sleeping patterns

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Does anyone else's child have cyclical sleeping patterns? My 4 year old seems to have several weeks where he will sleep 11 hours at night and then several weeks where he'll only sleep 9 hours (and be extremely tired during the day because he doesn't nap either). I haven't charted it or anything, so I don't really know how long the time spans seem to be, but I'm wondering if there's something going on here.

Anyone? Thoughts?

Both of my kids do this. One has AS and one is NT and they're both under 6. We've always attributed it to growth spurts. Also, my older child sleeps, on average, about 11 hours a night, while my younger child only sleeps, on average, about 8 hours a night. They both go to bed at the same time, but the younger one just sings and plays in her bed for 2 hours sometimes, and then gets up very early.

Everyone has different sleep patterns, and sometimes they can fluctuate. I don't think it's a big deal. You can make sure your child gets enough time in bed - but you can't really make them sleep. Fresh air and exercise can help, but not always. I don't think there's really anything wrong, if that's what you're asking. You could always mention it to the doctor, but I don't think there's any real cause for concern here.

I get 6 hours of sleep in the summer in a 24 hour period. In the winter, I get 10 hours of sleep over the same period. I sleep for 8 hours a night and take 2 daily naps in the winter.

Thanks for the responses. I guess my only concern was/is that he's so tired during the shorter sleep cycles. The neurologist we saw suggested melatonin could help. I might try it, but I just figured I'd see if anyone had any experience with the different sleep patterns.

I WISH he would just stay in bed and play on those days he can't sleep! We don't have that going on over here at all! I do remember doing that as a child though. I always had trouble going to sleep and staying asleep, so I would stay in bed and play/sing.

Thanks!