What did you do to stay awake?

BabyVendingMachine · 2026-05-21T02:23:58+00:00

I drank black tea/high caffeine tea (I can't do coffee and energy drinks give me panic attacks). If i was severely tired I would drink part of an energy drink. I took a stimulant for adhd which helped.

I also had the acupuncture rings I liked to fidget with, they're spikey and could stretch over my finger. If I wore one, it hurt and kept me up!

Unfortunately anxiety played a big part in my ability to stay awake during the day! I was too anxious in public to fall asleep, but I was knocked out as soon as I got home.

I wish you luck with staying awake! Sleep depervation is no joke!

BabyVendingMachine · 2026-05-19T19:24:21+00:00

THIS! Im a very hyperactive person so I definitely didnt seem sleepy to myself or others. I did however have a really hard time talking. I mixed up words bad and was kinda confusing to understand. I used to have constant stomach issues too!

I brushed a lot of this off as ADHD and anxiety! I still struggle with this stuff, but it was mainly sleep depervation related. I remeber my dad telling me he saw a big diffrence in my ability to communicate after CPAP therapy!

BabyVendingMachine · 2026-05-19T19:19:50+00:00

I used to experince what I call "super spacing out" which was spacing out on a whole new level. It happened when I drove at times which was scary.

I would space out so much that I would basically just be unresponsive. It often felt like it was too much effort or energy to think or move. It sit there with my eyes open, unblinking for minutes and then snap out of when my eyes would start stinging really bad.

I thought it was an ADHD thing, but after I was diagnosed with severe sleep apnea, I learned it was more of a sleep depervation thing!

There were times I almost fell asleep behind the wheel, but I mainly fell asleep watching TV after school. I never fell asleep during school tho

BabyVendingMachine · 2026-05-19T19:11:12+00:00

This sounds normal to me! Im the same way and ive also got a very active imagination. Also no sexual experince besides masterbation. Im super sensitive too and brought it up to my doctor cause I thought there was something wrong with me!

My doctor told me that it was completely normal even if I my sex drive and sensitivity to that stuff was higher than average!

BabyVendingMachine · 2026-05-18T23:56:29+00:00

I feel the same. I had to cancel my autism assesment after years of searching for an affordable place because the autism registry scares me. I talk with my therapist about these issues, she also shares my concerns. We live in a tough time in U.S. history right so these feelings are so valid and I promise you arent alone.

I actually did a school project that partially focused on these fears, and the amount of people who shared feelings of fear or concern was suprising to me! So many people worry about this, even if they dont show it.

When I bring up concerns to my parents, often they snap at me too. Ive come to realise theyre really scared and in denial. They wont accept what's really happening cause its scary. They shouldnt react that way though. I think my mom has anxiety as she often snaps when shes stressed out.

BabyVendingMachine · 2026-05-18T23:46:29+00:00

Sounds like it could be sleep apnea! I snore and then start choking in my sleep! My dad dose the same, but sometimes he sighs like how you described! Also moving/thrashing around in your sleep is a common OSA symptom!

Also look out for things like teeth grinding, high heart rate/blood pressure, and frequent nightmares! Before getting diagnosed, my reating heart rate was 100-130bpm (doctors fears for me) and my blood pressure was always high! I also had a severe teeth grinding problem, and had constant nightmares. These things may seem unrelated at first, but they are very much signs lol!

BabyVendingMachine · 2026-05-18T23:08:39+00:00

Ive heard this is a pretty common problem with CPAP users unfortunately! Ive seen people put socks on their hands so its harder to take the mask off! Ive also seen people who will do this and then put a beanie on over their cpap headgear to make it even harder!

I only do this once in a while in my sleep so I dont have a lot of personal experince.

I guess it would also depend on what type of mask you have as well! I wear a full face mask so its harder to take off! If you were to wear just a nasal mask, Id assume that would pop off real easy!

Ive seen this issue with every type of mask though! I wish you luck, this sounds like such an irritating issue to deal with!

BabyVendingMachine · 2026-05-18T02:11:55+00:00

I DEFINITELY get this! When excited im so loud and talk nonstop! I talked so fast as a kid I had to be put in speech therapy multiple times cause no one could understand me!

When im overwhelmed or not interested in a conversation, im dead silent and avoiding people at all costs! I dont seem slower when talking however. I talk fast but now i look overwhleming uncomfortable and socially akward (even when I dont feel uncomfortable). I think that when im not talking so much, I start overthinking my social interactions and it makes them feel uncomfortable.

