Sleep issues

[Mafiachelle]

My 14y/o has had problems getting up in the a.m. for 4 years, he falls asleep in class, and tells his teachers that he stays up all night playing video games. This is not true! He does not. He has Learning Disability (LD), iq is slightly less than average, but he is a bright child, used to be very happy. Now he seems anxious and lacks energy. His main sped teacher says he is ODD and manipulative. I don't see that so much. I see a boy who HAS to do things he doesn't feel good about (in her class) and he isn't assertive enough to tell her he wants more challenging work. He is also a shut down learner, which makes it hard for me to even consider home schooling. Not sure how to get him up and going in the a.m.'s, this is driving me nuts though!

 

[smilingthroughmadness]

Have you talked to his Dr about doing a possible sleep study? Maybe he's sleeping restlessly enough at night that he's still tired in the morning. Both of my parents have sleep apnea which causes restless sleep (you actually stop breathing during sleep and when your brain finally realizes it, wakes you up (all though not always completely waking you) which in turn causes you to be tired after getting up in the am). I would definitely check into it if I were you. There are other types of sleeping disorders as well, this is just one that I actually know a small bit about, all though not the best at describing it. Good luck!

 

[LucyB]

My 15 yo recently had a sleep study. He has a couple of good days, and then has a day when he is totally exhausted and can't get out of bed. We ruled out other things first such as depression and physical problems such as thyroid problems and G/I issues becuase he also complains of stomach aches. The sleep study was the only thing that came back abnormal. It turns out he has a couple of problems. He has something called delayed sleep phase disorder, where he doesn't go into dream sleep until a long time after he starts sleeping. He also has a lot of hypopneas, which are not quite as severe as apneas where you actually stop breathing. They have suggested a few possible solutions including tonsillectomy and adenoid removal or maybe a CPAP sleep machine.

If he snores or anyone else in the family has sleep apnea, I would really recommend going to a sleep clinic for at least a consult and see if they want to order a sleep study.

 

[P-nut2004]

Hi & welcome! Just a few questions: How many hours of sleep is getting a night? And are you sure he's going to sleep when he goes to bed?

We had a similar issue with my oldest 'K', she has not been diagnosis'd (because bio-mom has interfered every time we've tried) but I strongly suspect ADHD & def depression. What I discovered was that when I thought she was asleep she was lying in her bed crying or just pondering everything that had happened in her day & she couldn't 'shut her brain off' to fall asleep so then she was super hard to wake up and get going in the AM. For the most part we have corrected this using melatonin to help her fall asleep quickly after getting in bed & she takes a daily vitamin plus B12 along with a glass of OJ every morning which gives her a good energy boost to wake up and get moving. Just a suggestion for some natural remedies that may help

You are also right that if he is feeling like the work is beneath him & he's not being challenged at all it could be why the teacher is seeing some restlessness and opposition. L is not in sped due to her IQ but we had to convince her teacher to give her extra work or tasks around the classroom to occupy her, otherwise she is all over the place being disruptive. I'm not a doctor of course but it sounds like there are some depression symptoms as well, which could also be due to not being challenged and feeling like he's stuck in sped doing work thats 'beneath' him. If he does have some situational depression this could also explain acting like he can't get enough sleep and being sluggish & unmotivated.

Smiling & Lucy are also right that a sleep study would help identify what is causing him not to get restful sleep.

Hope this helps also you may want to create a signature (under settings at the top right corner of your screen) so you don't have to keep explaining your situation.

((HUGS)) & Welcome again!

 

[Allan-Matlem]

Hi,

good sleep is critical for your kid. Check with your psychiatrist about melatonin a natural substance which resets the biogical clock.
There are also special mattresses which work on the same principle - you can PM me for more details. The school environment in my humble opinion would make getting up in the morning difficult for anyone. A buddy-tutor,older brother, mentor is great to get a kid thinking again, expressing himself and learning.

I hope this helps

Allan