Sensory issues and fatigue

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I have not thought about the many sensory issues I had in childhood until recently, when I began to understand that my life fit an autistic pattern and these experiences were part of it. Now I've just realized that I stil have those issues, but mostly when I am very tired.

My work is often controlled by specific deadlines and this sometimes requires very long days. I have noticed that when I am very tired as a result, I start to have the same sort of sensory issues that troubled me as a child: bright light is painful, sound and smell are amplified.

Taking the New York subway in this condition is a very challenging experience, particularly the olfactory environment.

It seems that I learned some way of switching off, or not paying attention to the main sensory issues long ago, and these coping mechanisms require some level of energy that I just don't have when I have worked for too long or slept too little.

Does anyone else have this kind of transient, fatigue-related sensory issue?

Before I began thinking of these as possibly autism-related sensory issues, I just thought: I'm a person who can hear things that most people can't hear, can't wear watches or necklaces, doesn't like crowds or busy environments, is bothered by certain types of light and sometimes has a very keen sense of smell but at other times can't smell things very well at all...

I am curious to know how many people have similar issues.

I come home from school nearly every day with a headache because of the smell and the noise. Deodorant is terrible for me, and the constant talking all just blends together, quite literally to my ears, to the point that I can't hear my friends over the hundred or so other people in the social area. Thankfully the library is usually open and available to eat in at lunch time, but nonetheless I am still affected by the smells and, to a lesser degree, the sounds. I also tend to get a lot of glare from lights, especially when it's dark and I'm tired. Sharp lines shooting into the centre of my vision which are outright painful at times. I don't know if that's normal or just me, but it's not fun.

If I am well rested and not stressed out, I can usually block the annoying sensory impressions if they are at a moderate level (for instance low music in supermarkets). The really bad ones (like babies or children crying or screaming - or techno) will still cut through my scull, though.
My ability to block some of these impressions does not mean, that I don't get tired - actually I think the blocking mechanism takes a lot more energy than I have realized. Right now I am very stressed and tired, and this makes me unable to block impressions out. I simply do not have the energy to do so.

Yes, I have sensory issues if I`m fatigued, which I am a lot.

It can get so bad for me.that it feels like you have been out drinking last night. Headche. Not.able.to.think straight.

It's amazing.how normal people.don't get mental fatigue.

Noise. Sound. People talking. New places or.New impressions. Doesn't take much for.me one of the reasons why I can't.work. find even learn much at school.

Only thing can can get it away is to sleep. Then mind like defrags and throws out information and recharges. If I don't get 10 hours sleep I would.never leave my home at all.

i do not like bright fluorescent white light.

it feels uncomfortable to not my eyeballs themselves, but to the space immediately above my eyes.

i feel drained or weakened by it, and too much gives me a slight headache.

Every work day is over stimulation for me, and every day I feel exhausted. I can't work long days on a job, because just a normal day is too much for me.

It's annoying how other people don't get this. Sometimes people have been insisting on my staying to finish up something, when I am really tired and need to distance myself from everyone and relax. Funny thing is that the same guy is always running late ( 5-10 mins ) and often calls in sick. I am almost always on time and haven't called in sick a single day.

Luckily for me; I get very good feedback on my work and the guy who's running late has been talked to a few times about it.