Ok, so if you are a parent of a child on the spectrum you are (most likely) all too familiar with “night waking”. Over the years I have learned to just deal with it for the most part, and have found some helpful tools to fill in the blanks.
Jaxon (my 7 year old with ASD) has never been a good sleeper (well, since around 18 months…coincidence…probably not) and I just assumed that I was just an “unlucky” parent. We tried everything that most parents try from changing bedtime, to nightlights, to sleeping with him and nothing seemed to work so for about 2 years I just gave up. I felt like a zombie half the time, and had migraines from drinking so much coffee the rest of the time.
It wasn’t until we met Jaxon’s current doctor that we finally started getting some sleep…just in time for baby number 2…I’m sure you are seeing a pattern here, back to “no more sleep” again. Anyway, when she “treated the gut for yeast/bacteria” we started seeing Jaxon’s sleeping pattern get much better. Not only did he sleep better, but he got a more restful sleep which also did wonders for his behavior. After we “cleaned the gut” we added supplements that targeted his neurotransmitters and other minerals/vitamins that his body was missing and again, they helped with his sleep. After a while though, he was waking at night again and continued to do this for quite some time.
About 2 to 3 years ago Jaxon’s doctor started looking into Chinese medicine a little more in her practice. She was trying to implement it into her treatment and Jaxon was one of the first of her patients to “try things out”. I was happy to try just about anything that would help him sleep because I knew that meant I might get a little more sleep! Anyway, she had me keep a journal of when he woke up during the night to see if there was a pattern and sure enough…there was! We determined that his liver was under stress and that was causing him to wake up at night, it could have been from the various rounds of diflucan, or from other things, but adding some milk thistle did the trick! Now I don’t recommend adding anything to your child’s treatment plan without the guidance of your doctor, but it is definitely something to ask them about!
Here is a good Chinese Organ clock to look at! If you find that your child is waking at approximately the same time every night (or a few times a week) you might ask their doctor (most likely DAN doctor) about checking the “organ of that time”or the organ just before that time. Good luck and good sleep!
Jaxon (my 7 year old with ASD) has never been a good sleeper (well, since around 18 months…coincidence…probably not) and I just assumed that I was just an “unlucky” parent. We tried everything that most parents try from changing bedtime, to nightlights, to sleeping with him and nothing seemed to work so for about 2 years I just gave up. I felt like a zombie half the time, and had migraines from drinking so much coffee the rest of the time.
It wasn’t until we met Jaxon’s current doctor that we finally started getting some sleep…just in time for baby number 2…I’m sure you are seeing a pattern here, back to “no more sleep” again. Anyway, when she “treated the gut for yeast/bacteria” we started seeing Jaxon’s sleeping pattern get much better. Not only did he sleep better, but he got a more restful sleep which also did wonders for his behavior. After we “cleaned the gut” we added supplements that targeted his neurotransmitters and other minerals/vitamins that his body was missing and again, they helped with his sleep. After a while though, he was waking at night again and continued to do this for quite some time.
About 2 to 3 years ago Jaxon’s doctor started looking into Chinese medicine a little more in her practice. She was trying to implement it into her treatment and Jaxon was one of the first of her patients to “try things out”. I was happy to try just about anything that would help him sleep because I knew that meant I might get a little more sleep! Anyway, she had me keep a journal of when he woke up during the night to see if there was a pattern and sure enough…there was! We determined that his liver was under stress and that was causing him to wake up at night, it could have been from the various rounds of diflucan, or from other things, but adding some milk thistle did the trick! Now I don’t recommend adding anything to your child’s treatment plan without the guidance of your doctor, but it is definitely something to ask them about!
Here is a good Chinese Organ clock to look at! If you find that your child is waking at approximately the same time every night (or a few times a week) you might ask their doctor (most likely DAN doctor) about checking the “organ of that time”or the organ just before that time. Good luck and good sleep!
The "sun" side would be during the day and the "moom" side would be during the night. Jaxon always woke up between 1 and 3, most nights at 1:23 on the dot!
