Do your kids actually sleep? | ADHD Information

My child never slept or took naps and when he got diagnosed at 9 we put him on Melatonin, a disolvable sweet lozenge that has put him in bed for most the night. He now sleeps from 8pm to 6 am or so but not soundly. He still has issues. Yours is still young so I would talk to your doc about it. When my son was younger he slept in our bed and it seemed to be the only way to get him to sleep (not that I recommend that it has it's own set of problems)mine never slept. Bed at 1030, up at 5 and it was restless sleep.  Our dr put him on clonidine. We gave it to him 1 hour before bed and then when we put him to bed, he would be asleep in 5 minutes and sleep all night. He would be in a better mood in the am as he was getting a full nights rest.  Our son also jumped for hours on end and destroyed 2 beds in the process.For almost two years now, we have had nightly struggles to keep our 3-1/2 year old in his bed. Tonight, we are almost in our second hour of continually putting him back in bed - and we've read pretty much every sleep book imaginable. He thinks the entire thing is funny, even though we try not to show emotion he still laughs as soon as we head his way. If we leave him alone, he's destroying the house, waking up his brother, flipping lights on and off, unrolling toilet paper - generally driving us crazy. If we lay down with him, it's still a battle and he takes FOREVER to go to sleep. Does this sound like a symptom of ADHD? Or is he just determined to make our lives miserable? Has anybody been in my situation before and found a solution? He's so young it's hard to tell.  I do remember meeting a friend of a friend once whose daughter was in a clinical trial for very young children with ADHD.  Her daughter was in the trial because she would destroy the house while they all slept. 

Having said that, the behaviors he's exhibiting during the day could be the direct result of not enough sleep. I read an article recently that said that a lack of sleep could mimic the signs of mental illness and that the experts used to think that the mentally ill didn't sleep enough and now they're wondering if it's the other way around.  I know that when I don't sleep enough (which happens regularly) I am easily frazzled and less focused.

Does he ever sleep? Does he nap? 

I had similar problems with my daughter at that age.  However, her big issue was that she was afraid.  After battling for a year as you are we started laying down with her until she fell asleep which took for ever and she drove us crazy.  Sometimes it took up to two hours.  Coloring and setteling down for an hour before bed helped alot.  We would get her all ready for bed and then have some Sleepy Time   Tea or warm milk.  If you do it while in bed it's even better.  That way you avoid the crazyness on the way up to bed.  I always felt that everytime she got out of bed she woke up just a little more.  My daughters therapist recomended a childs meditation book that we used sometimes. 

She is now almost 8 and just starting to go to bed on her own if I sit in the hallway.  I don't know if her perserverance was due to her ADD or if it was just her personality.   They say that 3.5 is too young to know if they have ADD or not but I don't aggree.  It was very clear to me  by the time she was 2 years old.  She had many other symptoms though and I would not have based my conclusion on the sleep thing alone.

Hope this helps!

hissmom39406.2925462963

Sleep issues can happen due to many things for kids. You should discuss your concerns with the pediatrician to see what dirrection should be taken to determing the cause of the sleep issues and potential ways to deal with it.

That saying "sleeping like a baby" sounds really stupid to parents of kids who do not sleep. My youngest did not sleep from birth. 2AM was her favorite time to play. Once we started stimulants, her sleep patterns got better. She now goes to bed around 9 and is asleep by 10 (compared to 1 or 2 AM).

Are you saying there are children that actually sleep?

Even with medication mine have their troubles. It's much much better with the medication and I've given up on the idea of a full eight hours of sleep. Maybe when they go to college I'll finally get some rest.

Well, my son is 13 yrs. old and we still continue this routine since he was 8.  I bought a cd of relaxation noises.  He listens to the rainfall and tropical one ALL NIGHT.  It puts him to sleep.  Just thought i would share.  Here is what we do we set a timer and tell her if she is not asleep or staying in bed when the timer goes off she either has to go to bed earlier or lose a privilege.  Worked for us.  As for the sleep thing I go to bed by 10 pm and sometimes my 8 year old is still up but staying in her bed. My son used to act this way.  He is getting much better.  Also, talk to your pediatrician about Melatonin and appropriate dosage.  It is a natural way for the child to go to sleep.  It knocks my son out within an hour and he sleeps like a baby. 

My child always has had trouble sleeping, even before his ADHD diagnosis and beginning the stimulants. I dreaded bedtime and would get so anxious even thinking about it. He disturbed his siblings and generally drove us nuts. The lack of sleep, for everyone, was taking its toll on us.  Definitely talk to your pediatrician and try the Melatonin. A lot of parents have success with it. Our child takes Clonidine, and that has been a Godsend.

Hoping sweet dreams come your way soon.

Oh my gosh, how exhausting. Difficulty sleeping and hyperactivity are signs of ADHD, but please go buy some chewable or liquid melatonin. Start at .5 or 1 mg thirty minutes before bed. End your misery. NoTellin39406.9256712963I agree get some Melatonin and end your nightmare.

Some kids that take stimulant meds actually settle down EASIER than before meds. The stimulants allow them to be calm. I have a friend who gives her son an afternoon booster of Adderall and Clondine for sleep, if she skips the afternoon booster for some reason (like giving him his XR late) he "overrides" the Clonidine and will not settle down until very late.

I guess I should clarify. I think he's getting a good night's sleep. Once he's down, he normally sleeps 10-12 hours. But the problem is actually getting him to wind down - he's just so crazy with all this energy. We've tried the warm milk, but that doesn't seem to be helping. If we lay with him, he's poking us, he's squirming, he's trying to get up, and just generally annoying. And he can do this for 2 hours. As I mentioned before, we can't leave him alone, or he's destroying things, screaming, or waking his brother.

I like the melatonin idea. Maybe I'll look for that, too.

Thanks for all the help again!

At that age, my son had similar problems.   We ended up putting a 2 baby gates in the doorway of his room and made his room pretty spare and babysafe.  He would often sleep on the floor instead of in his bed but at least he was sleeping.  Now he is 7 and sleeping better.  He gets to sleep about 9 pm and wakes at 5:30 or 6 am. Even on weekends!  He never napped but the daycare he was in made them lie down for a while.  They would turn on tv after 1/2 hour so he would lie on the cot and watch.

I am hoping he will sleep later as he gets older but I know some adults who have always gotten up at 5 am and never stopped.  Everyone is different I guess.

Good luck!