Today I learned a valuable lesson: a good night’s sleep can put you in a good mood.
I know that sleep has health benefits, of course. I also am intimately familiar with the concept that you can’t function properly and productively on less than 6 hours of sleep, and I can attest first-hand to the fact that lack of sleep makes you grumpy and touchy.
But a good mood? I didn’t know that until this morning.
What I looked like last night.
You see, yesterday I was depressed, in that kind of “am I getting my period early?” way. Life is good, in fact, it’s very good, but I am waiting on a few things I really was looking forward to, one of which at least looks like it possibly fell through. I was despairing, and also suffering over it. I knew I was sleep deprived, yet fear of lying in bed staring at the back of my eyelids kept me up on Facebook late on Wednesday night (then I got distracted and then Zoe got up). So, last night, I hit the bed around 10 and lights out by 10:30. Zoe woke me briefly an hour or so later, but then I slept straight through til morning, and even went back to sleep after hubby’s alarm went off.
I could have slept another hour, but I woke up in a REALLY good mood! Then my good mood was capped by hearing Zoe, also in a good mood from sleeping, even with her speech delay, singing most of the word’s to Cinderella’s “A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes”.
Now, I know if you have a child with sleep difficulties (can I get an amen from the parents of kids with autism and sensory disorders??), you are like, “Well, Gina, that’s great, but there IS no sleep in my house.” Yes, I have been there, just last week in fact. I may be back there again next week, who knows? I also read that lack of sleep in kids with ASD can increase poor behaviors (see PDF below).
Below however, are some of the things I’ve employed at different times that have worked to get my girl to sleep:
Routine and schedule. I’ll admit, we’ve been REALLY lax about this. If Zoe has no school, I don’t wake her up, and if she goes later than Amelia, I also don’t wake her up. It turns out, though, that forcing her to get up merely 1 or 1.5 hours earlier seems to make her more likely sleep through the night! Also, it’s easier to get her dressed from the waist down, AND she actually mimicked Amelia brushing her teeth one day. That’s a BIG deal! No more late sleeping for this kid.- Keep your child in her room. This is REALLY hard, but we’ve employed all kinds of tactics to keep her in there: child proof gates that allow me and my hubby easy access, locks on the gates (she’s figured out locks), nightlights, leaving the light on, toys that she cannot climb (to get over the gate), keeping the heat up (she sadly has the “cold” room), stuffed animal/soft doll to sleep with, light blankets, etc. And don’t let them sleep with you! In this house, that inevitably is a slippery slope we can’t get back up.
- Manage their stimuli. So again, experiment with lights on/lights off/ night lights. Try weighted blankets or heavy quilts. If your child will wear pajamas, make sure they are tight ones.
- Give them the best chance to sleep. Feed them early enough. Give a bath. No stimuli like TV or games for an hour or so before. Change diaper at last possible opportunity.
- Ask your doctor about melatonin supplements. DO NOT DO THIS BEFORE CONSULTING WITH YOUR PEDIATRICIAN!* Melatonin is the hormone in your brain that gets released when the sun goes down, bringing on sleepiness and yawning. I just learned that sometimes kids and people with autism do not have this hormone properly releasing at the correct times in the brain. Also, apparently you can give too much and it back fires, which is why you should check with your child’s doctor before using it as a sleep aid.
Do you have any tips to add to my list that have worked for you ? Sweet dreams to all you parents!
*I almost never advocate for any kind of drugs or supplements that do not already exist in the foods we eat, so pursue this avenue at your own risk.
frugal baby says
Routine is the one of the most important things to be consistent with.
But it is so hard to keep up.
frugal baby says
Routine is the one of the most important things to be consistent with.
But it is so hard to keep up.
Ilka says
I do not like to mess with GA’s sleeping schedule (she will go to sleep and wake up almost on the same schedule even when she is out of school). If she goes to sleep very late she will be sleepy the morning after and will be moody. And if she wakes up late then she will have problems going to sleep. Sleeping routine and schedule are very important to her. And she is 10 now. Sometimes she complains her classmates stay up until late every night and she cannot do the same 🙁
Ilka says
I do not like to mess with GA’s sleeping schedule (she will go to sleep and wake up almost on the same schedule even when she is out of school). If she goes to sleep very late she will be sleepy the morning after and will be moody. And if she wakes up late then she will have problems going to sleep. Sleeping routine and schedule are very important to her. And she is 10 now. Sometimes she complains her classmates stay up until late every night and she cannot do the same 🙁
Ilka says
Give them the best chance to sleep. We also had to TV and games 1 hour before going to sleep. It is also very important to choose carefully the books you are going to read to your child (some stories are very stressful). I read the book with her in advance (day time) so I can see her reactions to the story and she can make all the questions she wants. That way when we read the book before going to sleep she will be calm.
