Autism / Autism Spectrum Support Group

Big Hugs Hun! I really know what that is like.

Melitonin is a supliment that really helps boys sleep. The lavendar bubble bath seems to help my daughter to at least calm down.

My biggest advice is to sleep when he does if you can.

Good luck. xoxo

Hey. I am not a parent, so I am not sure about this one, but its just an idea. Have you tried sleeping with him in his bed, or letting him sleep in your bed with you? I know this helped me a lot when I was younger. I still sometimes sleep in my mums room when I am really upset or can't sleep. I don't konw if this will help or if you have already tried this. Just a sugesstion. Hope you find a way to help him! :)

At one point we used melatonin to help my son sleep. We also at one point used benadryl. Both worked some of he time. Benadryl seemed to make him sleep a little longer and have fewer side effects (at least for us) than the melatonin did, but I didn't want to use it long-term for sleep. Nothing else really worked for us.

I hope you find something that will work for you.

HIS DIET CAN BE THE PROBLEM
FOODS THAT HELP YOU SLEEP
What you eat affects how you sleep. One of the keys to a restful night's sleep is to get your brain calmed rather than revved up. Some foods contribute to restful sleep; other foods keep you awake. We call them sleepers and wakers. Sleepers are tryptophan-containing foods, because tryptophan is the amino acid that the body uses to make serotonin, the neurotransmitter that slows down nerve traffic so your brain isn't so busy. Wakers are foods that stimulate neurochemicals that perk up the brain.

Tryptophan is a precursor of the sleep-inducing substances serotonin and melatonin. This means tryptophan is the raw material that the brain uses to build these relaxing neurotransmitters. Making more tryptophan available, either by eating foods that contain this substance or by seeing to it that more tryptophan gets to the brain, will help to make you sleepy. On the other hand, nutrients that make tryptophan less available can disturb sleep.

Eating carbohydrates with tryptophan-containing foods makes this calming amino acid more available to the brain. A high carbohydrate meal stimulates the release of insulin, which helps clear from the bloodstream those amino acids that compete with tryptophan, allowing more of this natural sleep-inducing amino acid to enter the brain and manufacture sleep- inducing substances, such as serotonin and melatonin. Eating a high-protein meal without accompanying carbohydrates may keep you awake, since protein-rich foods also contain the amino acid, tyrosine, which perks up the brain.

To understand how tryptophan and carbohydrates work together to relax you, picture the various amino acids from protein foods as passengers on a bus. A busload containing tryptophan and tyrosine arrives at the brain cells. If more tyrosine "passengers" get off the bus and enter the brain cells, neuroactivity will rev up. If more tryptophan amino acids get off the bus, the brain will calm down. Along comes some insulin which has been stalking carbohydrates in the bloodstream. Insulin keeps the tyrosine amino acids on the bus, allowing the brain-calming tryptophan effect to be higher than the effect of the brain-revving tyrosine.

You can take advantage of this biochemical quirk by choosing protein or carbohydrate-rich meals, depending on whether you want to perk up or slow down your brain. For students and working adults, high protein, medium-carbohydrate meals are best eaten for breakfast and lunch. For dinner and bedtime snacks, eat a meal or snack that is high in complex carbohydrates, with a small amount of protein that contains just enough tryptophan to relax the brain. An all- carbohydrate snack, especially one high in junk sugars, is less likely to help you sleep. You'll miss out on the sleep-inducing effects of tryptophan, and you may set off the roller-coaster effect of plummeting blood sugar followed by the release of stress hormones that will keep you awake. The best bedtime snack is one that has both complex carbohydrates and protein, and perhaps some calcium. Calcium helps the brain use the tryptophan to manufacture melatonin. This explains why dairy products, which contain both tryptophan and calcium, are one of the top sleep-inducing foods.

Back to topSNOOZE FOODS
These are foods high in the sleep-inducing amino acid tryptophan:

Dairy products: cottage cheese, cheese, milk
Soy products: soy milk, tofu, soybean nuts
Seafood
Meats
Poultry
Whole grains
Beans
Rice
Hummus
Lentils
Hazelnuts, Peanuts
Eggs
Sesame seeds, sunflower seeds
Back to topBEST BEDTIME SNACKS
Foods that are high in carbohydrates and calcium, and medium-to-low in protein also make ideal sleep-inducing bedtime snacks. Some examples:

apple pie and ice cream (my favorite)
whole-grain cereal with milk
hazelnuts and tofu
oatmeal and raisin cookies, and a glass of milk
peanut butter sandwich, ground sesame seeds (It takes around one hour for the tryptophan in the foods to reach the brain, so don't wait until right before bedtime to have your snack.)
Back to topBEST DINNERS FOR SLEEP
Meals that are high in carbohydrates and low-to-medium in protein will help you relax in the evening and set you up for a good night's sleep. Try the following "dinners for sleep":

pasta with parmesan cheese
scrambled eggs and cheese
tofu stirfry
hummus with whole wheat pita bread
seafood, pasta, and cottage cheese
meats and poultry with veggies
tuna salad sandwich
chili with beans, not spicy
sesame seeds (rich in tryptophan) sprinkled on salad with tuna chunks, and whole wheat crackers
Lighter meals are more likely to give you a restful night's sleep. High-fat meals and large servings prolong the work your digestive system needs to do, and all the gas production and rumblings may keep you awake. Some people find that highly-seasoned foods (e.g., hot peppers and garlic) interfere with sleep, especially if you suffer from heartburn. (See gastroesophageal reflux). Going to bed with a full stomach does not, for most people, promote a restful night's sleep. While you may fall asleep faster, all the intestinal work required to digest a big meal is likely to cause frequent waking and a poorer quality of sleep. Eat your evening meal early.

