Guest guest Posted October 10, 2004 Report Share Posted October 10, 2004 If I get moving too soon after waking up, I tend to be rather clumsy as well. Those are times when the brain is more asleep than awake and it shows. The only nice thing about that is that it makes going back to sleep much easier if that is the plan. Other times when that is not possible, it might take an hour or more to get the limbs working right, maybe longer depending on how much, or little, sleep was had. This house has no thresholds inside. The only ones are on the doors leading outside. There is a little rise going into the kitchen and bathrooms, but that is only because most of the floors are bare wood and those rooms have tile or linoleum on the floors. I don't think I've ever been in a house with thresholds inside. It must be an older style. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 10, 2004 Report Share Posted October 10, 2004 > Greebo: Just wondered if anyone else suffered from clumsiness? I can't > move around the house at all without knocking things over, stepping on > things. kicking things, etc. Am I the only one? Is there any way of > avoiding this? ways to become more aware? Anyone out there that's overcome > these problems? I used to be rather clumsy when I was younger but have gained better control over my body in later years. Mainly by not rushing out of bed the minute I wake up; isntead staying for the whole half-hour or whatever it takes to fully 'land' in my body again. If I get up too soon, I have very poor motor control and keep bumping into things, dropping things etc. Same after I eat breakfast; then I need to sit down and rest for a while. When I was going to school or working and had to rush in the morning, I never had time to get centered enough to have full control of my vehicle. I've also gained better control over my body and brain function since I started to avoid toxic chemicals that I've reaized has a negative impact on my CNS (like formaldehyde, solvents and the benzene or other petrochemical neurotoxics in perfume). The first signs that a chemical-induced migraine attack is on it's way, is usually that I start making typos and start dropping or spilling things and get even more hyperfocused tunnel vision than usual. If it's a bad attack, I lose motor control alltogether and become totally cataplexic and brain dead, just sitting there, staring blankly into space without being able to think or move as much as an eyelid. :-( > Sparrow: You're not the only one! And if there's a way to overcome it, I'd > like to know. Being more conscientious only works for a little while for > me because it's hard for me to hold so much concentration on where I'm > going and still remember what I was planning to do when I got htere! LOL! > I spend a lot of time standing in the hallway of my apartment, trying to > figure out if I were going to bed, to the kitchen, to the bathroom, to the > computer, etc. I have to stop and try to remember where I just was because > that's usually my clue as to where I'm going and why. > Wendi: Ok, so I'm not the only one who does that! Sometimes I have to go > back and start over again so I can remember where I was going - and other > times I never do remember till much later! That happens to me all the time! Though I remember where I'm going (since I've got a clear image of it in my mind) but not what I was supposed to do once I get there (half a minute or so later). But usually, it comes back if I just stand around in the general vicinity of my goal and relax a bit. > : Forgetting what you are doing is not uncommon. The problem has to > do with short term memory. The way it works is this. You have two levels > of memory: short and long term. Long term is very stable and is probably > the result of hard-wired neurological connections. Short term is unstable > because it doesn't need to last. > So, if you decide you need a glass of water and head for the kitchen to > get it, that goes into short term memory since you don't need to remember > getting that particular glass of water 20 years from now. However, if > something else catches your attention, whether it is something you see or > just an interesting thought, that could be enough to bump the other thing > out of your short term memory. The new thought takes priority and the old > thought can be lost. It is this rationing of brain space that causes this. > It can be worked around, but is nothing to worry about. Doing memory and > other mental exercises still would probably be a good idea though. It may > or may not help with the memory issues, but it will keep your brain > healthier in the long run. > Sparrow: I try to keep as much space clear as possible but that's hard > because the apartment is small and there are two of us here. I love my > partner dearly, but he has a habit of leaving things lying around. He > understands that I hurt myself on his shoes when he leaves them in the middle of the floor but it is a habit of so many years that he is unable to break it when he tries... plus, the place is so small that there's really no place to put his shoes except in the middle of the kitchen or hall or living room! How frustrating! I'm sure I too would trip over things if they were not neatly tucked away out of sight. > Sparrow: We've been talking about buying land and building our own house. > If anyone has any tips about characteristics of housing that would make it > more comfortable, safer and more aspie-friendly, I'm all ears! I've > already told him that I want extra-wide doorways and everything on the > first floor so that we can keep living there even if we become so old > and/or infirm that we have to resort to wheelchairs. No thresholds is a highly recommended! I had them remove the thresholds when I moved into my house so that I could move things on a little plastic mobile unit since I'm unable to carry things. Just realized now that I'm reading this discussion that this is probably the reason I don't snub my poor toes now (like I always did when I was younger). :-) > Sparrow: I'm very bad at guessing people's age, weight or height. Just > today, I found out that a woman in my class is fifteen years older than > me. I had thought she was more like thirty years old. But my downstairs > neighbor is also fifteen years older than me and, until I found out, I had thought that she was the same age as me. > Wendi: Oh, I just hate it when people ask me to guess their age! I once > guessed that a man was 23 when he was in his late 40's. He had to show me > his driver's license for me to believe him. He liked me a lot after that! > I guess if we think they are younger it isn't a problem! I don't think in numbers so for me, the whole concept of age is totally alien. When asked to guess someone's age, I can easily miss by 10-20 years. I just don't have a clue beyond noticing if someone is a kid (they're