Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Another dull post about sleep written by a sleep-deprived parent

It's looking like we will need to take Quinn for one of those overnight pediatric sleep evaluations, assuming we can get our insurance to pay for what I'm sure is an absurdly high fee. Quinn is taking over an hour to fall asleep with meds and still waking up multiple times per night, and at least twice a week he is up for hours in the middle of the night. We are so tired.

The cause of all this is not just that Quinn doesn't "need" more sleep. He is tired and cranky often. Sometimes in the middle of the night he is happy to be awake, but usually he is red-faced, crying, frustrated, and unable to get to sleep. He nods off instantly almost every time we take him for a drive. He is often late to school because after being up for hours in the night, he finally falls asleep at 6 in the morning, and we don't have the heart to wake the exhausted little man.

And though I am a bit grumpy due to sleep deprivation, if one more person says something about how "normal" it is for kids to have sleep problems, I might say something quite rude. There is nothing normal about kids and parents not getting adequate sleep for more than a few weeks at a time for over three and a half years even after reading numerous sleep books, getting ear tubes (which were supposed to help with sleep by relieving uncomfortable pressure), making multiple doctor visits, and trying three different sleep medications.

Grrr. End of rant. Off to bed.

5 comments:

Vicki Davis said...

Sorry to hear it :-( I am sure you don't need any more advice, but do you guys have a trampoline? Sometimes when Holly is like this, I get her to run back and forth around the house or jump for like an hour, and let her stay up really late. it might mean going to bed at 1:00 AM, but then she sleeps all night, or at least until I wake her at 9:00. I know you mentioned he is tired, but there may be a difference between being emotionally tired and physically tired, just a thought. Good luck getting the insurance to pay for a sleep evaluation. Keep us posted. Oh, one more thing, when we were having sleep problems and now still we slept in shifts, Joel would go to bed at like 8 or 9 and I would go to bed at like 3:00 If Holly was up before 3 it was my job and if she was up after three it was his, since he didn't have to be to work till 9:30, I could sleep in, and we both got around 7 hours

Anonymous said...

My son had such a hard time staying asleep for a long time because of sensory issues. Our OT suggested a mattress pad ( reduces noise from mattress when moving at night, a body pillow so he felt more squeezed in his bed- not so much space to make him uncomfortable since he can't really get his body in space. A weighted blanket ( or heavy quilt), and snug pj's (1-2 sizes too small) My son needed sensory input while he slept. We also found that some of it, for us, turned out to be behavioral. If i went in, Nathan would be up for hours. If my husband went in- he didn't make a peep the rest of the night. Lots of info, sorry. I feel for you guys with the lack of sleep. No one can be very happy with it happening. Good luck!

theotherlion said...

I hope you can get some answers and some relief. This is THE WORST. Internet hugs to you.

Would he use a weighted blanket? We tried to use one for Punkin at school, but he folded it up and used it like a pillow. DORK! But I guess he stays on his cot....

bill in minneapolis said...

Has anyone had any success with having a trained dog that would sleep with him ?

ST said...

Thanks, all, for the support and suggestions. Our first step will be to take him for a pulmonary evaluation - he snores at night, and apparently that is not normal. He may have pediatric sleep apnea. If so, they work to open his airway, by removing the tonsils, for example.

I'm intrigued by the possibility of using more sensory things like a weighted blanket or dog! I like trying things that don't require medication. Or at least, any new/additional ones.