep is a big challenge among the autisic community and over the years I have been combattning my fears and hopefully, finally I can close the chapter of the mistakes I have made the past four years and do what has been proven to work upon becoming independent, because I know that it has been proven to work. I have lived and learned from my mistakes and am ready to turn a leaf for the better to be the person that everyone knows to be because there are so many with my diagnosis that are not as lucky as I am to be able to sleep in the ways that I am. It is accepting and doing what is right once and for all because it is the right thing to do.
Dustin's Dynasty 