Sleep disorders and autismSIMPLIFIED EXPLANATION
Autistic people are more likely than others to have sleep disorders. This can mean having trouble sleeping, waking up too often or sleeping more than necessary.
What are sleep disorders?
Sleep disorders affect two major aspects of life. On the one hand, there are sleep disorders that prevent people from sleeping long enough or deeply enough to have a good level of energy during the day (not enough sleep). On the other hand, there are disorders that prevent people from being awake long enough or with sufficient concentration to carry out their daily activities (not awake enough).
Symptoms
- Taking more than 30 minutes to fall asleep at bedtime (insomnia)
- Waking up too early in the morning when you're still tired
- Waking up several times during the night
- Difficulty concentrating
- Moving a lot while trying to sleep
- Difficulty breathing
- Being tired during the day
- Falling asleep at inappropriate times
Link to autism
Around 80% of autistic people also have some form of sleep disorder (Hohn et al., 2019). The sleep disorders that affect most autistic people are those of the “not enough sleep” type. But of course, when you don’t get enough sleep, it’s hard to stay awake, and be active all day!
That’s a very large proportion of the community.
Why sleep disorders in autism?
Hypersensitivity
Autism is linked to sleep disorders in two ways. Firstly, hypersensitivity to sounds and sensations delays the moment of falling asleep and wakes us up at night. Sensory barriers can be really helpful in getting to sleep more quickly.
Melatonin
Secondly, autistic people do not secrete the sleep neurotransmitter melatonin at the same time as non-autistic people.s (Lalanne et al., 2021).. This gives the impression of always being jet-lagged! You can talk to your doctor to find solutions.
To find out more
https://fondationsommeil.com/les-10-bonnes-habitudes-adopter/
References
https://www.autismontario.com/sites/default/files/2020-05/Sleep%20Problems%20and%20ASD%20FR_0.pdf
Hohn, V. D., de Veld, D. M. J., Mataw, K. J. S., van Someren, E. J. W., & Begeer, S. (2019). Insomnia Severity in Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder is Associated with sensory Hyper-Reactivity and Social Skill Impairment. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 49(5), 2146‑2155. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-019-03891-8
Lalanne, S., Fougerou-Leurent, C., Anderson, G. M., Schroder, C. M., Nir, T., Chokron, S., Delorme, R., Claustrat, B., Bellissant, E., Kermarrec, S., Franco, P., Denis, L., & Tordjman, S. (2021). Melatonin : From Pharmacokinetics to Clinical Use in Autism Spectrum Disorder. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 22(3), 1490. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms22031490