Ask your doctor about melatonin supplements. I am against drugs. One psychiatrist told me to give her linden tea before going to sleep. According to her it has relaxing properties. I think it is true because it helped a lot. It’s been 4 years since then and she continues to drink a couple of warm linden tea before going to sleep every night. And she loves it.
admin says
Hi Ilka, that is great advice! I never considered that, but generally my kids like the same books read over and over. Great suggestion about the tea as well.
Routine is important, I’m just one of those people who thrives without a routine! Not easy for me. Thanks for your comments…sorry, I should have put that I approve all comments first. Prevents spam. Have a great day, and thanks for sharing!
Cindy Richards says
I agree with you that sleep is very essential for everyone. Lack of it may cause a lot of bad things for yourself. And a lot of things also happens when we are sleeping. I really love sleeping and waking up smiling.
Cindy Richards says
I agree with you that sleep is very essential for everyone. Lack of it may cause a lot of bad things for yourself. And a lot of things also happens when we are sleeping. I really love sleeping and waking up smiling.
Jessica says
Do your children go to Seven Generations charter school? If so, our kids go to school together. So anyway, I am just writing to see, if you have ever looked into or considered biomedicine for your daughter with the ASD? Our five year old has SPD and had been unofficially placed mildly on the spectrum, but it never stuck and I chalk that up to biomedicine. Autism symptoms started showing when he was around 2.5 and progressed until he was lining up cars, hand flapping, had tics, severe sound sensitivities, sensory seeking, BM problems, sleep disturbances nightly, had low self esteem, delayed fine motor skills, the list was endless. We started biomedicine around 3.5 and now at 5, there are no signs of any of this. And if we don’t have things in check health-wise, the sound sensitivities and some tantrums return. It’s our signal that something needs addressing. Once we address them, poof, they disappear just as fast as the came on. He has occasional meltdowns, but NOTHING like they used to be. We have come SUCH A long way. We never used any sort of therapy, because if we have his health in check, he didn’t need it. We aren’t done, the road is long and there are periodic regressions, but I HAD to share with you that autism IS reversible!! I know this is a really controversial topic, but your daughter is right in that window of opportunity for recovery. I have seen non-verbal children start talking with biomedicine.
Feel free to contact me directly, if you would like. I have a blog too, journaling our road as it has unwound before us (I don’t write regularly enough though).
The bottom line is that your the condition of your daughter’s health is driving her “symptoms” and I would love to chat with you, if you are interested. If not, I understand, we all have our limits.
Jessica
admin says
Hi Jessica, nice to meet you! I’d LOVE to chat. I will email you off the blog.
Our 7 year old, Amelia, goes to 7 Gen. She has a mild form of Down syndrome and is doing well. Zoe missed the cut off for kindergarten, so not til September, which is when she turns 6. Yea, I know, oldest kid in the grade!
Jessica says
Do your children go to Seven Generations charter school? If so, our kids go to school together. So anyway, I am just writing to see, if you have ever looked into or considered biomedicine for your daughter with the ASD? Our five year old has SPD and had been unofficially placed mildly on the spectrum, but it never stuck and I chalk that up to biomedicine. Autism symptoms started showing when he was around 2.5 and progressed until he was lining up cars, hand flapping, had tics, severe sound sensitivities, sensory seeking, BM problems, sleep disturbances nightly, had low self esteem, delayed fine motor skills, the list was endless. We started biomedicine around 3.5 and now at 5, there are no signs of any of this. And if we don’t have things in check health-wise, the sound sensitivities and some tantrums return. It’s our signal that something needs addressing. Once we address them, poof, they disappear just as fast as the came on. He has occasional meltdowns, but NOTHING like they used to be. We have come SUCH A long way. We never used any sort of therapy, because if we have his health in check, he didn’t need it. We aren’t done, the road is long and there are periodic regressions, but I HAD to share with you that autism IS reversible!! I know this is a really controversial topic, but your daughter is right in that window of opportunity for recovery. I have seen non-verbal children start talking with biomedicine.
Feel free to contact me directly, if you would like. I have a blog too, journaling our road as it has unwound before us (I don’t write regularly enough though).
The bottom line is that your the condition of your daughter’s health is driving her “symptoms” and I would love to chat with you, if you are interested. If not, I understand, we all have our limits.
Jessica
admin says
Hi Jessica, nice to meet you! I’d LOVE to chat. I will email you off the blog.
Our 7 year old, Amelia, goes to 7 Gen. She has a mild form of Down syndrome and is doing well. Zoe missed the cut off for kindergarten, so not til September, which is when she turns 6. Yea, I know, oldest kid in the grade!
Jessie says
hi, I just read your post and found it not only informative but interesting at the same time. I look forward to reading some of your other posts. Sleep and not getting enough sleep can have an amazing difference in how you are feeling the rest of your day. I think the most important that you listed was keeping a routine.