Sleep issues -- Try Melatonin

Many children with Autism have sleep issues, waking up
through the night or just simply having a hard time falling asleep at a
decent hour. We have two children with ASD and have experienced
these issues ourselves.


We have tried using weighted blankets which provide some success as well as anything else we could think of: conventional or non-conventional methods until we discovered Melatonin.

Our son, who is epileptic as well, was having problems falling asleep at night, often not until 1:00 AM and we have to be up at 6:00 AM. Needless to say that we were all exhausted from trying to calm him down.

While we were sleep deprived, we understood that our son's Autism sleep issues were even harder on him. We consulted with a neurologist who recommended that we try Melatonin, which is an over the counter supplement that helps the body regulate its sleep cycle.

We were told that it is a hormone that is made by the brain and
that many autistic children lack enough of this hormone. Our neurologist
told us to give it to our son 30 minutes before bed time and he should fall asleep within that time frame if he was lacking Melatonin.

The good news is that it is working; he is calming down and falling asleep at a much more acceptable time. We have to trick him by crushing the pill and hiding it into some yogurt or pudding otherwise he will spit it out.

It has regulated his bedtime schedule and he sleeps a little
longer, about 9 ½ hours as opposed to less than 7 hours and he is not waking up through the night.


Not all children with Autism who have sleep issues will benefit from the use of Melatonin. They must be lacking this hormone in order for it to work. While it is an over the counter supplement, you must consult with a physician first to determine if it will interact with other medications, etc. We are not physicians and we only share what has worked for us.