Obsession

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I haven't been diagnosed, so if my questions seem silly or no-brainers, then you now know why.

I joined this forum not only to relate to people, so that I can stop feeling wrong about the way I interpret things (it seems like I am always called out, or in the wrong for not following status quo in public and relations), but also to get a better idea about what Asperger's is, since I feel that I am a match, but can't be officially diagnosed through the Veteran's Administration. (They won't let me re-enlist into the army if I do.)

So, on to my silly questions.

1. Are you a light sleeper, and do you find it difficult to fall back asleep because your brain is in overdrive about anything you might have an interest in recently?

2. Do you stay up, sometimes overnight because you have found something you want to know everything about and your brain continues to ask questions, make calculations and hunger for more information regarding anything you find interesting?

3. Can you essentially learn everything about a topic, or at least seem like a subject matter expert within the course of a night and recall the information accurately?

4. Is this what they refer to when they say an aspies perception of time is off? I know I can tell time. However, I become so integrated into my thought processes that time passes by exceptionally quickly when I am learning about something interesting, or working on some mental process.

5. And, lastly, if you do not find a topic interesting, do you also become mentally tired after studying for small-medium periods of time?

1. Yes
2. Sometimes
3.Yes
4. Yes
5. Yes

1. No. I'm a very heavy sleeper, actually.
2. No.
3. Yes.
4. I don't think so.
5. Yes.

You should also know every Aspie is different :Heart:

No to every question barring the fourth.

I derive no pleasure from anything at all; I seldom passed examinations because: (a) a lack of preparation, (b) I have an atrocious memory, (c) I have a low IQ, and I usually sleep like a heavily sedated horse.

Here are my answers to the questions that you posed:

1.) I can be a light sleeper. It depends on how physically tired I am at the time and how interested I am in a subject at hand. Many times I can still "work" on the information while I sleep, especially if it is solving a problem or inventing something new. I have been able to do this since I was very young.

2.) Yes. This trait is useful in certain situations (example: grad school cume exams, where you have a very limited amount of time to absorb a huge amount of information in and be tested on it).

3.) If I have an interest in the subject, than it is usually yes. All bets are off if the subject matter does not hold my interest well enough.

4.) While I sleep, I can keep track of time quite well. I can set an alarm clock to a specific time, yet always seem to wake up five minutes before the alarm is supposed to go off. That really annoys me sometimes because I cannot simply go back to sleep in five minutes like others can. When I am awake, I can get lost in time with an interest if there are no watches/clocks nearby for me to judge time with.

5.) It depends greatly upon the topic material. If it is very technical in nature, I usually can keep myself motivated to finish it. If it is not very technical, it will bore me and I will tire of it quickly.

1. Are you a light sleeper, and do you find it difficult to fall back asleep because your brain is in overdrive about anything you might have an interest in recently?

Yeah, the interest can keep me up but most of the time it takes me a good 30 minutes to an hour to fall asleep. After that anything wakes me up, and i need to sleep with music.

2. Do you stay up, sometimes overnight because you have found something you want to know everything about and your brain continues to ask questions, make calculations and hunger for more information regarding anything you find interesting?

Yep

3. Can you essentially learn everything about a topic, or at least seem like a subject matter expert within the course of a night and recall the information accurately?

yeah, if im interested

4. Is this what they refer to when they say an aspies perception of time is off? I know I can tell time. However, I become so integrated into my thought processes that time passes by exceptionally quickly when I am learning about something interesting, or working on some mental process.

Yeaah i suppose

5. And, lastly, if you do not find a topic interesting, do you also become mentally tired after studying for small-medium periods of time?

i dont study anything im not interested in, even if i have to

1. It depends on the night usually.
2. Yep.
3. Yes, on more than one occasion.
4. I guess sometimes.
5. Yep, a few required classes I had were a nightmare because of that.

1. No, I'm not a light sleeper. Yes, I do often find it difficult to fall back asleep if I wake up.
2. Yes
3. Yes
4. idk. You could probably say that about a lot of NTs as well.
5. Yes

1) Yes. I am a night owl because I like to research my special interests at night when no one else is awake to bother me. It's very difficult to drop a topic and go to bed.

2) Yes. Somewhat. I'm too old to stay up all night anymore but I used to do that quite a bit. Now I usually stay up until about 2 or 3 am to collect info on my topic of interest. I like to collect facts and information and I really like to share that information with people who are willing to listen.

3) I can learn a ton (about a topic I'm interested in) in a very short amount of time because of the AS ability to hyper focus. I can also forget the info I learn very quickly when I do finally lose interest and move on to another topic.

4) Time seems to pass very quickly when I am absorbed in my special interest. I set up my computer clock on my iMac to announce the time on the hour to snap me out of whatever has my focus. I also set alarms so I don't miss dinner, lunch, etc.

5) Yes. It took me several years to get through school because I would get very bored with certain classes that didn't interest me. It was painful to go to those classes and did kind of make me tired. I focused all my efforts on one or two courses that really caught my attention.

Yes to everything. I learn everything about something and use it to become an expert in that field for a job for a few years, then I get bored and switch to whatever else sparks my interest. I really need to stop doing this. I try not to start on a topic that is a rabbit hole of never ending theories, that only leads to many all nighters. In high IQ world we call what you are talking about overexcitabilities. Maybe have your IQ tested.

1. Are you a light sleeper, and do you find it difficult to fall back asleep because your brain is in overdrive about anything you might have an interest in recently?
I'm sometimes a light sleeper. I used to when my OCD was bad.

2. Do you stay up, sometimes overnight because you have found something you want to know everything about and your brain continues to ask questions, make calculations and hunger for more information regarding anything you find interesting?
I did when my OCD was bad.

3. Can you essentially learn everything about a topic, or at least seem like a subject matter expert within the course of a night and recall the information accurately?
No. I learn slowly & get things confused easily due to my dyslexia & ADD.

4. Is this what they refer to when they say an aspies perception of time is off? I know I can tell time. However, I become so integrated into my thought processes that time passes by exceptionally quickly when I am learning about something interesting, or working on some mental process.
It did when I was caught up in stuff but in general my perception of time seems about normal.

5. And, lastly, if you do not find a topic interesting, do you also become mentally tired after studying for small-medium periods of time? Yes but some of that may be due to my ADD & dyslexia.

1. Yes
2. Yes
3. Yes
4. Sort of. My time perception is very bad regardless of whether or not I'm hyperfocusing. It's just plain awful. Never even close to accurate.
5. Yes. It's terribly difficult to learn something I'm not interested in. I become distracted or fall asleep. Thankfully, I really like a lot of subjects.