sleeping sitting up

[FnD]

Hello
My ds has started to sleep sitting up - happens a few times a week (been going on about 6 months). If you lie him back down he will be up again within a few minutes. If he can't make his way to the side / end of the cot he wil sit in the middle and jolt himself awake every time he slumps. He appears to be asleep when he sits himself up.

I have spoken to his SALT, OT and physio and all are completely baffled and say they have never heard of such a thing!?

Has anyone got any experience of this and can explain it to me and give any tips - pretty please?

didn't want to let you go unanswered,but no I've not come across this-

How old is your ds?

Could it be some kind of sleep disturbance,linked to sleepwalking etc ?

Cerebra have a sleep nurse-maybe you could get an appointment with her or ask her to phone you

My grandaughter sleeps sat up in her cot.If you lay her down when putting her to bed she just sits herself back up.She props herself in the corner and when realy shattered she just topples over.My daughter was beside herself when this started but she now just checks on her every 30mins and we put it down to just another of her quirky ways....

Dd2 used to do this and it was connected with sleep apnoea. It only righted itself when she had her tonsils and adenoids out - her tonsils were enormous and when asleep would block her airway, so I think she slept upright to stop that from happening.

Would that make sense for your son? What underlying condition does he have (assuming he does, as you're on here :) ) Dd2 has Down syndrome.

Thanks for your replies - my ds does indeed have ds . We have had a sleep study done which did not show any major probs but I did think it might be linked to difficulty breathing - he is a big snorer. His SALT said it might be due to reflux as well which he suffers from.

I think I was more baffled by the fact that no-one had heard of it before. I don't think he is overly comfortable when sitting up - and its awful when he has little marks on his face where he has been leaning against the cot bars - so would rather get to the bottom of it. The cerebra advice is a good one so will prob give them a ring.

thanks again.

Hi FnD,
let me know via facebook, will be interesting as you have seen our pics of ds asleep. Didn't realise you were still worried...you know where I am x

If it might be reflux related, have you tried a wedge under his cot sheet?

Sorry, you didn't say how old he is, but dd is now 2 and still sleeps with a wedge in her cot.

It might be worth trying rolling up some towels or something similar and placing them under the top of the mattress to raise his upper body. Then if it does appear to help, perhaps you could invest in a wedge?

Just a thought. I have no idea how an older child would take to a wedge, as dd has had one since she was a few weeks old.

Dd had silent reflux as a baby that caused her to stop breathing and be blue-lighted to hospital at five weeks old. Given the choice, she would still always choose to sleep propped up, rather than lying down. She even falls asleep sitting on the floor with her back against the bottom of the sofa. She hasn't actually had any signs of reflux since she was a few months old, but I think she's slept semi-upright for so long that it just feels right to her now.