Melatonin Helps Autistic Kids Sleep
The Autism News | English
By Charlene Laino | WebMD Health News
Low doses of melatonin may help children with autism get a better night’s rest, researchers report.
Eleven youngsters with autism ages 4 to 10 fell asleep more quickly and slept longer when given low-dose supplements of melatonin, says Beth Malow, MD, director of the Sleep Disorders Center at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn.
The supplements didn’t appear to cause any side effects, suggesting parents can continue to give them to their kids as long as needed, she tells WebMD.
Studies have shown that as many as 70% of children with autism suffer from sleep problems, according to Andrew Zimmerman, MD, of the Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore, who specializes in treating autism.
Other research points to a deficiency of melatonin — the body’s natural sleep hormone — as the culprit, Malow says. Secreted at night by the pineal gland in the brain, melatonin is thought to control sleep cycles, which are frequently disturbed in the elderly — and kids with autism, she says.
Importance of Good Sleep Habits
To determine whether supplemental melatonin can overcome the problem, Malow and colleagues are studying children with autism who toss and turn for at least 30 minutes a night, three nights a week, before falling asleep.
In the ongoing study, parents go through an educational program on good sleep habits. They’re taught to make sure their offspring maintain a bedtime routine, going to bed at the same time every night, for example. And if youngsters do get up in the middle of the night, parents are told to tuck them back into their own beds, not let them slip under the covers between mom and dad.
Then, the children are given melatonin in liquid form, a half hour before bedtime, every night. Doses are increased every three weeks until the youngsters can fall asleep within 30 minutes of bedtime at least five nights a week.
“We give it as a liquid because not all children with autism can swallow pills easily,” Malow says.
So far, 11 kids have completed the first, four-month phase of the study. After 16 weeks of supplementation, the average time it took for them to fall asleep dropped from 38 minutes to 22 minutes.
One milligram a night did the trick for three of the 11 youngsters, Malow says. Six required 3 milligrams, and only two children needed 6 milligrams, she says.
They also slept longer, and parents reported they had less trouble getting their kids to agree to go to sleep, Malow reports.
Additionally, the children exhibited fewer of the compulsive and ritualistic behaviors that can accompany autism, she says.
The findings were presented here at the annual meeting of the American Neurological Association.
Synchronizing Natural Sleep Patterns
While there have been reports of bed-wetting, seizures, and daytime drowsiness among children given melatonin supplements, “we didn’t see any of those problems. These are relatively small doses and they seem benign,” Malow says.
The children are continuing to take the supplements, and the researchers plan to see how they’re sleeping after six months.
“There’s some evidence that the melatonin supplements synchronize the natural sleep pattern and you can stop giving it after six months to a year,” Malow says.
Proper sleep hygiene is a huge part of the equation, Malow stresses. “If kids watch videos late at night, that’s going to interfere with their sleep. They’ll be all hyped up, and the light will interfere with the body’s own melatonin,” she says.
The researchers also plan to collect blood and urine samples to confirm whether children with autism are deficient in melatonin and whether supplementation brings levels back to normal.
Zimmerman, who was not involved with the work, tells WebMD that he often prescribes supplemental melatonin to his young patients with autism.
“It’s readily available and easy to use,” he says. “My experience is that it helps to get them to sleep, but doesn’t always help them stay asleep. I’m glad to see the children in the study had longer sleep duration.”
The big question is how long to give melatonin to children, he says. “This is important work as it helps answer that question.”
Once the safety and effectiveness of supplemental melatonin is confirmed in more children, the researchers plan to conduct a larger trial pitting melatonin and behavioral therapy against behavioral therapy alone, Malow says.
Source: http://www.webmd.com/brain/autism/news/20091012/melatonin-helps-autistic-kids-sleep
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Paula Howard
This is a staple in our house!
Megan Naughton
We just started using it. Gets my son right to sleep, but doesn’t keep him asleep…
Angel Hagerman Klein
Me too. We’ve used it for years
Dawn Kimberly Barnsdale
We have it the opposite- my son takes Catapres to out him to sleep and the melatonin keeps him asleep
Zoey Roberts
works for me on top of my meds!
Leslie Michele Ferko Bolen
we used this for a little while when our son was younger (maybe age 4??), as he slept VERY little. When he was taking Melatonin, he seemed to be having vivid dreams, and would wake up most nights after just a few hours. Kind of reminded us of a NyQuil night- the initial 3-4 hours are great, but then you wake up & the rest of the night doesn’t go so well. We ended up putting him on Clonadine, and were able to wean him off after about a year. He’s been doing great with sleep ever since!
SamBrad DaviesFoote
We use it and find it is kinda hit and miss with it’s effectivness
Tammy McNair
This worked for us for almost 3 years….now it is no longer working. :0(
Tamara Edwards
I needed it in the early years! Now i just run him around outside and he gets to sleep with no problem. I’ll probably need it again when the baby gets here! I’m praying for the best but i’ve been told to expect some regression!
