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

Post Reply New Topic

My son's occupational therapist recommended it.

Melotonin used to work for me, but it seems that I have developed an immunity to it. I tried upping the dosage, but it didn't help. I liked using Melotonin though because it gave me these cool dreams that I could actually remember when I woke up. I'm going to try getting a weighted blanket I think. Anyone have any suggestions on how much weight to get?

I used to take aderal and abilifi; I recall that one of those (aderal) gave me trouble sleeping, but switching to generic or some such thing helped.

There may be little new information but I also follow the same routine each night
and take Clonidine (aids sleep and reduces stims such as rocking) and Melotonin
30 minutes before sleep. I also have a fan running to help mask noise and a couple
of blankets to keep out light. Comfy PJ's are a must and try not to think about anything.

As a kid, I was ALWAYS the last one asleep ... would take at least 90 minutes, often 2+ hours. Today it takes about 45-60 minutes, which I consider a huge success.

One thing that might help is having a "white noise" -- like a fan running or a noise machine. This has helped me TREMENDOUSLY! The other thing I do is I do not look at the clock; if your kid is upset at the lack of sleeping, I think this is critical because it causes more anxiety about the lack of sleep, and the more you worry about how little sleep you're getting, the less likely you are to fall asleep.

I also naturally gravitated toward heavier blankets my entire life. I recently ordered a weighted blanket, and I can't wait.

One other thing is temperature may also play a factor. Make sure the house is cool enough to be conducive to sleeping. I think studies show something like 65 degrees is optimal. That might be too extreme for you (and your electric bill), but a fan might be able to help in this regard as well.

Also watch caffeine.

PS - For a period of time I also used a nice, soft blindfold. I stopped using it when it eventually wore out, and I couldn't find anything like it. I found it very soothing. IF your child *chooses* to wear it, that might help also. I'd ask if he'd be interested in trying it.

Last edited by Athenacapella on 07 Apr 2010, 7:51 pm, edited 1 time in total.

They say 10% of your body weight, plus 1 pound. I am curious to see how it actually feels once I get it.

I am totally going to get the melatonin and I have inquired about the weighted blanket.

It is so great to hear from all of you.

I am new to this website and am loving it. I see that people are able to reference something that someone commented on and then comment themselves. How in the world do you do that??

That's exactly what happens to me. I lay down and take everything in and process my day. I also think about the future and plan the next day's activities. Contrary to popular belief, I don't think it has anything to do with caffeine. I could have 20 cans of soda and still fall asleep fine. I find what helps me is to do something stimulating while laying down...like surfing the net on my laptop, watching a movie, or even just listening to my iPod. I'm weird...but I suppose that's just a part of being autistic. *sigh*

I do take way longer then others to fall asleep,
a lot of thoughts go through my head about my day and various other things.

reading before bed helps me,
sometimes playing my ds for a bit before bed helps me fall asleep faster.
but the drawback with the DS playing is I forget what time it is and stay up for longer then I should

That was totally me as a kid and as an adult up until 2 years ago. I took forever to fall asleep because my brain was busy thinking, actually I thought that was normal.

I tried modifying my sleeping environment and having a good bedtime routine, but nothing worked until by complete chance I was prescribed some anti-seizure meds to treat my pain disorder. Now I'm out like a light within 20 minutes. However, I do need to take my meds about three hours before bedtime. I'm not recommending anti-seizure meds for your 12 year old. A weighted blanket could work (seems very popular on here), but alas that is unfeasible for me living in without an air conditioner in Australia where its only comfortable to sleep with a blanket about 3 months a year. However, your child's sleep issues might be severe enough to warrant medication. I would talk it over with your doctor but only if all non-medication ideas don't work out - try them first.

The way I do it is before I post a reply, I copy the text (highlight and Ctrl C). When you are on the reply box, there is an icon, first one on the top left, that has quotation marks. Click that, paste the copied text (Ctrl V) and press the same button. If you have done it right it should have quote in square brackets at the beginning and /quote also in square brackets. gotta love computer jargon!

I'm the only diagnosed Aspie in my family, but my mother and both of my siblings all show traits as well and none of us gets to sleep easily. We all take Ambien, it's probably a bit much for an 11 year old, but if the problem persists it might be worth a shot. I like the stuff because it knocks me out quickly and doesn't stay in my system long, so I wake up without any lingering effects, and it's ok to take just about indefinitely.

Unless I'm exhausted, I take a long time to fall asleep. I find that a bedtime routine helps.

I have sleeping issues and I don't really do anything about it because I don't work. I just go to bed whenever I want. When I worked, I used sleeping aids. But I had to stick to my schedule by keeping my bed routine the same on my days off or the pills would have quit working.

I don't have much trouble falling asleep, and having AS does not have any effect on sleep anyway. I know loads of NTs who have trouble falling asleep.

Sometimes I go through phases of having trouble to get to sleep, depending on my diet - and also depending on the weather. If it's a hot night, I cannot sleep. I can sleep better in autumn, winter and spring.

I don't know if this will work on everyone, but it works on me: eat or drink more dairy products. Drinking milk before going to bed can help relax you. (Doesn't matter if the milk is hot or cold). Also, change your bed covers regularly. I change mine once every couple of weeks, and I feel I can sleep better when in a fresh bed. (Before you all think two weeks is a bit long to change bed covers in, it depends on the circumstance. I don't sweat in bed much, and I wash regularly and change my clothes every day, and I open my window during the day to let fresh air in).

Getting into a comfortable position and doing timetables in your head may help you soothe you to sleep. This can stop you from worrying about things, and can occupy your mind onto something else. I don't know all of my timetables, so I have to use more concentration doing timetables - which sends me to sleep quicker. They block all the worries from my head.

I used to, because any form of inconstant noise would distract me from even attempting to sleep. Now, with three milligrams of melatonin and an air filter that does a grand job at drowning out any random sounds, I fall asleep without difficulty.