Heed the sleep wisdom: "Don't dine after nine."

Helping Your Child With Autism Get a Good Night's Sleep
(continued)
How do I know whether my child has a sleep disorder?
Every child needs a slightly different amount of sleep. In general, these are the amounts of sleep children require, by age:

Ages 1-3: 12-14 hours of sleep per day
Ages 3-6: 10-12 hours of sleep per day
Ages 7-12: 10-11 hours of sleep per day
If your child regularly has difficulty falling asleep or wakes up repeatedly throughout the night, it might be a sign of a sleep problem. To know for sure, make an appointment with your child's pediatrician. The doctor may refer you to a sleep specialist.

It can help to keep a sleep diary for a week to track how much and when your child is sleeping. You can share this diary with your child's doctor and any specialist involved in treatment.

How can I help my child sleep better?
Sleep medications are used only as a last resort with children. There are a number of lifestyle changes and natural sleep aids that can improve sleep time and quality in kids with autism:

Avoid giving your child stimulants such as caffeine and sugar before bed.
Establish a nighttime routine: give your child a bath, read a story, and put him or her to bed at the same time every night.
Help your child relax before bed by reading a book, giving a gentle back massage, or turning on soft music. Avoid television, video games, and other stimulating activities just before bedtime.
To prevent sensory distractions during the night, put heavy curtains on your child's windows to block out the light, install thick carpeting, and make sure the door doesn't creak.
Ask your pediatrician about giving your child melatonin just before bedtime. This dietary supplement is often used as a sleep aid to help people get over jet lag. It may help normalize sleep-wake cycles in autistic children who have sleeping issues, and research done so far finds that it's safe and effective.
Try bright-light therapy. Exposing the child to periods of bright light in the morning may help regulate the body's release of melatonin.

I ASKED MY SONS SCHOOL TO GIVE HIM TWO HOURS OF PHYSICAL EXERCISE EVERY MORNING IT WORKED REALLY WELL. I ALSO FOUND THAT IF I TOOK HIM TO THE COAST THE SEA AIR ACTED AS A SEDATIVE ,MY SON IS NOW 19 AND I HAVE THE OPPOSITE PROBLEM I CANT GET HIM OUT OF BED IN THE MORNINGS. GOOD LUCK!

Haven't visited this community in a long time, but recently found something online that I wanted to ask if anyone had tried, and as it turns out might be a strategy for you...

...so I'm enrolled in massage therapy school (on top of my day job) and I'm doing an independent project for the anatomy and physiology class on sleep. I found this website that was suggesting the use of weighted blankets, and wondered if anyone here had tried them and what sort of success (or not) they had with them. Website:

http://www.eileenparker.com/?p=85

The following webpage is a brief article that more or less repeats what has already been posted in this thread:

http://autismaspergerssyndrome.sui...

... 'nother thought - the weighted blanket description reminded me of a massage technique we learned called tucking. There are two parts to this technique, maybe some of it would work.

1) this only works if your child can lie still and isn't squirmy (!) He lies on his back - you take a sheet and make a long rope out of it. Starting under an armpit you tuck the sheet around his body, kinda like a chalk outline, but it's a sheet. Basically you're just filling in the gaps between his body and the mattress. It takes about 6 sheets to tuck entirely around an adult body (using twin size, larger sheets tend to be too bulky to work well for this). ou can put a covering sheet over but you don't have to.

2) Gently lay one hand on a shoulder and one on the near elbow. You're not pressing or rubbing, it's just the weight and warmth of your hand on the joint. After a minute or so move the hand on the shoulder down to the elbow, move the elbow hand to the hip, stay there for a minute or so. Then hip and knee, knee and ankle, etc. pausing for a minute on each pair of joints going around the entire body until you are up to the head.

Untuck the sheets in the reverse order that you tucked them.

The technique was taught to us for use with clients who for various medical or emotional reasons aren't able to tolerate a typical massage. The article about the weighted blankets mentions the use of compression as a soothing thing, which is what the weight of the blanket provides. The touch described in the tucking procedure is a very gentle form of compression.

I don't have children myself, so I couldn't attest to whether or not this strategy will help your situation, but I described it here wondering if some part of it might be useful to you.

Good luck - and I hope you both soon get the rest you need!

Brian

Forgot to mention, the whole procedure takes about 30 minutes as described. Less time or more depending on how long you hold at each joint.

Great advice Brian!!!!! As usual!!! I wish that monkey was still lil enough to do that!!! Elaine...try it! I think pressure may be exactly what he needs! I know when mine was that age....I had to resort to med's....there wasn't as much out there to do..and I was exhausted! I am glad now days there are all kinds of techniques out there and only wish back then.....I knew about em! Maybe try to take him for an evening walk as well...maybe the school in itself is not wearing his body out....and / or his mind is going 90 to nothing! Hugs hun..I know how hard it is!