While the effects of a good night’s rest will usually go unnoticed by most people, it can’t be denied that sleeping badly the night before can be seriously detrimental to a person’s mood, energy levels, and ability to focus the next day. This can be especially true for those with ASD, since the aspects of daily life affected by sleep deprivation (difficulty concentrating, unmanageable emotions, struggles with processing sensory input) often overlap with those on the spectrum might already struggle with.[1] With the effects that Covid-19 and the isolation measures have had on life’s daily routines, it’s no surprise that a lot of people are discovering that their old sleep schedules are becoming unattainable, as they struggle with insomnia or lethargy. Here are some tips to getting back into a normal sleep schedule:

Establishing a Routine

• Bedtime and Morning: Because of the isolation measures put into place because of Covid-19, a lot of people are struggling to work or learn from home for the first time, and this can disrupt the usual daily routine. Even if going to school or work doesn’t happen on the more rigid structure that you’re used to, try and make sure that you follow the same bedtime and wakeup routine. If you feel tired during the day, try going to bed earlier instead of sleeping in, so that your sleep schedule is less likely to spiral out of control and you minimise the chances of getting a “second wind” in the evening that keeps you awake. Also, with summer’s longer days you should make certain that your bedroom remains dark while you sleep, so that you aren’t kept awake or woken up by sunlight.[2]
• On the Same Page: If possible, try and make sure that everybody in the household is following a similar sleep schedule. If everybody’s changing into their pyjamas for bed at the same time, and planning on having breakfast together at a certain time of the morning, it will be much easier for every person in the household to establish and stick to a routine. If this isn’t possible because of people’s different needs or incompatible schedules, establish “quiet hours;” at time when some people are trying to sleep but others still need to be awake, agree to be as quiet as possible, so that nobody is kept awake by the television or woken up by the preparation breakfast.
• Late Suppers and Bedtime Snacks: Try not to eat supper too close to bedtime, as many find it difficult to sleep well on a full stomach. Having a light (non-caffeinated, non-sugary) snack within an hour of bedtime may help you sleep, or may make it more difficult; everybody’s bodies work differently, and what helps someone sleep soundly through the night might give somebody else an unwanted energy boost.[3] If you think this might be a factor, try having a bedtime snack for three nights in a row, and then skipping it for three nights, then compare your quality of sleep. One thing that’s probably best avoided is drinking large quantities of liquids shortly before bedtime, as the need to go to the bathroom might wake you up at night and interrupt your sleep.
• Exercise and the Great Outdoors: A lack of daily physical activity can make you feel listless or restless (depending on your own body’s responses) during the day and unable to sleep during the night, so try and get at least a half-hour of moderate exercise every day. If possible, try and do this outside; a hormone called melatonin, produced naturally by the body and encouraged by exposure to sunlight, is linked to the ability to sleep well.[4]

 

Before Bed

• Soothing Activities: For the hour or so before going to bed, try and use up some mental energy by engaging in non-physical non-stressful activities. Assembling a jigsaw puzzle or building with Lego would probably work well. Playing a high-energy video or board game, however, may not be as effective, since the adrenaline rush might make it more difficult to fall asleep.
• Reading, Watching, or Listening: Reading a book, watching a movie, or listening to a podcast can work the same way that doing a soothing activity can, by occupying the mind and tiring it out. Try and avoid media that you know will elicit high-energy responses, since the objective is to calm the mind down. Also, it might be a good idea to avoid certain types of media before bed; while video sites such as YouTube might be entertaining or educational during the day, they’re set up to encourage binge watching, which is the last thing you want if you’re preparing to go to bed.[5]
• Sleep-Aid Media: While it may not be a good idea to go to sites like YouTube for entertainment purposes shortly before bedtime, there are countless videos available specifically made to help people fall asleep. Similarly, services like Spotify and Apple Music offer pre-made playlists or albums designed to help people relax. And if you find something that works, consider making sure that you can find it again. A particular song or video might become a part of your nightly routine, helping to maintain a regular sleep schedule![6]
• Meditation: If you still have problems with trying to “turn off” your brain for bedtime, try learning some form of meditation. Non-strenuous meditative yoga might help in relaxing the body as well as the mind, and can be done directly before going to bed. Other, less physical kinds of meditation can be done either before bed or in bed after lights-out, helping to create a sense of calm that will encourage sleep.[7] Meditation techniques can also be used if you have a tendency to wake up during the night and be unable to fall asleep again, so that you can soothe yourself back to sleep. Tutorials for physical and non-physical meditation can be easily found online, in both video and audio-only formats, and can correspond to any level of physical ability.

