• Replies 1 reply
  • Subscribers 30 subscribers
  • Views 354 views
  • Users 0 members are here
Options
Related
Hints and tips
  • To quote someone's message, first select/highlight the relevant text, and then use the Quote button that appears
  • To "mention" someone, type @ followed by the start of the forum name, and choose from the list; that person will get a notification of being mentioned

Poor sleep cycle

NAS78928

Can anyone advise? My daughter (12) has been unable to attend school for almost a year due to extreme fatigue and an irreguar sleep cycle. We are about to start melatonin  but have had little success with the 2mg dose and seem to be finding it difficult to get someone to prescribe more even with her ASC diagnosis. Her sleep cycle moves 12 hrs every 2 weeks and then she will skip a whole night leaving her exhausted and in a state of brain fog. Her apetite also suffers hugely. She complains that her mind is racing and she is unable to slow it down in order to relax. TIA

  • It consists of doing things that support good sleeping habits. I recommend the following:

    • Limit your caffeine intake to 1 drink in the morning. Caffeine has a half-life of around 6 to 12 hours. If you drink too much, you'll be sleeping with caffeine in your system which produces poorer sleep. And then you'll need caffeine the next morning to wake up. It's a vicious cycle.

    • Make sure your bed is good. I had a bed that I THOUGHT was still good, but it was worn out (10 years old). After replacing the mattress, I found my sleep quality increased dramatically. And thus I required less sleep.

    • Black out curtains. Make sure that your bedroom is dark. Light may not wake you, but it does degrade your sleep quality.

    • Use your bedroom for 2 things, and only 2 things: Sleeping and Sexy Time. Do NOT use your bedroom to watch TV or surf the Internet. The brightness of the screens delays your brain winding down. (I suppose reading a book or a Kindle would be okay...)

    • Set an alarm on your phone 1 hour before bedtime. This is the "start winding down now" alarm. Whatever it is you are doing, wrap it up in 5 minutes and start your going to bed routine. This may include, grabbing some calming herbal tea (chamomile), brushing your teeth, packing your lunch for tomorrow, sitting in bed and reading a book for 30 minutes, etc.

    • Set an alarm to wake you up in the morning and get up regardless of if you're fully rested or not. If you're a little tired in the morning for a few days, that's okay, your body will slowly dial the clock forward until you're finally going to bed at a reasonable hour.