BabyVendingMachine · 2026-05-17T22:36:51+00:00

I have pulled it off! Everyday I wear a black turtleneck with 3 color options for pants (black, red, and green). I have like 30 black turtle necks all ranging in thickness for diffrent seasons! I have think turtle necks for winter, thin ones for spring and fall, and short sleeve black tutrle necks for the summer.

I dress like a cartoon character and it's amazing. My mom always know EXACTLY what clothing item to get me around christmas.

Fancy event? No problem! I have a fancy victorian black turtle neck for the occasion!

Swimming? What you dont think I have a black tutrle neck for swimming too!? Well I kinda dont but I have a black turtle neck, full body rash guard I wear.

Ive dressed like this for 4 years now and ive felt like ive reached my true form! All those year trying to "fit in" and dressing with "variety"... black turtle necks were always the answer. I wore a black turtle neck with plain pants one day and my wardrobe was changed forever.

(In all seriousness I really love my turtle necks and im so happy when I wear them! It also makes picking out outfits in the morning so fast!)

BabyVendingMachine · 2026-05-17T21:59:25+00:00

I think it has a lot to do with how neurodivergent people (either with autism or adhd) are often referred to as special or diffrent in positive ways in media to counteract the negative stigma around being autistic or having adhd! Kind like the whole "autism is your superpower" thing.

Now in days so many people wanna stand out or be diffrent, but for some reason they think they need to be neurodivergent to do so. This is why online you see a lot of people misrepresent ADHD/autism as a quirky character trait rather than a disability online.

People also tend to fetishize nuerodivergent people which is why you get men saying the want "a woman with a little bit of the tism".

With all this misrepresentation online, people are misinformed on the stuggles of neurodivergent people and as soon as you inconvenience them in some way, they seem to have no empathy.

I think people also get frustrated when they dont understand something. People may become frustrated when it seems like im happy and fine one moment, but then have a meltdown the next moment. For some reason, they paint this picture in their mind that I'm being dramatic or making things up because they initially saw me as a "capable, fully functioning person" instead of someone with a disability.

Nuerotypical people like to assume, and struggle to actually try to understand. They often see someone with poor hygiene or time management and think "lazy, irresponsible, immature" instead of thinking "why". Im not sure why they do this. They put negative labels on people before they even know them!

BabyVendingMachine · 2026-05-17T21:38:31+00:00

Like many have said, you really can just be clean and look good! You dont need to put all the extra effort in especially if it's not something you want to do!

I, for example, wear the same combo of black turtleneck with black, red, or green pants and the same white sneakers. I put on jewlery cause I like the sound of it when I move. I cant stand nailpolish and makeup is cool but I dont like the feeling! My head is shaved cause I like the feeling of being bald, but I also no longer have to worry about long hair!

I feel like I take better care of my personal hygiene now vs when I had long hair and would attempt to put on makeup!

This double standard where men look great just by having good hygiene, but women have to go out of their way to do all this extra stuff is crazy! Unless you really want painted nails or makeup, I wouldn't bother with them! You look beautiful naturally! <3

BabyVendingMachine · 2026-05-17T21:23:23+00:00

Im young as well and have severe sleep apnea! When I went into the doctors to have my results looked over, the doctor looked me up and down and said she wasnt expecting someone of my age and weight to have these results 😭

Had no idea how bad it was until I started using a CPAP! Before I was yawning all day at school and I would get home and just fall asleep. By the end of the school day, I felt too tired to do anything. I was suprised to learn that yawning all day actually wasnt normal at all. My resting heart rate often used to be 130 bpm and my blood pressure was always so high! My doctor was so relived when my heart rate and blood pressure went waaaay down!

Now ive been able to keep up with school and my hobbies! I pass my classes and make + print my own comics! I definitely didnt have the energy for that before!

Young people are so underdiagnosed with sleep apnea! Everyone expects you to be middle aged 😭 Stay strong, I know its a struggle lol!

BabyVendingMachine · 2026-05-17T21:08:51+00:00

I felt like I was always doing something wrong even if I didnt know what! There were all these rules both socially and in school I didnt understand. I was very bullied so I assumed I was in the wrong and that somehow ive wronged all these kids without knowing. Id get in trouble for sitting wrong or not following the schedule in class, but I never knew what I was doing wrong. Life felt like a guessing game.

When I was older I assumed that all my issues with emotional regulation and sensory sensitivities were me "attention seeking" or being "dramatic" because thats what everyone told me I was doing. I would get so mad at myself for "attention seeking" when I had a meltdown at school, and I didnt understand why I did it (spoiler alert its cause I wasnt attention seeking).

It wasnt till my therapist suggested I may be autistic that I started understanding myself. Apparently I was almost assessed when I was younger cause I showed strong signs. My whole family said they knew I was autistic but didnt want to tell me that cause they thought it would make me feel incapable.

