If you do everything or most of the things mentioned here and do not fall asleep within 20 to 25 minutes

 

If you do everything or most of the things mentioned here and do not fall asleep within 20 to 25 minutes, get up and do something relaxing for 30 to 45 minutes and then try again. If you wake up in the night and do not fall back to sleep within 20 to 25 minutes, get up and do something relaxing for 30 to 45 minutes.  (You may want to go into another room and read a printed book.)

If you do everything or most of the things mentioned here and do not fall asleep within 20 to 25 minutes, you have a few options, but really only two good ones.

You could lie in bed and further convince your old/mid brain that bed REALLY ISNT for sleep.  That is one of the bad ideas.

You could also get up and watch TV or play video games, perhaps something very stimulating… that is another one of the really bad ideas.

You could also get up and do something relaxing, such as read a paper book, work on a paper crossword puzzle, work on a jigsaw puzzle for 30 to 45 minutes, then try going to bed again.  As you probably guessed, it is best to do this in another room, not your bedroom, if possible.

Another option would be to get up and do some light housework for about the same amount of time, or if it’s safe, take a stroll around the neighborhood, take the dog if you have one.  (Do only if absolutely and completely safe.)

Once you have done another activity, go to bed again.  NOW and this is very important and as you may have seen in the videos, even though you missed some sleep, you need to get up at your regular time and not sleep in.  Remember, you are establishing your rhythm, your internal clock and it/you will do much better with consistence, as will your child.

Now, this becomes much more tricky and sometimes problematic when its your child or a child you are caring for.  You do not want to reinforce their not going to sleep by providing a fun activity or something they would rather do than go to sleep.  I remember decades ago when I was single, I watched three kids of some friends.  They wanted me to read stories and kept insisting they could not get to sleep.  I found out later, as they told their mom, that it was absolutely everything they could do to stay awake and keep me reading.  Lesson learned… for me. 😊

Remember, for the child… and you too, get exercise earlier in the day, prior to the 90-minute pre-bed/pre-sleep routine.  An exhausted child, who has met food security earlier in the day by getting all the required nutrients for the day, will fall asleep faster and easier at the end of the relaxation routine.

You have two options for the next page, one option will take you to a discussion of sleep for children with autism, and many other disabilities, and much of the information will be practical for children in general.  This page will then have a link to physician consultation.

Click here for the children specific page.  Sleep and children with ASD

Click here to go directly to the physician consultation page.