Insomnia. Hyper-focusing late at night.

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Thanks for the advice guys; I will definitely try some of these suggestions. I know the TV/movie watching thing won't work for me though. If I'm interested enough to actually watch it, I will get sucked in and stay up watching all night loll.

It's interesting that so many people can relate to this. I guess it is an aspie thing. I know autistic infants and toddlers have poor sleep patterns.

I have never slept very well at all. I've cut out caffeine, tried different things, the sleeping pills/Benadryl don't work that well either. Very frustrating!

Caffeine does not make everyone hyper to begin with. I could dose myself with no-doze and still fall asleep. If you've ever taken Strattera or something similar and still felt tired then chances are you are caffeine resistant. However, sugar lights me up like a christmas tree. If I have too much I am going to be all jittery and not sleep.

i'm really hating the night-startles (body keeps jerking me back awake, automatic fear response it seems.) seems to be related to too much hyperfocus, general "busy-ness"---overstimulation in general. must start giving self more downtime.

in general, it's so difficult to "cycle down" from a day. thoughts keep ticking along. even happiness/joy can cycle into this sort of mild agitation when trying to sleep.

Maybe I am just blessed, I don't know. I usually go to sleep around 10, but sometimes earlier. If it's been a stressful day I may go to bed as early as 9. I usually lay on my stomach, and cover myself with heavy covers and hug the pillow that I am laying my head on, and I go deep inside myself and often hyper focus on the gentle high I am feeling from the kinesthetic stimulation and I'm asleep in no time.

does anyone else have night-startles? being jerked suddenly awake when just about to fall from drowsiness into sleep?

I used to have bad problems with going to sleep at night. Taking two or three hours to get to sleep at night was
not unusual. Sometimes there were nights when I would barely sleep all night and then start nodding off
towards the morning when it was nearly time to get up, which was really frustrating. I just couldnt seem to
stop thinking or winde down.

These days it has improved alot due to something I did to help me with another condition. I would never
have guessed that this would help me get to sleep. I started wearing blue glasses during the day for a condition called
Irlen Syndrome. This really helped me . I think I am incredibly sensitive to light when it comes to sleeping.
I cant even sleep during the day at all, I believe because of the light . A quick nap after lunch or in the
afternoon is something I have never been able to do.

Although my sleeping has improved I am still very sensitive to any kind of noise and light at night
when I am trying to get to sleep and if I am particularily stressed or worked up about something
I still have troubles getting to sleep (sometimes to the point where I cant barely sleep at all). One time
leading up to the day when I was going overseas for six weeks I barely slept a wink for three nights stressing out about
things like if Id packed too much or if Id organised my finances for the trip correctly. I couldnt even sleep
on the plane. The first time I slept proparly was after I had landed at my destination in my hotel room.

Watching tv usually doesnt work for me but I have found listening to the radio while trying to go to sleep
does. The only problem is once I realise I have nodded off or am about to I turn the radio of and then I
cant go back to sleep again because the radio isnt on. I guess I should just leave the radio on all night.
I also dont usually hyper-focus on anything, I just cant stop thinking / worrying. Then you start stressing
about not getting any sleep and that makes it even worse.

That is SO interesting that wearing the blue glasses helped you. I was reading this article yesterday. Apparently blue light treatment may be the treatment of the future for insomnia. It may also improve symptoms of A.D.H.D and S.A.D. Blue light presented at the right point in your cycle may be able to re-set your suprachiasmatic nucleus or body clock.

http://www.neuropsychiatryreviews.com/sep06/blue

Anyways maybe I should try this. This concept they call "sleep” still illudes me. I stayed up all last night reading Harry Potter. Now I'm reading Science Daily online, and am on this site. It is 2 in the morning. But, I will go to bed soon. I really will...................

I don't think I have insomnia, but I do tend to be more productive at night, so that's usually when I'm awake. I don't have a job aside from my freelancing, so those are the hours I tend to keep.

I wish I could give some advice, but its 4:14 in the morning
I think I'll try some of the suggestions though. I hope they work. I'm getting really sick of this....

I can 100% relate to that, in fact, I'm in an Insomnia episode now (can I call it that? lol) Except this is the first time in a very very long time that I actually stayed up all night, this time it is due to stress. Lucky me.