refusal to sleep

[Diane]

My dear son has decided he does not need to sleep, does not want to sleep as he needs to know what is happening all the time. we are into our third week of this.

 

We have doing all the usual explaining whay he needs sleep, social stories, his outreach worker has been doing work with him on the subject, been to the Gp who says ther is nothing he can do, ignored my sons behaviour.Still he continues.

 

I think it has become an obsession and not a healthy one. I am waiting to hear back from his psychologist.

 

He is averaging three to four hours sleep a night but then does not sleep at all.When this happenend lat week he kept going for 18 hours and then collapsed into sleep from exhaustion and slept for 6 hours was awake for an hour and then slept solid for 15 hours after which I woke him up. The other thinhg he has been doing is refusing to eat which is just awful as he is a skinny chap and burns calories very quickly. At the moment I am doing all his favourite foods so he is eating. He looks like something out of a horror movie as he has very large dark circles under his eyes and looks gaunt!

 

I am not expecting anyone to come back with an answer. It just causes me distress to see my son harming himself in this way. I cannot get behind why he is doing it.

 

I feel a little better for writing about what is going on here just now.

 

 

 

 

[aliwoo]

my son does the same (although not as drastic). but it has affected his behaviour at school and at home, i think he is even more fussy with food due to being tired and grumpy and probably not feeling up to eating. have you asked the paedotrician for melatonin? that is what i have been advised to do. a GP cant prescribe it so i have heard, it HAS to be from the paedotrician..and you may have to fight for it.

 

ofc it depends if that is what you want to do, some people dont like using it <'>

[Enid]

Gio for the melatonin is my advice, sleep deprivation is awful, an so is loosing the respite you get when they are asleep! When my son was at his worst this time last year, an every EVERY waking minute was a nightmare, once he`d gone to sleep the relief was incredible, As I could drop my guard, I never wanted to go to bed myself till really late, just so I could savour it Hope its just a phase <'> Enid

[Diane]

have you asked the paedotrician for melatonin? that is what i have been advised to do. a GP cant prescribe it so i have heard, it HAS to be from the paedotrician..and you may have to fight for it.

 

 

My son does not see a paedotrician. Is this something that CAMHS can pescribe?

 

My son will not even take a tablet for a headache or anything. If this was to be the answer for us it would mean giving it to him without him knowing and I am not sure I could this.

 

He has always had problems with his sleep but we have tolerated it and he has always had sleep every night even if it has only been a few hours.

 

he is even more fussy with food due to being tired and grumpy and probably not feeling up to eating.

 

I never considered that his lack of sleep would affect his eating so thank you for that.

 

I think what concerns me is that he has made himself feel really unwell due to lack of sleep and t his has not detered him in anyway. He just seems so determined about this.

 

I am going to browse the net for 'what happens to our bodies if we continually don't sleep' I need to try and calm myself down as I am getting over anxious about this. I just want him to stop doing this.

 

[heleno]

Firstly, you can ring your doctor and ask to be referred to the local community paediatrician, explain you need an urgent appointment. Explain to the paed about the sleeping problem and ask to try Melotonin in capsule form. My son has always had a drink of warm chocolate milk and i simply open the capsules into his milk and mix it in - it doesn't change the taste. He is fully aware he has this in his milk.

We took all this action when his behaviour at school deteriorated and lack of sleep was, by his own admission, part of the problem. He now has his milk about half an hour before i want him to go to sleep and takes himself upstairs when he starts to feel sleepy.

It has made a huge difference to our lives and I now have an evening! all be it from about 9.30!

Good Luck

[biker69]

Hi Diane

 

I know how you feel, you could be describing our Son he also doesn't need to sleep and for I can't remember how many weeks now we have been awake till 3.30 in the morning and then he doesn't understand why I don't want to get up at 6.00 .

like your son he won't take any medication so melatonin is no good and we went through the refusal to eat most of last year, he lost loads of weight our GP prescribed him with a drink called Fortisip, its like a milkshake but full of everything that they are lacking in, it might be worth asking your GP about it.

Sorry I don't have any advice regards the sleep but try not to panic too much I know easier said than done

biker69

[aliwoo]

have you asked the paedotrician for melatonin? that is what i have been advised to do. a GP cant prescribe it so i have heard, it HAS to be from the paedotrician..and you may have to fight for it.

 

 

My son does not see a paedotrician. Is this something that CAMHS can pescribe?

 

My son will not even take a tablet for a headache or anything. If this was to be the answer for us it would mean giving it to him without him knowing and I am not sure I could this.

 

He has always had problems with his sleep but we have tolerated it and he has always had sleep every night even if it has only been a few hours.

 

he is even more fussy with food due to being tired and grumpy and probably not feeling up to eating.

 

I never considered that his lack of sleep would affect his eating so thank you for that.

 

I think what concerns me is that he has made himself feel really unwell due to lack of sleep and t his has not detered him in anyway. He just seems so determined about this.

 

I am going to browse the net for 'what happens to our bodies if we continually don't sleep' I need to try and calm myself down as I am getting over anxious about this. I just want him to stop doing this.

 

does he take liquid medicine? i was told you can get it in liquid form but thats a bit harder to get due to it being more expensive (and them not liking to give it to people lol). i've never had my son try tablets before so i dont know what he will be like, but he has swallowed a few pound coins so i know he is capable

[Diane]

does he take liquid medicine? i was told you can get it in liquid form but thats a bit harder to get due to it being more expensive (and them not liking to give it to people lol). i've never had my son try tablets before so i dont know what he will be like, but he has swallowed a few pound coins so i know he is capable

 

 

I am afraid my son will not take medicine in any form.

 

I will be speaking to my GP about a referral to the paed for my son and see what happens. Unless someone can get him to see sense then nothing will change.

 

Thank you all for your support. It's good to talk.

[bikemad]

My camhs person prescribed melatonin for my son it is a godsend!!!! As for the food im about to ring n ask for an O/T appointment to see them about it again cos at the mo the only food he will eat is plain basmati rice but got to be a certain make and 2 fried eggs, must be runny with a certain shops make of curly chips which are meant to be oven baked but he has them deep fried!!!!! Thats it he will not eat anything else just throws it up.