Sleep & Autism

Research suggests that autistic children and young people  can experience more sleep disturbance than non-autistic children and young people.  Prevalence rates of sleep problems range from 50% to 80% (Mazurek and Petroski 2015).  

Sleep can be disrupted in different ways, some children and young people may experience:  

• Longer sleep onset: this is typically when the child or young person is lying awake in bed for long periods of time unable to fall over to sleep   
• Frequent night time waking: waking up at different points during the night, for some children and young people they may remain awake for shorter or longer periods of time 
• Irregular wake patterns: this is when the child or young person is waking early in the morning  
• Poor quality sleep: this is when the child or young person sleeps for a few hours but feels very tired and unrested in the morning 

There is some evidence for differences in melatonin production for autistic children and young people, specifically their body not releasing enough melatonin at the start of the night. Melatonin is a natural occurring hormone which helps to control the sleep cycle. Usually, melatonin production increases as it starts to get dark, as this signals the body that it is time to sleep. 

Interview with Debbie Spain, Cognitive Behavioural Therapist and Tasos Galanopoulos, Consultant Psychiatrist  – Relationship between autism and sleep

Research suggests an overlap between sleep and anxiety. Poor sleep over a prolonged period of time can increase feelings of anxiety and worry for children and young people. 

Change in anxiety and stress levels in turn can affect sleep/awake patterns. If the child or young person is experiencing sleep/awake problems this can add to increased feelings of anxiety the next day. 

Anxiety can be one of main reasons for sleep disturbance in autistic children and young people, therefore to support sleep the focus should include approaches to reduce stress and ensure a calm and regulating routine at bedtime.  

Sleep disturbances can have negative effects on learning and engagement, some studies show the effects of sleep on decreased quality of life for autistic children and young people. Sleep disturbances also quite often affects the family with increased parental stress and decreased wellbeing.  

Middletown Podcast on Sleep