He was up again last night

[TerryJ2]

I am SO utterly exhausted.

I have a friend coming over next wk to splice the cord on the TV, so it can have a diff kind of plug that won't go into a wall socket, and then plug it into the remainder of the cord, which can go into a wall socket, so I can take 1/2 the cord to my office and lock it up at night. (I hope I explained that clearly.)

We've already locked up the PS2 controllers, the computer mouse, and the DVD players. All that's left is the TV. And that's what he was doing last night at midnight.

I'm wondering if he's slightly manic. He says, "I'm just one of those people who doesn't need a lot of sleep."

I said, "You're still supposed to stay in your room and read. Period."

Smart mouth.

I'm taking an Ambien tonight.

 

[Fran]

Sounds like a good plan.

 

[Josie]

Good idea about the TV. We have our TV's password protected. I don't have the night time problem, but I don't like the TV to be on when difficult child is supposed to be doing chores.

I just went to a speaker on Gifted Education and they were listing characteristics of Gifted Children. Some of them could by characteristics of difficult child's. One of them was that they need less sleep at night.

I actually noticed when I went on the girlfriend diet that I don't need as much sleep. I used to try to go to bed at 9 and get up at 6 and then need a nap. When I am girlfriend, I can go to bed at whatever time (even 1 am), get up at 6 or before and not feel tired! I have to make myself get in bed now. I am definitely not manic. I don't know if that is what is happening with your difficult child, but it was my experience.

Can he get up in the morning after his late nights?

 

[Big Bad Kitty]

Maybe slip him a little of the Ambien...

 

[cadydid]

That is a great idea!! Thank you for bringing it up.. While not for difficult child, it might help his sisters be more motivated to do their chores.

 

[Wiped Out]

Terry,
I'm sorry, I know how exhausting this can be. What do the doctors say about him being up so much. I know my difficult child was much younger at the time but they really wanted him sleeping more (thus the clonidine-but actually first they started with Trazadone).
Many hugs to you and I hope you get a good night's sleep soon.

 

[TerryJ2]

Thank you all.

He sometimes gets up ... and sometimes doesn't get up. It's hit-or-miss.

He's already on Clonidine and Vistaril.

Since he's on vacation next wk, do I dare take him off everything for 48 hrs to see what his sleep patterns might be?

 

[smallworld]

It sounds like the Clonidine and Vistaril aren't working. You should check in with the psychiatrist.

 

[DammitJanet]

It definitely sounds like the current sleep medications are not working. Visteral isnt really a sleep medication. There are some psychiatrists who insist that it is an anti-anxiety medication (phooey) when in reality it is just slightly stronger benedryl. It doesnt do a danged thing for me. If you havent tried trazadone, I would suggest that. You can start low and increase it. Remeron is another one.

I like the tv cord idea.

 

[gcvmom]

Hmmmm... sounds a teeny bit manic to me!

Does he get enough exercise during the day? That could help tire him out a little more... maybe.

I don't know anything about the medications he's on. I think it's smart of you to lock up the stuff that's too tempting for him to resist.

 

[Wiped Out]

I would definitely call the psychiatrist before taking him off anything. Last year when difficult child was in the psychiatric hospital they tried him without Clonidine because they wanted to try a medication but he couldn't be on clonidine with-it. He only lasted 1 day-they couldn't believe what he was like with-o it!

 

[smallworld]

Clonidine is a medication that should not be stopped abruptly because it can cause rebound high blood pressure, a potentially dangerous situation.

 

[SRL]

I've gone through periods in life when I've had trouble sleeping, so I can relate. Have you had a sleep study done to look for causes?

I know this is a royal pain for you but one area I do feel sorry for kids is the lack of control they have. As adults we can choose jobs that might be better suited for a night owl or those with high sensory needs to find jobs that allow them to move around/eat/drink/chew gum/whatever. But kids don't have those options.

 

[aeroeng]

Both my husband and mother in law sleep between 4 1/2 hr and 5 hr. each night. Both are wide awake during the day. I do believe some people just require less sleep. Both read quietly when the rest of us are in bed. They also generally go to be and wake up at the same time. There is no changing schedule each day.

