Ds didn't sleep at all last night

[elliejjtiny]

Ds has struggled with sleeping since I stopped breastfeeding him when he was 2. Now aged 11. I've taken him to several different drs but they can't suggest anything I'm not already doing. Last night he didn't sleep at all and he got sent home from school because he fell asleep in class.

Has he ever been prescribed melatonin?

No, I have asked but always been told no and given a lecture for even suggesting it.

Have you tried hypnotherapy sleep type utube videos with essential oils burning in the room?

Have you tried magnesium threonate and L-theanine plus valerian

Have you tried green/pink noise

Have you tried sleep inducing stories on utube or Spotify

Have you tried magnesium oil

Have you tried ashwagandha

I don't understand the fuss about melatonin me. It's something the body produces naturally and sometimes the body goes wonky. You can buy it over the counter some places but the UK is weird about it.

Try magnesium butter if you haven’t. It has helped me with perimenopausal complete insomnia. I wish it existed when I was in my twenties and suffering too.

But not sleeping a wink followed by falling asleep in class is a reason to return to a doctor and keep asking questions.

Is he neurodivergent? I know everyone asks that but my eldest is almost 8 and awaiting ASD assessment. As part of the form it asked me about her first year and it made me realise there had been differences from day one - she never ever napped, even as a newborn, though she did sleep nights. Since she was 5 she’s only needed 8 hours sleep (10-6) and now she’s almost 9 she’s rarely sleep before 11 and despite starting bedtime at 8pm every evening and she’s awake ready for her day - getting up, reading and playing in her room by 5.30am. We just leave her to it now but I’m concerned the sleep window could get even smaller.

You can buy melatonin online. My son is prescribed it as he never slept and it was absolutely transformational both in terms of his ability to sleep and his behaviour during the day (he was obviously chronically exhausted). We had to go via CAHMS tho, who initially prescribed it and then passed back to gp. If GP refuse to consider it honestly id buy some online. Or if you ever go to europe or usa on holiday they sell it over the counter

Any thoughts, @elliejjtiny?

I would just get melatonin online, research first of course.

One of mine used to stay up all night often, I never took him to school the next day though. Eventually he was prescribed melatonin from the paediatric doctor he was under through CAMHS (he was being assessed for ASD) and it was life changing, for us all! He took it for a few years and learnt to regulate sleep. Now he is an adult with a job and rarely stays up past 11pm

Thank you. I've tried hypnotherapy videos on YouTube, white noise (not sure what pink/green noise is), stories.

Will give magnesium a try. And that other one I can't spell.

The drs suggested milk/banana before bed, no screens in the evening, no toys in his bedroom, not sharing a bedroom. None of which worked.

Yes, he has autism.

I was reluctant to buy melatonin against medical advice but I'm getting desperate.

My son has ASD too OP. And yeah we tried all the usual things to get him to sleep but nothing worked and it was a nightmare. Hes been on a low does of melatonin (2mg) now for years and literally nods off easily and stays asleep all night for the most part.

Sleep issues are really common in autism and will likely continue for the rest of his life. I assume you've tried things like sleep stories, guided meditation etc? Earplugs to block out noise and such?