Sleep cycles in kids with special needs. Yeah. We’re having issues. Never in a zillion years did I think I’d reach this ripe old age and still have a child who is experiencing significant sleep issues. Well, maybe they might be experiencing them at THEIR house, but you know, not in the bedroom next to mine.
Combine Parker’s funky sleep cycles with the sleep issues that come with the joys of menopause and it makes you just want to crawl away somewhere and, well……sleep.
Sleep Study
I called Parker’s sleep doctor to ask about an extended release version of colonidine. But then I remembered Reed’s concern about this medication. If we have to dissolve it in water and put it down Parker’s g-tube will that ruin the whole extended release part. Sure enough, according to our Pharmacist it would.
I wanted to cry.
However desperate times require desperate measures. We decided to try this new medication anyway.
Lo and behold a certain Hero of the Brave slept through the entire night. No 4:00 a.m. bouts of bouncing off the wall until 6:00 a.m. when he would then fall back to sleep and refuse to wake up at 7:00 a.m. to get ready for his teacher and his first lesson of the day.
I’m telling you it was awesome. With sauce.
Of course now that I’ve happy danced with gulps of joy, it will never, ever happen again.
But Reed and I will always be able to look back with reverence and talk about the time Parker slept through the night.
Tell me about sleep cycles in your kid with special needs. Do they sleep through the night? Wait. Maybe I don’t really want to know if they do. Do you send your kid off to dreamland on the wings of medication? What works at your house?
My 10 yr old has had trouble with anxiety and panic attacks the last few months and was having trouble sleeping. She doesn NOT take pills. We crush her celexa into ice cream so she gets her little nightly ice cream cone :). The celexa and therapy every other week have done wonders with getting her back to school without mom but we were still having sleep problems. I found gummy melatonin. Oh I’m in love. She is out in 30 min tops. She hasn’t gone to bed that well in years!! The other night she was insistent that she wouldn’t go to bed til she got what she wanted and she fell asleep sitting there.
hopeully Parker will keep it up. Not sleeping well is hard on everyone! Good luck
Ariana has never, ever slept through the night. She gets dragged into sleep in her bed (I have to lay beside her and giggle the whole bed until she’s asleep), but only stays asleep 2-3 hours. Then, she gets up and goes to Mina’s room. Mina sleeps so soundly that she doesn’t bother her and she swears she likes the company, God bless her. Then, she’s up for the day at the slightest noise, and she’s figures everyone else should be up, too! We don’t use any meds, but I’ve thought about it.