May 18, 2022

Sleep and SEND- a guide for parents

As any parent knows having a child who has difficulties with their sleep is exhausting! But as a parent of a child with SEND your child is more likely to be struggling with their sleep, in fact research shows about 80% of children with autism have problems sleeping.

Why your child is struggling with their sleep

Children with autism often have difficulties winding down and going to sleep. They may repeatedly get out of bed and refuse to go to sleep unless you are close by.
They may also have problems staying asleep and be awake for many hours during the night, perhaps coming into your room or going to other parts of your home.
They often find it hard to relax and can have high levels of anxiety, meaning emotional upsets at bedtime and taking a long time to go to sleep.
Social cueing difficulties can mean your child finds it hard to make connections in terms of pre bedtime activities and understanding that it’s bedtime. They may have developed a series of nightly rituals and routines that potentially delay bedtime.
They can have a poor concept of time and not realise it’s bedtime or recognise tired signs.
Research shows many children with autism have irregular secretion of the sleep hormone melatonin, impacting their ability to go to sleep.
Your child may have sensory difficulties such as sensitivities to smells, sounds, touch and light that could prevent them both falling asleep and staying asleep.
They may have medical conditions affecting their sleep such as sleep apnoea, epilepsy, restless leg syndrome, allergies and gastrointestinal problems such as reflux.

What can you do to help your child sleep?

As most child sleep problems are multifaceted it will help you get a good understanding of your child’s sleeping pattern by filling in a sleep diary for a week or two. This information could also be invaluable when discussing your child’s sleep with health professionals.
A visit to your GP may be needed to explore underlying medical concerns, as well as a possible referral to a dietician.
Review your child’s sugar and food to ensure they are having sleep inducing foods rather than high sugar snacks in the evening.
To help your child understand sleep and the steps of their bedtime routine, visual aids showing their bedtime routine in picture form can really help. You may like to make a booklet or laminate cards and create a Velcro wall chart that you go through with them on the lead up to bedtime each evening.
You may also wish to create a social story for your child that you read to them each evening that describes their bedtime routine and makes them the centre of the story. Social stories were created by Carol Gray in 1991 and are meaningful short descriptions of activities and specific actions to help children understand and know what to expect.

Children love routine. You may wish to revisit your child’s bedtime routine:

Time your child’s bedtime routine so you have a consistent start time each evening and even more importantly, a consistent wake time in the morning.
Aim to avoid all screens an hour before bed. Light from screens can suppress the sleep hormone melatonin.
Start their bedtime routine with about 10 to 15 minutes of quiet fine motor such as colouring-in, fuzzy felts, sticking or puzzles. Or your child may just like a relaxing story at this time.
To help your child unwind, from this point on it’s best not to chat too much. Instead use simple sentences or their visual aid booklet to guide and instruct them.
Then go for a short relaxing bath in warm water.
Go straight into the room they sleep in to get dressed for bed. To stop your child becoming distracted or loosing focus with the routine it’s best to keep everything around the bedroom and bathroom area.
Once they are tucked up in bed, read then a bedtime story, at this time of night its best to be to too lively or stimulating.
Some children find a massage and or soothing music will help them to go sleep. Do whatever you feel is right for your child’s sensory needs.

Check their bedroom environment.

Your child may have their own specific sensory differences that you need to consider. Is their bedroom dark, cool and quiet? Do they find it more relaxing to have gentle sleep sounds playing and a small amber night light? Are there smells that they find upsetting, can you minimise smells from the kitchen and would scented oils help them relax.

If you would like help with your child’s sleep please call us to discuss how we can help you.

May 13, 2020

Is my child having night terrors?

You may be concerned your child is having night terrors, want to know what they are and what you can do to prevent them. Read our guide to night terrors for the answers to your questions…..

Sleep-walking, sleep-talking, night terrors and nightmares are all behaviours that happen at night. They are very common in preschool children, with more than 80 per cent experiencing what are known as parasomnias. Most of these disturbances are usually manifestations of a maturing neurological system or simply just run in your family.

Night terrors usually occur in the first few hours of the night, during deep non-rapid-eye-movement (NREM) sleep. A young child experiencing a night terror appears to ‘wake up’ suddenly out of a deep sleep often with a wide-eyed, frightened expression, and sometimes screaming loudly. She may even get out of bed and run around in a state of seemingly inconsolable anxiety. Ironically, while night terrors may leave parents feeling anxious, they do not disturb the child. Although your child may look terrified, she is usually totally unaware of what is happening as she is in a deep sleep.

Night terrors rarely lasts longer than ten minutes, and your best response is simply to keep your child safe, wait until it passes, then guide her back to bed. Do not attempt to wake her or to offer comfort or reassurance as she is more likely to be upset if woken.

Causes and prevention of night terrors:

Sleep deprivation

This is the most common trigger. A sleep-deprived child has a greater need for very deep sleep when they occur. Ensure your child is having the right amount of sleep for his age.

Pre-emptive stirring

If your child regularly experiences night terrors, rousing her from her deep sleep in the early part of the night may prevent it. If you keep a sleep diary, you can monitor when they typically occur and then aim to rouse her 30 minutes before her usual earliest night terror. Repeat this every night for 7 consecutive nights. Week two stir your child every night for 6 nights. Week three miss out 2 nights and stir for 5 consecutive nights. Repeat this pattern until you no longer need to stir your child.

Irregular sleep schedule.

Regular daytime naps and consistent bed- and wake-up times will help to stabilize your child’s sleep pattern.

