Sleep disorders are more common in children with autism. Researchers
estimate that between 40% and 80% of children with autism have difficulty
sleeping. The biggest sleep problems among children include:
• Difficulty falling asleep
• Inconsistent sleep routines
• Restlessness or poor sleep quality
• Waking early and waking frequently
WHAT CAUSES SLEEP DISORDERS IN CHILDREN WITH AUTISM?
Researchers don't know for sure why autistic children have problems with
sleep, but they have several theories.
1. The first has to do with social cues. People know when it's time to go
to sleep at night, thanks to the normal cycles of light and dark and the
body's circadian rhythms. But they also use social cues. For example,
children may see their siblings getting ready for bed. Children with
autism, who often have difficulty communicating, may misinterpret or fail
to understand these cues.
2. Another theory has to do with the hormone melatonin, which normally
helps regulate sleep-wake cycles. To make melatonin, the body needs an
amino acid called tryptophan, which research has found to be either higher
or lower than normal in children with autism. Typically, melatonin levels
rise in response to darkness (at night) and dip during the daylight hours.
Studies have shown that some children with autism don't release melatonin
at the correct times of day. Instead, they have high levels of melatonin
during the daytime and lower levels at night.
3. Another reason children with autism may have trouble falling asleep or
awaken in the middle of the night could be an increased sensitivity to
outside stimuli, such as touch or sound. While most kids continue to sleep
soundly while their mother opens the bedroom door or tucks in the covers, a
child with autism might wake up abruptly.
4. Anxiety is another possible condition that could adversely affect sleep.
Children with autism tend to test higher than other children for anxiety.
Every child needs a slightly different amount of sleep. In general, these
are the amounts of sleep children require, by age:
• Ages 1-3: 12-14 hours of sleep per day
• Ages 3-6: 10-12 hours of sleep per day
• Ages 7-12: 10-11 hours of sleep per day
HOW CAN I HELP MY CHILD SLEEP BETTER?
There are a number of lifestyle changes and natural sleep aids that can
improve sleep time and quality for kids with autism:
• Avoid giving your child stimulants such as caffeine and sugar before bed.
• Establish a night time routine. A warm bath followed by a cool bedroom,
read a story, and put him or her to bed at the same time every night.
• Help your child relax before bed time giving a gentle back massage, or
turning on soft music.
• Shut down television, video games, and other stimulating activities at
least an hour before bedtime.
• Vestibular stimulation in the evening, - spinning, rocking, trampoline. -
This stimulates the serotonin producing pathways.
• Moving water, - a small indoor fountain. Moving water produces negative
ions which when breathed in, stimulate serotonin production.
• To prevent sensory distractions during the night, put heavy curtains on
your child's windows to block out the light and make sure the door doesn't
creak - a dark bedroom. Again this facilitates melatonin release at the
right time.
• Have a routine structure in the day where child is engaged in plenty of
mental and physical activities consistently.
• Social stories
• Exposure to early morning natural light. – (This stimulates the
suprachiasmatic nuclei to regulate melatonin release and reuptake at the
right time).
• A last meal of foods containing tryptophan and carbohydrate. This
facilitates serotonin availability which is then used to synthesise
melatonin. (Tryptophan is a routine constituent of most protein-based foods
or dietary proteins. It is particularly plentiful in oats, dried dates,
milk, yogurt, cottage cheese, red meat, eggs, fish, poultry, sesame,
chickpeas, almonds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, buckwheat, bananas, and
peanuts.)