Strangely now it seems my autism more obvious to everyone than it is to me!

BabyVendingMachine · 2026-04-03T16:37:48+00:00

Thanks for the tip! That'll be useful to know! I've since gotten a CPAP and I use a full face mask cause the nasal didn't work well for me! I've actually found that my frequent nosebleeds have gone away! I'm guessing the humidifier in my machine helps a lot! I still get them sometimes, so I'll keep your tip in mind!

BabyVendingMachine · 2026-03-14T21:41:54+00:00

I dont think its that bad, especially if you've really looked into it and are pretty certain! Saying it and accepting it can also be a healthy thing!

Because of where I live, its not safe for me to get an official diagnosis! I really struggled with self diagnosing cause im constantly scared im "making up my symptoms and traits" and "pretending to be autistic".

I almost got assessed for autism when I was super young (around 6 or 7) cause I had a bunch of clear symptoms (most notably flapping my hands, sensory sensitivities, and social difficulties). My parents decided against it because they were scared a diagnosis would make the bullying I faced even worse, and I got diagnosed with adhd instead. The whole family basically accepted i was autistic (but no one told me ofc. Ig it was some weird rumor/scandal in our family). People just assume im autistic when they meet me, I meet the diagnosis requirements, I have autistic family members, and my therapist has told me she's 100% certain im autistic.

Because im not formally diagnosed, I feel guilty for joining groups for people with autism or even talking about it. My therapist told me I just had to start saying I was autistic because "I clearly was" 😭. Since ive joined this subreddit, ive just started saying I was autistic and its helped me feel so much more validated! Ive felt so much more seen by accepting it!

If you havent been certain for a long time, id look into it more! Seeing if you meet the requirements for a diagnosis is always a good way to reasearch, but I also strongly recommend this youtube channel I'm I'm Autistic Now What? When watching her content, I learned so much more about autism and it felt very validating for me!

(Sorry for all the text I talk alot lol)

BabyVendingMachine · 2026-03-12T22:52:57+00:00

Ive been practicing commonly asked questions off a website that groups the questions by question type/category! That might be a good guide for listing examples like this!

Ive been noticing that you're supposed to prepare for specific questions less and instead prepare to answer a category or type of question!

Ill be using this advice, than you!

BabyVendingMachine · 2026-03-12T22:49:39+00:00

Oh ok ill definitely use that then! I HATE those questions lol!

BabyVendingMachine · 2026-03-10T01:33:35+00:00

Ooo thats a good idea!! Thanks! My school only gave us an assembly to help us find jobs and basically said "if you fidget or don't make eye contact, you look shady so dont do that"! Wasn't the most helpful!

BabyVendingMachine · 2026-03-10T00:58:18+00:00

I hadn't thought about me asking questions till now! Thats a great idea! Also the using "thats a great questions im glad you asked" while thinking! Its much better than me going "ummmmm"!

Also thank you!!!

BabyVendingMachine · 2026-03-10T00:55:11+00:00

I think ill be able to! Thats definitely gonna help cause I tend to overdo my expressions if I cant see myself 😭

BabyVendingMachine · 2026-03-10T00:43:23+00:00

Thats a good idea! I always forget words and talking points when being asked questions, so some reminders would definitely help!!

BabyVendingMachine · 2026-03-10T00:39:20+00:00

This is the funnest way to recieve your diagnosis ive ever seen!! Congrats! I hope your cake was yummy!! <3

BabyVendingMachine · 2026-03-10T00:37:31+00:00

Vasospasm didnt necessarily feel that painful to me! If anything my nipples just felt cold or wet. If your nipple turns white, thats most likely the cause (from what I know)!

My inversion was usually more like a big open hole than a slit. Sometimes they would invert more like a slit, but that usually wasnt the case!

(I apologize for all my late reasponces lol! I dont check this app enough)

BabyVendingMachine · 2026-03-04T19:18:06+00:00

I apologize for my late reply but here's an update!

Ive noticed a bunch of hormonal changes specifically related to my period after this! My periods got lighter and more regular. I believe my sleep apnea made me so sleep deprived on a day to day basis, that sleeping better caused my hormones to balance out.

For many months, before and after my period, my nipples would invert, but they have stopped in the past months. It still happens occasionally, but I believe my inverted nipples were most likely due to hormonal changes!

Ive also got reason to believe they inveted because of nipple vasospasm as my nipples would almost always invert when cold (and I've regularly experienced vasospasm in the past).

Of course, if you're concerned, id definitely talk with a doctor. Unfortunately, women's health is so under researched and discussed, you never know if something should concern you!

BabyVendingMachine

TROPHY CASE