Sleep issues are common for autistic people, including only getting 4 to 5 hours of sleep each night, having trouble falling asleep, waking up in the middle of the night, and waking up early. Here are some tips to help. The Milestones Sleep Tool Kit provides more detailed information including how autistic people being wired differently impacts sleep, ways to help and types of sleep disorders.
Develop a consistent nighttime routine that could include calming activities like bathing, reading, or listening to music. Try out different things to see what works for you.
If you have a partner or spouse, it's helpful to coordinate or plan for what your routines are before bed, and what relaxes you so you will each get good sleep. They may be different things but if you go to bed at similar time or make sure to be quiet when going to sleep if if the other person is already asleep it helps you both. You may also need to handle if one of you rolls over or moves a lot in your sleep or snores. A doctor may be helpful with snoring issues.
Watching television, using tablets, phones, or computers before bedtime can make it hard to fall asleep though for some people it can help. If you’re having trouble falling asleep after playing a video game or watching a show that may be an issue for you.
You could try night lighting settings on devices and/or purchase blue light filtering glasses. Or see what happens if you stop playing video games or using your devices for an hour before bedtime and do something calming like listen to soothing music instead.
Before you go to bed, setting up your devices to charge in your room but not right by your bed can help have the devices ready to use the next day without interfering with your sleep.
Having physical activity as part of your regular routine (or built into your schedule) like taking a walk or doing a sport you enjoy, can help with getting good sleep, but avoid doing them an hour before bed.
Think about how you can set up your bedroom with lighting and calming things to help you relax.