Is he on a regular schedule? Is he awake and alert during the day? If so it may just be who he is. But rules need to be set to allow the rest of you your sleep. Also with the rest of the medical issues it is still something to watch.

 

[aeroeng]

Talked with husband (the one that lives on 5 hr sleep). He reminded me that sometimes he needs to watch the TV to fall a sleep. He leaves the bed room and watches TV while lying on the couch. The TV has a timer so it shuts off by it self. This helps husband fall back to sleep. (It would wake me up).

I know the TV is a tough subject, and you know the situation best. But an idea for an experiment you could try is to compromise with it. For a few days, let him choose to watch TV at night while lying down, and with the volume at a level that will not wake anyone else up. You would be seeing if it helps or hinders him going to sleep. Of course if he chooses loud and highly active shows it will absolutely not work. He would need to want it to work.

Disregard if you already know it will hinder.

 

[Nomad]

Could you try giving him half of his adderal dosage to see if that helps? Have you talked about adding a mood stablilizer? I like that you are making alterations to the tv plug to give you more control. Hang in there!!!

 

[DammitJanet]

What they are saying about the tv is worth thinking about.

Does he fall asleep and then get up to go plunder and the tv is just an after thought? Or does he just go down to watch tv? Or is it that he wants more noise in his room at night to fall asleep?

I simply cannot fall asleep without the tv on. Cannot do it. I am miserable when I go stay someplace and I dont have a tv in my room. I really dont sleep well at all. It used to be that I would fall asleep with the tv but if it went off at all in the night for any reason I would wake up...but I have gotten to the point that I know now that it will turn itself off at 3am so I stay asleep if I am asleep.

If he needs noise, maybe try him with a small dvd player and let him watch a movie to go to sleep by. Tell him if he wakes up he can start the movie over in his room. It could be an old television series so it doesnt get so boring.

 

[jbrain]

My son also has trouble sleeping without the tv on and my older dtr used to have trouble, don't know if she still does. When she was in her Residential Treatment Center (RTC) with strictly controlled bedtimes she still had to be on a sleeping aid (she was on Trazedone) because of her insomnia. Her outpatient therapist of course thought I was a bad parent because she couldn't sleep--if only I made her stick to a strict routine she would sleep--Hah! I was glad to be vindicated by the Residential Treatment Center (RTC).

My younger dtr has weird sleep patterns too. She is definitely a night owl so it is difficult with school. She tends to take a nap when she comes home from school (like 3-4 hrs) and then stays up til 1 or 2 a.m. and has to get up at 7:00. I used to try to make her sleep more "regular" hours but I've given up. She seems to do okay with her strange schedule.

Good luck!!!

Jane

 

[AnnieO]

This sounds so familiar. How do you do the plug thing on the TV? That sounds like an excellent solution... The password might work better for us though... My question on that is... How do you get the kid to quit watching without an episode? Doesn't seem to matter what's on. When we tell difficult child it's time for... dinner, bed, shower, whatever, she gets nasty with us, sometimes just whining and other times screaming. Got home last night (she and I went out) and husband and easy child/difficult child were watching TV and she threw a FIT because they were watching it (Hello, we have 2 working televisions... And they're both MINE). Argh!

 

[aeroeng]

First the disclaimer: I have not been completely successful at avoiding the turn off the TV/game boy/computer explosions when it is time for bed.

But, I try: My difficult child mainly explodes when things are not as he expected, when he is frustrated, or when he perceives something was not fair.

- Early negotiation help set his expectations. Early plan B. 1. Emphasize or reflect his feelings. 2. put your desires and his on the table. 3. Talk about it. Give him a chance to express his desires, repeat them and understand they are real whether or not they make sense to you. Then come up with a pre-event plan together.

- Stick as best possible to the plan.

- Give 15, 10 and 5 minute warnings before lights out time. Be susseptible to mild adjustments to the plan. (I am watching a video I down loaded, it will be over in 10 mins.)

- If my difficult child got mad because everyone else was watching TV it would be for one of 2 reasons: he perceived it was not fair or in his mind he envisioned himself watching X show on Y TV set, and any deviation from that visions sets him off. If it is the "it's not fair" situation, plan B works (sometimes). If it is the "deviation from the vision" situation, moving everyone else to the other TV works (sometimes).

Good Luck.