Pinnacle Guru · Published archive
Sleep management
Published
Key Points :
Autistic children can have problems with getting to sleep and staying asleep.
Some sleep problems are related to bedtime and daytime habits.
Causes :
Causes of other sleep problems include anxiety, bedwetting, health conditions, night terrors and nightmares, restless sleep, snoring and social communication.
About sleep problems in autistic children and teenagers:
All children can have problems getting to sleep and staying asleep.
Autistic children can have particular sleep and settling problems, including:
1.Irregular sleeping and waking patterns – for example, lying awake until very late or waking very early in the morning
2.Sleeping much less than expected for their age, or being awake for more than an hour during the night
Bed time habits :
Some sleep problems are related to what children are doing before bed and when they go to bed.
For example:
1.If your child has a lot of noise, activity and excitement before bed, it can be harder for them to feel calm and ready for sleep.
2.If your child does things differently each night before bed, they might not get predictable cues that it’s time for bed and sleep.
3.If your child needs all their toy cars lined up on the bed before they’ll go to sleep, this can make it hard if one of the cars isn’t there. It can also make the bed uncomfortable.
Day time habits :
Some sleep problems are caused by things like unhealthy eating habits and lack of physical activity during the day.
You might be able to sort out these problems by making some simple lifestyle changes. These include encouraging your child to:
1.Do more physical activity – aim for several hours of physical activity a day including at least an hour of energetic play, like running and jumping
2.Have their evening meal at a time that lets them go to bed feeling not too hungry but not too full.
Sleep problems often start to get better after 2-3 nights of changing your child’s bedtime and daytime habits.
But for some children it can take 2-4 weeks.
If you don’t see any improvement, it’s best to see your GP in case there’s a medical or other problem.
You might be referred to a paediatrician, psychologist or other health professional experienced in treating children’s sleep.
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