Understanding Sleep Issues Associated with Autism
- Dr. J.J. Tomash
- 5 days ago
- 5 min read
A good night's sleep is essential for one's overall well-being. Focusing on sleep quality is necessary, particularly in individuals with autism, as they face trouble sleeping more often. Addressing sleep disturbances in children with autism can essentially contribute to their behavior, learning abilities, and overall quality of life.
Sleep disturbances in autistic children are often associated with the severity of their symptoms. These hindrances can impact their ability to concentrate, learn, and express emotions. Sleep troubles are also associated with rising challenging behaviors, such as irritability, aggression, and non-compliance. This list can go on and on, giving us more reasons to understand and address your child’s sleep disruptions.
Our team at BehaviorSpan is ready to help you understand and manage the challenges of Autism Spectrum Disorder. As an ABA therapy center in Denver, we dedicate this post to learning one of the aspects of your child's well-being - a good night's sleep.
Why Are Sleep Disturbances More Prevalent in Autistic Children?
A study was conducted on a hundred children with an autism diagnosis, and 57% of them were diagnosed with insomnia. (i) Sleep problems in autistic individuals can manifest as trouble falling asleep, poor sleep quality, waking frequently and early, and absence of regular sleep routines. Just as we shared earlier, sleep disorders were related to delay, behavioral or emotional problems, and a lack of strategies to promote sleep after waking up.
Now, the question is, what is the exact cause of these sleep disturbances? In this section of the blog post, we will learn why autistic children are more likely to have sleep disruptions:
Even though we don't have a sure cause behind your child's insomnia, here are some possible ones(ii):
Disruptions in Melatonin
It is common to find melatonin disruptions in autistic children, and this could be a possible reason behind the disruption in your child's sleep cycle. Melatonin is a hormone our body makes, which regulates our sleep cycle. Usually, these levels rise at night and drop during the day. There are traces that some children might not release melatonin at the right time, which can cause sleep disruptions.
Stimuli Sensitivity
Autism can come with sensitivity to external stimuli, which may be another cause behind them finding it hard to fall asleep. Outside stimuli, including sound or touch, could be some of the reasons here. This means your child might find it disruptive even when you open the door or try to tuck them into the blanket.
Social Cues
One of the symptoms of autism is that one with it can find it hard to interpret social cues. Now, talking of their sleep here, they might not at all notice you and other members of your family preparing to sleep. Usually, this observation can have an impact on their sleep cycles, but since your child can't understand these cues, they won't know when to begin. The troubles with communication can have a role to play here, too.
Circadian Rhythm
Disruptions in circadian rhythms can be a common reason behind sleep disturbances, iii even in children with autism. Now, circadian rhythms can also be addressed as your body's internal clock, which is responsible for several bodily functions, such as sleep-wake cycles. Individuals with autism are likely to have disruptions in circadian rhythms due to a combination of factors.
Restless Sleep
A child with autism is likely to engage in head-banging, head-rolling, and body-rocking. Your child can be overenergetic and overactive, particularly once their sleep is disrupted. However, this notion is said to be counterintuitive, even though many caretakers observed it as an addition to the disturbances in their nights.
How Can Your Child Get a Good Night's Sleep?
At BehaviorSpan, we always aim to come up with the leading strategies to enhance the quality of life for your child. Apart from our Applied Behavior Analysis programs, we have used blogs as a medium to share meaningful strategies. Right now, we will talk about a varied approach to improve your child's sleep quality. Here we go:
Behavioral Interventions
Yes, interventions like Applied Behavior Analysis programs can help improve sleep quality in your child. These can inculcate strategies like establishing routines and teaching self-calming skills. These are commonly used approaches, aiming to understand and enhance behaviors concerning sleep.
Environmental Changes
As we shared earlier, stimuli can be disruptive for your child, making it hard for them to fall asleep. You can adjust the environment while considering the sensory sensitivities of your little one. Some modifications to bring in their sleep environments are light adjustments, temperature control, and minimal noise. Use soft lights or blackout curtains. Ensure a cool and comfortable temperature to provide them with a good night's sleep.
Individualized Strategies
Time and again, we keep repeating this- every child is different, can manifest varied symptoms, and experience disruptions differently. This requires you to build a personalized sleep plan considering their preferences, behaviors, and needs. You can involve your child's pediatrician, behavioral analysts, and other family members to manage their sleep disruptions accordingly.
Other Tips:
As a parent, it is understandable that you will offer the best possible space for your child to thrive. With this section, let us walk you through the common tips to establish a healthy sleep environment for your child. You can:
Provide your child with a consistent bedtime routine, comprising a schedule, wind-down activities, and restricted screen time.
Build a relaxing sleep environment where you can prioritize a cool temperature, which is conducive to sleep. Ensure minimal sound disruptions and a comfortable bed.
Encourage participation in healthy sleep habits. Avoid long naps, promote regular exercise, and ensure your child gets a healthy diet over sugary snacks or large meals before bedtime.
A combination of various strategies that we discussed earlier can bring significant changes to the onset of your child's good night's sleep. These can enhance the total duration of your child's sleep and improve their mood and behavior during the day. To ensure you attain all these, you can connect with the professionals and leverage refined approaches.
Final Thoughts
Will it be wrong to call a good night’s sleep a major boost for one’s well-being? If you have been witnessing your child struggling with sleep disruptions, you would agree that sleep is a notable factor in your child’s functioning. That’s why we created this post to walk you through different facets of your child’s good night’s sleep despite struggling with autism.
Certain factors can be responsible for sleep disruptions in your child, including imbalances in melatonin and circadian rhythm. Their sensitivity to stimuli, trouble understanding social cues, and restless sleep can be other factors contributing to their sleep disruptions.
Fortunately, there are several ways you can deal with these issues. Behavioral interventions like Applied Behavior Analysis programs can help establish routines, understand, and improve certain behaviors concerning sleep.
Similarly, environmental changes such as the temperature of the room and soft and dim light can add to it. Collectively, you may need a combination of various approaches to create individualized strategies for your child.
At BehaviorSpan, we believe every child is different and deserves dedicated efforts to meet their requirements. That's why we team up with other professionals like pediatricians and families to build comforting and individualized strategies for every child we work with. Connect with us and let us create strategies to improve your child's overall quality of life with our ABA therapy services in Denver. Reach us today!
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