You know that I’m not crazy about attributing all the negative things that Leo does to the fact that he has Down syndrome, but I’m starting to think the recent sleep problems really are connected to that extra chromosome.
And for the record, Leo was up at 4:30 a.m. this morning.
This is from the book The Melatonin Miracle, which sounds and looks a little cheesy, but at this point I’m willing to try just about anything. There’s also some interesting information about zinc which I feel like I’ve heard something about but never really paid attention to.
“Although we do not usually recommend the use of melatonin for children, there is one exception to our rule. We believe that melatonin may be beneficial to children with Down syndrome in several important ways…
…Down children [sic] also suffer from sleep disturbances. This is not only hard on the Down child, but it can be extremely draining for the parents, who are sleep deprived because of the need to tend to a wakeful child. Caring for a child with Down syndrome requires a great deal of love and patience and a good night’s sleep can make all the difference between feeling completely overwhelmed and being able to cope with the demands of the situation.
We believe that melatonin may enable children with Down syndrome to sleep better, which in turn would reduce some of the stress experienced by their parents. In particular, melatonin helps restore normal REM (rapid eye movement) sleeping patterns, which these children so desperately need. It is during REM sleep that we dream, and if we are regularly deprived of this sleep cycle, we never feel rested and irritability and even more serious emotional disturbances may result. Second, melatonin may provide a boost to Down [sic] childrens’ weakened immune systems, which can help make them less prone to infection. As we have said, melatonin specifically stimulates the thyroid gland and the thymus gland, both of which are involved in the production of T cells, which is crucial for maintaining a strong immune system."
(from The Melatonin Miracle, by Walter Pierpaoli, William Regelson, with Carol Colman)
“Extremely drain[ed]” parents. That would be us.
Anyone? Any kid dosing melatonin stories out there you'd like to share?
3 comments:
No experience with melatonin but I'm fascinated by what you found. Caleb wakes up a lot but so does his twin sister. Pretty normal (I think) for a 9-month old. I hope you get some posts from people because I would love to hear more.
I've taken melatonin myself. I have no idea how it would work for kids, but I will say that while it helps me sleep, I tend to have really vivid, weird dreams when I take it. It definitely does something to the REM cycle.
I found your blog when looking up some more information on melatonin. I just this week started giving 1mg to our son who also has that extra chromosome. He is 4 and tosses and turns all night. He gets up 3-4 times a night. It is enough to wear anyone out. I can't say the it has stopped all the sleep issues but he has slept for longer periods of time and has only got up out of bed 2 times this week!!
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