Calm Sleep for Autistic Adults
Blog
Research-based guides on sleep, sound and sensitive hearing, written for autistic adults
Sleep in Autistic Adults
Poor sleep is reported by 63.7% of autistic people against 46.4% of non-autistic people, and it shows up in sleep-lab measurements too. Of 288 autistic adults in one UK survey, 58% had never discussed it with a doctor. What the research shows, and which approach has the strongest evidence.
When White Noise Keeps You Awake
White noise is the default answer to "I can't sleep", yet a review of 38 studies rated its evidence as very weak, with results ranging from better sleep to worse. Why it can backfire with sensitive hearing, what the gentler options are, and how to test a sound in daylight.
Sensitive Hearing at Night
About 4 in 10 autistic people find everyday sounds uncomfortably loud. In a quiet bedroom, small sounds stand out more, not less. How loud is too loud, what to do with headphones, and why a sudden quiet sound can matter more than a steady loud one.
A Predictable Evening, Without the Lecture
In interviews, autistic adults described the night as friendlier than the day and standard sleep advice as something that "doesn't really work for me". An evening can stay the same because you set it that way, not because someone told you to.
Looking for the research behind these guides? Read the Science page or browse the full source list.