 

Getting Help

• Mental Health: With Covid-19, a lot of people are a lot more stressed that they might normally be, for a variety of reasons. Stress is a common reason for people to sleep poorly, and can affect people of any age.[8] If you can, work out whether the reason you can’t sleep is because you lie awake worrying about aspects of your life, or if you have difficulty maintaining a regular sleep schedule due to being unwilling to go to bed until everything on the daily “to-do” list has been checked off. If this is the case, try and address the stress as the root cause of your sleep problems, by establishing healthy coping habits, discussing the causes of your stress with friends and family in an attempt to find ways of reducing the stress, and/or seeking professional counselling about your stress and related sleep problems.
• Physical Health: Certain problems related to physical health can certainly have an effect on a person’s ability to get to sleep, sleep through the night, or have restful sleep.[9] As previously mentioned, melatonin plays an important role in ensuring a good night’s rest, and so a lack of melatonin can result in poor sleep. A doctor might recommend melatonin supplements or other pharmaceutical sleep aids in some cases, or might suggest changes in your daily routine, environment, physical activity, or diet.

 

Every case is different, and what works for you might not work for somebody else, and vice versa. The prevalence of sleeping disorders is proportionately higher for those with ASD than without, but that doesn’t mean that a lifetime of sleeping poorly is inevitable. Don’t be afraid to try different techniques, and keep track of which ones work best for you. If you can, try and figure out the sort of thing that seems to be getting in the way of your sleep, and try the methods that work to fix that cause. Sleep well!

 

Further Reading

Tips for helping infants and children with ASD sleep: https://autismawarenesscentre.com/sleep-baby-sleep/

About sleeping difficulties linked to ASD: https://www.spectrumnews.org/news/sleep-problems-autism-explained/

Possible causes and solutions for ASD-related sleep disorders: https://www.autism.org.uk/about/health/sleep.aspx.

Sleep Well on the Autism Spectrum, by Kenneth J. Aitken (available at the Autism Calgary loaning library)

[1] “What to Know About Sleep Deprivation.” Medical News Today, https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/307334.

[2] “Sleep Tips for the Summer.” Sleep Education, http://sleepeducation.org/news/2013/07/12/sleep-tips-for-the-summer.

[3] “Effects of Diet on Sleep Quality.” National Centre for Biotechnology Information, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5015038/.

[4] “Melatonin and Sleep.” Sleep Foundation, https://www.sleepfoundation.org/articles/melatonin-and-sleep.

[5] “Associations Between Specific Technologies and Adolescent Sleep Quantity, Sleep Quality, and Parasomnias.” ScienceDirect, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1389945713020194?casa_token=8rU9c8qe9sIAAAAA:lGqjUP6Up-TSi6VBXN5sOterHj_ExyslcyY8PRvXIcnWhQPr55gHu-bG0nLmld0QrxeeOVVJ5A.

[6] “The music that helps people sleep and the reasons they believe it works: A mixed methods analysis of online survey reports.” National Centre for Biotechnology Information, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6235300/.

[7] “Mindfulness meditation helps fight insomnia, improves sleep.” Harvard Health Publishing, https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/mindfulness-meditation-helps-fight-insomnia-improves-sleep-201502187726.

[8] “Sleep and Mental Health.” Harvard Health Publishing, https://www.health.harvard.edu/newsletter_article/sleep-and-mental-health.

[9] “Medical Causes of Sleep Problems.” HelpGuide, https://www.helpguide.org/harvard/medical-causes-of-sleep-problems.htm.