In So Many Words

Yesterday I shared how some of our Little Guy’s sleep issues (and some other problems) went away after modifying his diet.  But that wasn’t the whole story for him – as he became preschool age, it started taking him a long time to fall asleep, often at least 45 minutes and sometimes up to 90 minutes.  He just couldn’t relax enough to close his eyes, and it sometimes seemed that he was reliving his day or a video he had watched earlier.

He also began to wake up in the middle of the night and have a lot of trouble getting back to sleep.  He wasn’t evidencing any pain and was very quiet and groggy, not hyper and alert like some kids are when that happens.  Again, we were looking at 45-90 minutes to go back to sleep, and he would get very upset at either time if I tried to leave his room.  You could argue that was my fault, and you could be right, but that’s where we were at the time.

After implementing the suggestions offered by some sleep experts related to consistent routines, physical activity and slowing things down in the evening, etc, we still weren’t seeing any improvement and both mom and son were not functioning as well as they should be during the day due to the lack of quality sleep.

In my research on various supplements and treatments that could be helpful with autistic kids, I learned about melatonin, which is a hormone secreted in the body to help regulate sleep cycles, among other things.  Although it is an over-the-counter product, we did consult with his doctor before starting it.  Since then, my husband has started taking it, and I use it on occasion as well.

There are different opinions as to a proper dosage and every person is different, so I am not making any recommendations for other people, but I will share that we use Kirkman’s 1 mg chewable melatonin tablets.  They have a slight mint-flavor and are not very expensive compared to many of the other supplements you may be using.

Without question, melatonin has been a lifesaver for us in terms of sleep.  Now he can fall asleep within about 20 minutes and rarely wakes up in the middle of the night, or, if he does, falls asleep immediately after being ushered back to his bed. (Melatonin doesn’t technically help you stay asleep as it only enhances the natural melatonin present at bedtime, but perhaps the sleep quality is better, allowing him to not wake up so easily as before.)

If you are thinking of trying it, I would recommend reading more about it – the Autism Research Institute has a good article on melatonin – and talking to your supportive health care professional.