Sleep after getting sensory overload

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Hello
I was wondering if any of you who have ASD and who suffer from sensory hypersensitivities
ever recoup on a day where they have experienced exposure to a lot of stress / sensory information

by sleeping, either by taking naps or simply extended their sleep.

I sleep 12 hours a day on average any way, and on days where i experience a lot of stress
often need extra sleep on top of the 12 hours

i was wondering if there were any other people with ASD who do the same, or is it just me?

Yes. I usually need a nap after a severe sensory overload or time with my headphones on in the dark. The music helps me focus on one sense so I can sift through the scramble easier. If it triggers a migraine I definitely need a nap.

But I don't get much sleep at night. Usually sleep for 2-3 hrs wake up, check on my mom then go back to bed for about the same. So I'm tired in general.

hello Spunge
Thanks for answering. Sure, you sound a lot like me in that case.
I get worn out due to stress.

Although I appear to have no trouble sleeping at night.
As mentioned, I sleep for 12 hours, easy.

This week end, was a bit more tired or depressed or something.
So i slept for like 20 hours.

I live on a crap small island that doesn't have a decent sleep clinic, so they just ignore that I have
this bizarre sleep pattern. Don't bother thinking that perhaps i could benefit from being sent away for a study.

Your sleep pattern sounds like you also have a sleep disorder.
I have read that a lack of melatonin is common in people with ASD.

It may be worth looking into getting this diagnosed and treated.
I believe there are several types of drugs that can help you sleep with some being more natural than others.

Melatonin for example is a naturally occurring substance that is normally produced by the body and where it isn't
it can be prescribed.

Valerian also known to help
drinking big cups of chamomile also can help

After socializing for a day, next day I sleep extra few hours to recover. At night I sleep badly, best recovery sleep happens during the day. I tried melatonin, no effect whatsoever, even on double or triple dose. To wake up in the morning also very problematic, the only thing that helps - strong daylight lamp set on a timer 3 hrs before I need to wake up. During the day, however, no problem falling asleep in bright daylight, in an uncomfortable position, or even during certain boring activities.

Weird.

Just buying a new Popular Science magazine used to keep me up most of the night. The 'net is like a constant supply of all the magazines, and it comes with very flashy AV. I won't watch video with an unsteady camera or rapid scene changes. An even bigger sleep hazard is human contact. If I get more than an hour of that, there is often trouble getting to sleep. If I have to stay awake because of some external disturbance, it takes me that much time again to settle down, by which time morning noises may be about to begin. I only visit a city every month or so, and that always upsets my sleep. I have only slept right through the night once since my divorce last century, and sometimes need 3 naps to function. I had a bout of amnesia brought on by a perfectly untimely awakening, and worry that the next one might be permanent.
The ways I have found to mitigate this began with eliminating the hazard of landlords by moving to a remote area with cheap surplus housing. I have a "traffic light" for my door, with instructions to not knock if I am sleeping or otherwise have red set. Someone once knocked when I'd only gotten up to pee, and that ruined my next month. I try to eat my meals at set times, in hopes of re-establishing a strong circadian rhythm. I also find that as well as sleep, I need meditation, like a detergent for the grime of over-stimulation from these glowing screens. Without some of that, sleep is poor.

when I was younger and still trying to do everything that my family and spouse wanted me to do (not knowing about my autism), I slept for up to 13 hours at a time. I think I was just exhausted from all the very hard work of trying to be neurotypical. I have needed less sleep as I age (biological changes) but I bet if I was forced to do all the things I did in a day before I learned to say no and avoid all the painful stressful things, I would be right back to sleeping that long again.

I hope I start to sleep less as I grow older.
I find it very restricting needing to sleep so much each day.
I lose 3 or 4 hours a day, compared to normal people.

And on meltdown days, it isn't uncommon for me to sleep for 20 hours in one sleep.
Real pain in the but.

I just feel like i am losing out on life by doing this.
But i guess i am still alive.

I have quite severe sensory processing disorders. When I'm overwhelmed or hyperstimulated I need to shut down for a few days of solitude with sensory deprivation (no light, noise, people, etc)., but unfortunately I also have a sleep disorder. Even with sedatives I'm pretty much incapable of sleeping more than about six hours maximum. I'll stay in bed during my shutdowns but I won't exactly sleep.

I feel that after being overstimulated, I need to lay down for 2 hours, 3 hours after dealing with people.

Yes. And the required sleeping time can vary greatly, some because of degree of overload, some because of other health factors.

Whenever I get overstimulated I immediately want to go lay down in the dark. It's hard for me to sleep during the day, but I usually will just get under my blankets and lay there with my eyes closed for awhile.

Before I knew I was autistic, and was still trying to keep up with NT expectations, my own and those from others, I needed a lot of sleep, up to 10 hours daily. But now I'm much easier on myself and don't expose myself to unnecessary stress. So I get by on 6 - 7 hours. But when I do encounter some stress, I get exhausted and need a bit more sleep, and yes, sensory overload will do it.

I definitely need to sleep more when I'm stressed.

I also have diabetes and I always thought my tiredness was mainly to do with that, but I'm not so convinced any more. Though 'hypos' (low blood glucose events) are certainly very tiring.

It's a nuisance when there's a genuine, pressing reason for the stress, but I don't get enough awake time to tackle it properly (on top of the normal multiple hours of prevarication).

No, definitely not just you!

I get sensory overload fairly often.
Usually if I'm hyper focused on a task or watching a movie and trying to visually make sense of what the story is about. (Usually I watch horrors as the storyline is usually basic, plus I like the suspense as it's kinda enjoyable) when I'm overloaded by audio or whatever other sensory input I can handle without shutting down. It's pretty normal but I don't get much R.E.M. Sleep and I'm often sleep deprived and I get cranky and people don't seem to care or understand what it's like to get sensory overload. It happens to me once in the city where I live so bad that I knocked myself out momentarily from being in a corner next to a walkway banging my head on the wall out of frustration. Ugh...
I wish I could have better advice but you're not alone on this one.