Do other AS people / kids have a hard time falling asleep??

Post Reply New Topic

I have a 11 year old who has the hardest time falling asleep. It takes him about an hour longer than my NT kids. It is like he processes his day, his life, his future, and his fears each night. Does anyone have suggestions or things that work for them?

I have two kids on the spectrum. The older one, more Asperger's, has ALWAYS had a hard time falling asleep. The younger one, more High Functioning Autistic, doesn't have this problem at all. In our family, it goes both ways, apparently.

Most people here have reported successes with a weighted blanket.

I have always had a hard time falling asleep. Now that I am an adult I usually turn to OTC sleep aides, but I do know that cutting out any caffeine before 3 pm, drinking some milk before bedtime and having a soothing shower helps for me to send me off in the right direction.

We have give them 3 mg of Melatonin - and it helps a lot. You can get it at any drug store

I used to have trouble sleeping, at night. The problems have all but vanished, since I've modified my sleeping environment.

I'm a big fan of Melatonin too. I take it about an hour before I want to fall asleep and it works like a charm.

I dont really have a hard problem falling asleep (getting good quality sleep on the other hand is often another matter)

My brother has had problems getting to sleep though and getting a good quality sleep too, and we're still trying to find ways to solve that.

My cousin at least used to listen to ocean and whale music in bed and also had a lava lamp which he had switched on before he went to sleep.
Im not sure if this massively helped; whether he actually had any problems sleeping; or whether he is still using it (i havent seen him for a couple of years) but it might be an idea.However for me personally i dont think that would work, though if i did have a problem then listening to classical music before he goes to sleep might?

Also for some reason the sea salt in the air when i go to the beach somehow makes me fall tired and asleep. Im not entirely sure how or why, or how you could use it at home, but it might be something to consider.

Thank you all for your suggestions. I am going to give them a try!

That is me and my husband (we both have AS) for sure. I found out recently that I have AS and it now makes so much sense to me why I am the way I am. My severe insomnia has always been a huge issue for me. And you pretty much hit the nail on the head with your idea that he is processing EVERYTHING then. That is EXACTLY what I do, I bet he's doing the same. It's horrible, I process so many things then- pretty much everything actually. I actually have a routine I have followed for a long time and it helps me fall asleep: I put on a movie I know very well, that I have seen countless times. Something I do not have to hear (I mute it) or even think about. Then I zone out on it. That is the ONLY way I can get to sleep easy, short of passing out from exhaustion (which I do a lot now that we have a newborn ) I have been doing this for years, only now do I realize that I have been using the TV in that way to deal with the over-processing that is going on at that time. It's almost like I hypnotize myself or something.

I also use a fan, the whirring seems to distract my busy brain. I have used Melatonin as well and it seems to work for me. However, since becoming pregnant and now breast-feeding I am a little worried to take it. So it's just the TV and/or fan now.
I hope you guys can find some kind of routine that helps him too. That's really the only advice I can come up with. Sorry I can't help a whole lot- I'm new to this subject.

What did you change? I'd be interested in any suggestions, I have a terrible time trying to sleep.

A bedtime routine is important. Strangely enough, I carried my routine on even after my mum stopped joining in: Go upstairs at 7:45pm, brush my teeth, put in my earplugs and put on my eyemask (I still have to have these today), put my pillow in the correct position, make sure my duvet is straight, lie down, sing a song to myself (mum used to do it for me)... usually, providing my gastric reflux isn't playing up, I drift off to sleep in about half an hour. Nowadays I have the same routine except it starts at 9:45pm!

Low dose Melatonin works well for my 12 year old AS son too. It doesn't make him sleepy, it seems to just help the natural process along.

I am glad I am not the only one who gives my child Melatonin. I know it is a safe natural chemical that our brain produces, but I had this nagging feeling/fear that I shouldn't give her something for sleep. I swear she would be up far too late if I didn't give it to her, though, and it is better for her to get a full night of sleep.

yeah, i found a site with them:
http://www.weightedblanket.net/

I am going to find some small weighted ball bearings or something that I can insert into places in one of my comforters, I think. I can sew, and I think I could save some money making one.

I sometimes find it hard to sleep straight away. Its not until around 1.30-2am that I fall asleep.