Stimulants

Avoid food and drink containing caffeine and/or sugar as both can disturb your child’s sleep.

Stressful events and illness

Both can lead to disturbed sleep and it is this lack of sleep that acts as a trigger for the night terror.

Night terrors run in families

If there is a family history of night terrors, your child has an 80–90 per cent chance of experiencing them.

October 12, 2015

19 month old Yusuf was waking frequently in the night

As a GP, Vanessa is a busy working mum trying to cope with a career and parenting a lively toddler. Vanessa was woken repeatedly during the night by her 19 month son. She had no time to herself in the evening as Yusuf needed cuddling to sleep and she was exhausted through endless sleep deprived nights. Now expecting her second baby, Vanessa was struggling to manage and knew she had to take action…….

Toddler asleep new 2015

“I was exhausted and finding it difficult to cope juggling being a working mum before coming to Millpond. I just want to say a huge thank you to Mandy. Your wealth of knowledge and solutions made me feel I was in safe hands and helped me have total confidence that what you were saying was the right thing to be doing.

It was so helpful to have a structure to work too and filling in the diary really helped see how bad things were initially and how dramatically they improved so quickly.

I am a GP and would recommend this to any sleep deprived parents who are struggling that I see. You cannot put a price on sleep. Bedtime now takes less than 20 minutes and I can then get on with my evening.

I know I will have a full nights sleep every night. We are expecting a new baby soon and feel so much more relaxed knowing I won’t have two children up at night and that there is a place I can go if we run into problems.

Thank you so much. I only wish I hadn’t waited 19 months.”

September 30, 2015

Sleep myths busted!

What you need to know about your child’s sleep

At Millpond Sleep Clinic we frequently hear “old wives tales” that parents have had handed down from well-meaning family and friends. So to help you sort the facts from the fiction we dispel the top most common sleep myths

Myth 1: All babies should be able to sleep from 7pm to 7am

A common question for parents is how much sleep their babies and children should be getting. The amount of sleep each child needs can vary greatly. While some small children may well be able to sleep for 12 hours, for other children a 10 hour night could be just right for them. New studies are currently being carried out to look at how much sleep children are getting in 24 hours to enable parents to have the most accurate information about their children’s sleep.

Myth 2: Children outgrow all sleep problems

Just as children need to be taught many things in life, learning how to sleep well in their early years not only reaps immediate psychological and physical rewards but also teaches good habits for life. Research has shown that people who had poor sleep habits as a child are more susceptible to sleep problems as an adult.

Myth 3: Routines don’t matter; a child will fall asleep when they’re ready

Children thrive on simple repetitive routines as they feel safe and secure, knowing what is coming next. Aim to carry out the same series of steps every night, about 30 minutes before your child goes to bed. Having a regular bedtime ritual makes it easier for them to relax, fall asleep and sleep through the night.

Myth 4: Cutting out naps will help your baby sleep through the night

Naps are vital to babies and young children; in fact, at 3 months old, 30% of a baby’s sleep occurs in the day. Napping time declines as children get older but most children will still need some sleep in the day at 3 years old. A regular nap makes bedtime easier and children sleep better overnight.

Myth 5: TVs and technology in the bedroom for children is OK

Recent research has shown the more TV children watch in the evening the less sleep they have. Researchers have also found that children with one or more electronic devices in the bedroom were far more likely to be overweight or obese. The blue light from screens interferes with the production of the sleep hormone melatonin. It is thought that even 2 minutes of exposure to this light could delay sleep by 2 hours. The advice is to turn off all devices at least an hour before sleep.

Myth 6: Running around just before bed gets rid of that last bit of energy

Children need to relax and be calm an hour before sleep. Running about just before bedtime could give them a “second wind” and prevent them falling asleep.

Myth 7: A child full of energy at bedtime is just not sleepy

Rather than being lethargic, young children will often seem very active when they are tired.

September 18, 2015

Four year old Alfie was awake for hours at night

Alfie was awake for hours at night

Before I got in touch with Millpond four year old Alfie could not self settle at bedtime. Myself or husband would have to lie with him until he fell to sleep and he would wake multiple times in the night and be awake for hours.

He didn’t go to sleep much before 9 pm leaving no quality time for myself or husband; as soon as Alfie was asleep we’d go to bed ourselves.

Alfie would wake up every single night, sometimes twice, sometimes 4/5 times. Alfie would be awake for anywhere between 10 minutes and 2 hours, even waking at 3.30/4.30 and not going back to sleep.

Alfie has learnt to settle himself to bed

Then I got in touch with Millpond and everything changed.

Alfie now goes to sleep by himself, usually around 7.20 pm and sleeps ALL night on his own till 6.30 am!

Our lives have totally changed. I am no longer a walking zombie whose days go by in a hazy, grumpy, blur. The whole household is happier, calmer, less stressed and I am thoroughly enjoying my time with Alfie instead of being too tired or grumpy to enjoy our time together. Alfie is happier; he’s in a great routine and has embraced the whole experience.

I’d recommend Millpond to anybody who is having sleep problems with their child, because the time spent with our children is truly precious and to not enjoy it because of sleep deprivation is such a shame. My only regret….that I didn’t contact Millpond sooner! The help and support I received from Juliet was amazing, she kept me going giving me help and advice and praise whenever I needed it.

She’s truly my little sleep fairy and I’ll always be thankful to her and Millpond for how much they have improved our lives 🙂

BIG THANKS TO YOU ALL