Even if you shower before bed every night (gold star), you're still bringing an invisible entourage with you under the covers. We don't think about it because sleep is non-negotiable, but dead skin, sweat, and yes, a little saliva end up on our sheets and pillowcases. You can't see itbut it's there. I'm not hear to induce fear, I'm just saying all this as a reminder that clean sheets do matter.
First up is reassurance. It can help to think about a situation, or maybe more than one, that you struggled with in the past, something that felt endless, yet you found ways to move through it. Even if sleep challenges have been with you for a long time, new layers of healing and understanding are always possible. This might be a chapter that's asking for patience and new tools, but you can learn to support yourself through it and find resources that help.
What distinguishes the Hikikomori (ESW) experience is not about the quality or even quantity of sleep; it's about when the sleep happens. Folks I tend to see report ten or more hours of shut-eye; however, it occurs from the wee hours until mid-day or even later. This is problematic because it places someone out of synch with social norms, where jobs and social lives are happening.
