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Original poster

Do some children need less sleep or would you discuss with a doctor?

22 replies

user65977 · 03/12/2023 21:23

DD has never been a good sleeper since being a newborn. She dropped all naps from very young and I feel like we have gone in stage each stage she sleeps less and less. I always remember her second birthday she had dropped all naps by then but had had a nap in the car for about 30 minutes. This meant we couldn't not get her to sleep until midnight and she woke during the night aswell.
When she started school I remember all the mums saying how tired their DC where and in bed by 6.30/7. DD didn't seem affected and went to be at her usual time.
Now her sleep time seems to be creeping later and later. It doesn't seem to matter how busy her day is. One day last week she had a full day of school, swimming and rainbows. She still fought sleep until 9.30pm.
Over the weekend she sneaked downstairs to me and DH at 10pm declaring she could not sleep. I asked her why she found it so hard to sleep her answer is that her brain is thinking about everything and that sleep is boring. She stay up with us until 11pm and I expected her to have a lie in but she was up before us at 6.30am! Even that day she showed no signs of tiredness.
We try to make her bedtime routine as relaxing as possible. It's usually bath, story/reading, drink of water.
Does anyone else have experience of this? The only possible cause I have thought of is ADHD. I tried to talk to school about this last year but was brushed off as she is quite quiet. However she does tick some boxes especially when it come to girls signs of ADHD such as very day dreamy.

OP posts:

ionlywantto · 03/12/2023 21:27

My daughter was exactly like this - she's 23 now and sleeps A LOT. Everything changed when she was about twelve.

Leafysuburb · 03/12/2023 21:29

My dd was/is like this. It was one of the things they spoke to me about in her ADHD assessment and yes she does have ADHD and said was one of many indicators

fixies · 03/12/2023 21:41

My son hates sleep. Had from day one. He's 6. Asleep at 10pm most nights and up at 7.00. He's just not tired before this time. He's neuro typical and shows no symptoms of being otherwise.

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way2serious · 03/12/2023 21:50

This was my son. He stopped day time naps at 1 year and then if he even fell asleep for 5 mins in the car on the way home he would be a nightmare to get to bed. He went through a phase of getting up at 4.30am when he was 18 months until about 2 years. He didn’t sleep through until he was about 10 years old and never went to bed before 9pm when he started school despite being in before and after school club.
He certainly doesn’t have ADHD. When he got to 14 his body clock completely changed and I couldn’t get him out of bed!!

TomatoSandwiches · 03/12/2023 21:52

I would look to have an ND assessment.
Poor sleep can seriously exacerbate other symptoms of ADHD and or Autism.
It has a profound effect on daily functioning and should be taken seriously.

roughtyping · 03/12/2023 22:04

My son has never been a sleeper, he goes through phases every few weeks still where it is truly horrendous (he's 8 now). He is autistic and I think probably has ADHD. He is prescribed melatonin which helps to make him sleepy, but we still don't give it to him until around 8.30/9. It also doesn't keep him asleep. He still wakes up at least once a night and comes through to us and needs help to be resettled. However, before melatonin he never really got 'sleepy' at all - he would be absolutely wired until we managed to get him to go to sleep.

Chocolatecoveredshitpig · 03/12/2023 22:28

My daughter was also exactly like this - she's nearly 15 and was diagnosed with adhd earlier this year. Still a night owl!!

IDontDrinkTea · 03/12/2023 22:29

My daughter is the same. We’ve found putting audio books on for her to listen to while she’s falling asleep actually helps

Sugarfish · 03/12/2023 22:32

My mum said I didn’t sleep a lot as a baby, I never needed naps as a child either and stayed up till quite late. I’m 35 now, never have a nap in the day unless I’m hungover and rarely go to bed before midnight. I probably average around 5 hours sleep a night but I’m not tired in the day. I think some people just don’t need much sleep. My best friend on the other hand naps a lot in the day and can’t function on less than 8 hours a night.