usually smaller) or a so-called senior (they tend to have wrinkles and grey hair). Everyone inbetween is just adult in my eyes. Extra confusing is the fact that Aspies often look a whole decade or two younger than their chronological age. I was recently taken for 27 (I'm soon 43). And two of the Aspies I met up with on our Aspie picnic in Stockholm got away with half price on the train because they were taken for teens (they are 32 and 36, respecively). :-) Inger Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 10, 2004 Report Share Posted October 10, 2004 I tend to be more of a night owl, but my schedule can wrap around the clock depending on what is going on. The body actually runs on about a 24 to 25 hour schedule, the circadian rhythm. I know mine is at least the 25 hour variety. I also have read that a US Navy study looked into sleep patterns. I found two classes of people: short sleepers and long sleepers. Short sleepers needed 8 hours or less per night, while long sleepers needed 8 hours or more. They found that short sleepers were the best to have on emergency standby situations since they could wake up and get moving quickly, but they tired faster. The long sleepers too longer to wake up and get going, but they stayed alert much longer, making them better for long duty stands. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 11, 2004 Report Share Posted October 11, 2004 : > If I get moving too soon after waking up, I tend to be rather clumsy as well. Those are times when the brain is more asleep than awake and it shows. The only nice thing about that is that it makes going back to sleep much easier if that is the plan. Other times when that is not possible, it might take an hour or more to get the limbs working right, maybe longer depending on how much, or little, sleep was had. Are you a night owl or an early bird? Night owls usually tend to start waking up when their sleep is at it's deepest, so then it's only natural that it takes us a lot longer to wake up completely and regain control of our bodies. http://www.theatreheaven.com/aprilnearmc.html (Up to an hour is about what it takes me too.) > This house has no thresholds inside. The only ones are on the doors leading outside. There is a little rise going into the kitchen and bathrooms, but that is only because most of the floors are bare wood and those rooms have tile or linoleum on the floors. I don't think I've ever been in a house with thresholds inside. It must be an older style. It's a renovated cottage from mid- or late 1800's. :-) Sparrow: > More European than American. Some houses in France have thresholds high enough that you have to lift your feet to go through the door. It never made much sense to me. What are they for? To prevent draft from under the doors (a bit superfluous now that we probably have the best insulated houses in the world here). Possibly to keep sound out too. Inger Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 12, 2004 Report Share Posted October 12, 2004 The most painful thing for me was being told by several different sources that I was very immature for my age. I would cry and cry at night because I couldn't figure out how to act " older. " I took great offence when people commented that I looked " so young. " Now I'm beginning to realize that being socially less aware would look like immaturity to people. When I was a teen, everyone thought I was so mature or so old. I was just as socially unaware then but it looked like maturity that I didn't participate in all the expected goofy childhood and teen antics and fads. <sigh> No fun. No fun at all. and the zoo VISIGOTH@... wrote: > I had the opposite problem of people thinking I was younger than I > was. It was not uncommon for me to be carded (to check if I was over > 21) even when I was nearly 30. Since I have put on weight and filled > out some, I look more my age now. Still, people tend to think I'm mid > 20's instead of being 33. > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 12, 2004 Report Share Posted October 12, 2004 : > The most painful thing for me was being told by several different sources that I was very immature for my age. I would cry and cry at night because I couldn't figure out how to act " older. " I took great offence when people commented that I looked " so young. " Now I'm beginning to realize that being socially less aware would look like immaturity to people. And do you also realize that it is a very endearing trait? An online Aspie/ADHD friend of mine is so charming because, instead of trying to come off as more mature than she really is, she freely admits that she feels like a teen and just allows herself be that way. This makes her a very attractive, fun and lovable person to be around. And when you're 65, I guarantee that you'll be deligted to have people think you're 40. :-) > When I was a teen, everyone thought I was so mature or so old. I was just as socially unaware then but it looked like maturity that I didn't participate in all the expected goofy childhood and teen antics and fads. <sigh> No fun. No fun at all. Interesting. I was rarely interested in such stuff either. I just didn't see the point in it. MY idea of fun was being left alone to read or build lego houses. Being with other children was only work to me. Inger Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 12, 2004 Report Share Posted October 12, 2004 In that case, I am a long sleeper forced into a short sleeper pattern! Wendi Re: Re: Body Awarness I tend to be more of a night owl, but my schedule can wrap around the clock depending on what is going on. The body actually runs on about a 24 to 25 hour schedule, the circadian rhythm. I know mine is at least the 25 hour variety. I also have read that a US Navy study looked into sleep patterns. I found two classes of people: short sleepers and long sleepers. Short sleepers needed 8 hours or less per night, while long sleepers needed 8 hours or more. They found that short sleepers were the best to have on emergency standby situations since they could wake up and get moving quickly, but they tired faster. The long sleepers too longer to wake up and get going, but they stayed alert much longer, making them better for long duty stands. FAM Secret Society is a community based on respect, friendship, support and acceptance. Everyone is valued. Always remember that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 12, 2004 Report Share Posted October 12, 2004 " I remember when I was 15, someone guessed that I was 25. When I was 28, someone guessed that I was 18. SO maybe you're right and it does reverse! " Yes I had the same happen to me - when I was about 16 I was told I looked 20-odd, whereas now in my Twenties I often get asked for ID (which is needed under 18 here) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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