ADHD children often struggle to fall asleep. They often struggle to stay asleep.
This makes perfect sense if you imagine a Ferrari brain
having to slow down and be still in order that it can drift off to sleep. When a child gets just too little sleep, night
after night, after night, one can but simply imagine how effective and
available they are for learning, co-operating, functioning during the day.
Added to this the ADHD traits, well it is like having a stick of dynamite ready
to blow at any moment.
Fot years and years, in fact all his 11 years of life , our
son has struggled with sleep.
As a baby he struggled to sleep. I worked hard at keeping him
asleep and managed, for a time to help him get some good brain, sleep routine
in. But as he has grown , his sleep or lack their of has worsened. What this looks like is….. imagine a dead
tired kid. All ready for bed; same old usual flexible routine; same usual bed
time and all the good habits we know as parents help and promote good sleep.
Mostly I think he has fallen asleep and mostly he has not. He will lie in bed
and try and try and try but sleep evades him. In the end he comes for help….. Usually in
tears because now he is well over being tired. Now he is anxious and scared. He
know he needs to sleep but his brain just will not co-operate.
Both our sons who are on the spectrum struggle to fall
asleep.
The second one has benefited from the help we have with the
first.:)
We have tried all sorts of things…. Light on, light off, natural
this and natural that; sitting with him; music; and the like. You name it; we
tried it all over the years.
A friend recommended Melatonin and our doctor then confirmed
the use of it. Her words were, “sleep deprivation is so damaging for children
and yes, Melatonin has got its side effects but sleep deprivation is
devastating.” Melatonin has transformed our home and our lives. Seldom do we
have those same tears when sleep evades. Melatonin works by producing melatonin
that the brain naturally manufactures. As soon as the lights go off, in the dark,
the melatonin factory sets to work. So, added melatonin works in the same way
and brings on sleep. It works!! What relief. What sleep. Managing Melatonin
usage just means we need to give his brain a rest from it at times. Thank you
Lord for practical help with the small and big things in life.
No comments:
Post a Comment