Getting R.J. to sleep was a major undertaking for longer than we care to remember. There were far too many nights during which he went to sleep at 1:00 or 2:00 in the morning, just to wake up an hour or two later, ready to go again. Then we discovered that he would go to sleep while riding in the car, so we made use of THAT at times, as well.
There were too many days during which I dragged into work having only had one or two hours of sleep after driving around town to get R.J. to go to sleep.
It was brutal.
This is one of those autism issues for which I have never seen a good explanation (I will update this posting if I ever come across one).
But there IS hope.
The problem is establishing a sleep cycle for the child that is consistent.
But how do you do that for a child that refuses to tire out?
A naturopath told us about melatonin.
Melatonin is a hormone that is naturally produced by the body. It helps regulate other hormones in the body, and also helps regulate the sleep cycle. The root of the problem seems to be that the bodies of many persons with autism do not produce enough serotonin, the precursor for melatonin. Not enough serotonin means not enough melatonin is produced, which equals not enough sleep. And while there are ways to stimulate the production of serotonin, the problem is getting it through the brain/blood barrier so that melatonin can be produced. More times than not, the body syphons off the available serotonin for other functions.
The solution for many, then, is to use a melatonin supplement.
We began using a sublingual liquid melatonin supplement that was easily purchased at our local health food store. It is classified as a food supplement.
It was a God-send.
Using melatonin, we were finally able to establish a relatively normal sleep cycle for R.J. until his own body finally began producing it in quantities sufficient to continue his sleep cycle. As a rule, he begins to get sleepy within twenty to thirty minutes after taking melatonin, and generally sleeps for six to eight hours thereafter. He appears to be refreshed upon waking. Occasionally, he still needs to take melatonin, but that tends to be infrequently these days.
An alternative to melatonin is valerian, a root that has been used for hundreds of years to address both sleep and anxiety issues, so if your child experiences high anxiety, valerian might be something to check out as well. Like melatonin, it is available as a food supplement from many health food stores. It works in a different manner than melatonin, but the end result appears to be much the same - rest.
And mom and dad get to sleep as well.