Cathy Brennan Reilly
it calms my son down so he can fall asleep – he still awakens in a few hours, but settles back down nicely right away. 3 or 4 times a year he needs a second dose at 3 a.m. or so
Michelle Mickelson Leal
This works good for my son, between that and the 5HTP, he does so much better at night!
Amy Catron McCarty
hit and miss here with effectiveness too. Worked like a charm for 2 years though!
RoseAnn Umberger Mercante
my son takes clonadine too.it works so well for him. otherwise he wouldnt sleep at all
LouLou Belle
I am so glad I found Melatonine for my son. Before it he slept an average of 4 hours a night. Needing at least 4 hours to fall asleep. Try it if your child suffers from onset problems!!!!!
Lisa Martin
This worked for my son, but we stopped it once he was prescribed Concerta. I don’t know how I feel about him taking both…I don’t know if he CAN take both…Melatonin was a lifesaver…sorta miss it…
Stormie Hill
I tried it, but it made Josh hyper.
Mellissa Lee
I tried it and it didnt work on Jacob,now hes on cloodine for sleep and it works
Andrea Egeresi Pattison
been working here!!!
Sondra Williams
it does work for me too
Courtney Gullickson
My son started on it about 6 weeks ago and he’s still not sleeping through the night… : (
Christi Aden
They make a melatonium extended release for those whos kids it doesn’t KEEP asleep. Worked here for awhile, I did notice maybe some bad dreams she would cry out anyway(NV) stopped working and had been on clonidine for 2 yrs now. Without clonidine there would be no sleep!!
Courtney Gullickson
My son is almost 4 years old?? Are sleeping pills safe for his little developing body??
Mary Louise Klark
Both my gsons are on it. Oldest has adhd and asks for his “sleepy juice”. The youngest, autistic, has done better on it after we found he has acid reflux and now withold juice in the evening. no more nightly pukeing, and the melatonin helps him settle down. We use the liquid form. Pills are a no go for youngest.
Anne Hodapp
Courtney–It’s not a pharmaceutical drug. It’s an OTC supplement. Melatonin is a natural chemical in our bodies…and it’s levels are supposed to increase towards the end of the day to induce sleep but some people (many on the spectrum) don’t produce enough.
My daughter has been on it since she was about 2yrs old at the recommendation of her neurologist.
Renee Schuyler
@Courtney-Melatonin is not a sleeping pill, it is a natural supplement that your body produces. Melatonon is a hit or miss, meaning if your body does not produce enough of it naturally, the pill or liquid may help. It’s not 100% for everyone. As with any supplement it is always best to talk to your pediatrician before introducing any new vitamins, supplements, meds., etc, It has worked wonders for my 10 yr.old son for over 3 years now, approx. 90% of the time he sleeps through the night. Check out the site http://www.melatonin.com for a ton of information. Best wishes.
Anne Hodapp
Magnesium helps with sleep as well! I use 1/2 cup of epsom salts in her bath.
Sondra Williams
John do you know of anythings aobut high blood pyruvic acid what does it mean
Rhonda Godin
Danielle started to have problems falling asleep, tried the melatonin and it works. It is now a permanent fixture in the house!
Liv Cathrine Evensen Burleigh
) that they Are awake at nite like tonite its 4.19 am an she is in her bed singing away ( luckily that way) And been awake for 1.19 min so fare, but she is NOT going to Get any more unless she start allnite again. Doctors her in norway is very carfull with sleeping meds, we got told over nd over again that she will sleep soon, well took her 3 nd 3 mnth! But dont hesitate to try as u can see I’ve had 2 diffrent outcomes, but its sooooeorth it for my boy
I have twins And on her ut made her hyper at nite nd even less sleep than before And she learnt so little when she was on it, one nite we just stoped it nd she sleept almost all nite, my boy takes now 3-4 mg a nite to fall over And sleep so its working on him.. Saying that, we do have weeks ( have a bad one so fare
Michelle Weathers- Shaver
We love it and it is our friend! : ) My son, who is 11, was only sleeping 2 to 3 hrs. a night and now with this — awesome 7 to 8 hrs. a night!
Missy Harrison-Smies
It’s our friend, too! Without melatonin, Jack’s body would never calm down enough to sleep. We know, we did it for 3 years! After taking it, he slows down, stops stimming, and gets ready for bed. We, too, still have bad nights here and there, but there is usually a reason!
Klarin Fausett
the supplement sent from heaven!!!
Ines Alarcao
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Its great!!!! Helps Nico to go to sleep and so we dont have to give any of the pther strong addictive drugs that make them zombies
Cherish Aandahl
love melatonin!!!!!
Jan Wyeth
We used to be able to buy “night time milk” from our supermarket but they don’t sell it anymore. It was normal milk with added melatonin. It definately worked! xx
Rose Player
never worked for my daughter : (
Amanda Derry
My son who is 9 has Melatonin, it helps most of the time but if his current obssesion is very intense then he will fight against it and of cause he will win….. dont know what we would do without it now, gone from 4-5 hours of broken sleep to most of the time 6 hours solid sleep