Paddleboarder · 03/12/2023 22:37

I've known a couple of children like this - went to bed really late and got up at 6 every day, not affected by it at all. Did not have adhd or anything else. It did change in the teen years!

RosesAndHellebores · 03/12/2023 22:40

Neither of ours needed much sleep. DS was 10pm to about 5.50am from 5 weeks old! Eventually, when we realised that was all he needed life got easier. We stopped trying to put him down at 7.30/8 which he would do but then be awake from 1.30am to 5ish. DD needed a little more sleep but maybe 9pm to 6.30/7. I never ever had to wake them for school.

DH and I were evidently the same so when we complained to our mothers we got hard Paddington stares in return.

On the upside they both brought me home an Oxbridge First.

LoveTheDarts · 03/12/2023 23:03

Mine has ADHD and is like this currently. They go to sleep around 12/1 and up at 5.30. Their sibling now much older was like it too- once went 4 days and nights with no sleep. It all changed after puberty and can now sleep the clock round. (They also have ADHD)

Newtonianmechanics · 04/12/2023 06:16

Chocolatecoveredshitpig · 03/12/2023 22:28

My daughter was also exactly like this - she's nearly 15 and was diagnosed with adhd earlier this year. Still a night owl!!

Exactly my dd too and myself.

Though I am supposedly NT my daughter has been diagnosed at 14 with ASS and AFHD.

I have her at the doctors age 2 and they did tell me some children just don't need as much sleep.

Newtonianmechanics · 04/12/2023 06:18

ASD and ADHD typos!

crazyBadger · 04/12/2023 06:34

All my DC have a mix of ASD/ADHD .

One needs about 4 hours.... Took YEARS to get him to read/play quietly in his room

Eldest sleeps for over 14 hours..

Others somewhere in the middle.

It's hard to plan stuff

DogDaysAreOverr · 04/12/2023 06:39

2 DC's with ADHD and both night owls to the extreme.

Always worth being curious about. It's unfortunately led to burn out in DD14 who cannot fall to sleep well or easily (despite melatonin ) and can't wake up easily at all. Other DC can't fall to sleep but can wake up when needs to.

waytooearlyforthis · 04/12/2023 06:41

TomatoSandwiches · 03/12/2023 21:52

I would look to have an ND assessment.
Poor sleep can seriously exacerbate other symptoms of ADHD and or Autism.
It has a profound effect on daily functioning and should be taken seriously.

Seriously purely on the basis of not wanting much sleep?!

Crunchymum · 04/12/2023 06:53

NT almost 9yo here who doesn't need as much sleep as my other two.

We compromise on a 9pm bedtime in the week but she's often still awake at 10pm. She sleeps well and solidly until I wake her at 7am. She doesn't jump out of bed but she isn't exhausted.

She has a good diet, swims and does gymnastics and ballet. She can look a little washy in the winter months (don't we all) so I try not to worry but I wish she slept more. Nothing, baring illness, makes her sleep earlier. I've given up trying.

Her older brother (11) sleeps 9pm-7am and the 6yo is 8pm-7am so none go to bed particularly early.

I'm in bed at 10pm most nights.

DewinDwl · 04/12/2023 07:10

DD has always been like this. I used to spend hours trying to settle her as a young toddler and would study her in the process- it's like her brain fights sleep. She's been like this since she was born and is low teens now.

We have suspected ADHD since she was was baby but can't afford testing and her behaviour is modellic in school.

Rjahdhdvd · 04/12/2023 07:13

My DH was apparently like this as a child and as an adult only needs 6 hours of sleep to feel fine. One of our DC is similar and doesn’t seem to need as much as the other DC

Chocoholicchops · 04/12/2023 07:15

My DD was like this. She was diagnosed with ADHD aged 14.

TheChosenTwo · 04/12/2023 07:18

Ds 12 was still up last night at midnight. He never comes down to us, he just doesn’t get to sleep early. He lies in bed reading. He’s crap at getting up in the morning though. I think he just takes after me, I think I had about 4 hours last night, i don’t seem to need as much sleep as others and i guess he's the same (I reckon he had 6 hours last night).

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