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Insomnia

Claire

I am feeling completely lost, overwhelmed and a failure.

Our 15 year old daughter was diagnosed ASD last month and although she has taken it very well, she will not sleep!! 

Its been months of just an hour or so of sleep!

GP has said to try Piriton but so far its had no effect. 

She suffers with Coeliac Disease (diagnosed at 3) and has always had an issue with her Vitamin D levels being extremely low, her B12 and folic acid are also low so is on medication for this.

We have been doing the sleep hygiene tips but they don't seem to help and limit screen time. I can't stay up every night and monitor what she is doing, i work full time and just feel i am failing her.

She's exhausted, I'm exhausted 

Do i risk meltdowns and shutdowns to get my point across or do i just ride the wave and hope that eventually it will settle (even tho its been months already)

She is a very bright and intelligent girl but i don't know what to do!!

Parents

  • If I'm understanding correctly this is a 'will not sleep' situation rather than a 'can not sleep'?

    Does she have intense interests which she would rather do than sleep? That can be an issue for many autistic people. If we get absorbed in something that interests us, then sleeping and even eating and drinking no longer seem important or necessary.

    As a child I would often prefer to read during the night rather than sleep. As an adult I often stay up until 3am or even later, absorbed in some interest on my computer. Sleeping can seem like such a waste of time, even though my logical brain knows it is necessary. 

    Also there is the sensory aspect too. Those quiet hours during the night, with very little in the way of noise or interruptions, are bliss to an autistic person. Why would I want to waste those valuable hours sleeping? When I was studying for exams I found that my brain seemed to function much better during those quiet early hours of the morning, and as a result would do all my studying then. 

    She needs to be able to understand the importance of sleep for her current and future health and wellbeing. Even then it may be hard to change. The body and mind will eventually need to catch up on the sleep deficit that has built up and it will become increasingly hard for her to function during normal waking hours.

    It may be worth asking your GP about Melatonin https://www.nhs.uk/medicines/melatonin/ The NHS website says it can be prescribed for children if a doctor recommends it.

Reply

  • If I'm understanding correctly this is a 'will not sleep' situation rather than a 'can not sleep'?

    Does she have intense interests which she would rather do than sleep? That can be an issue for many autistic people. If we get absorbed in something that interests us, then sleeping and even eating and drinking no longer seem important or necessary.

    As a child I would often prefer to read during the night rather than sleep. As an adult I often stay up until 3am or even later, absorbed in some interest on my computer. Sleeping can seem like such a waste of time, even though my logical brain knows it is necessary. 

    Also there is the sensory aspect too. Those quiet hours during the night, with very little in the way of noise or interruptions, are bliss to an autistic person. Why would I want to waste those valuable hours sleeping? When I was studying for exams I found that my brain seemed to function much better during those quiet early hours of the morning, and as a result would do all my studying then. 

    She needs to be able to understand the importance of sleep for her current and future health and wellbeing. Even then it may be hard to change. The body and mind will eventually need to catch up on the sleep deficit that has built up and it will become increasingly hard for her to function during normal waking hours.

    It may be worth asking your GP about Melatonin https://www.nhs.uk/medicines/melatonin/ The NHS website says it can be prescribed for children if a doctor recommends it.

Children
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