ANCSLEEP BLOG

Sleep challenges are extremely common among autistic children. Research suggests that anywhere from 40% to 80% of autistic kids experience difficulties falling asleep, staying asleep, or waking too early. These struggles often stem from a mix of sensory sensitivities, anxiety, differences in melatonin production, and challenges with self-regulation.

Among the many tools parents explore, weighted blankets have become one of the most popular—and for good reason. While they’re not a cure-all, many families report meaningful improvements in their child’s ability to settle at night, calm their body, and achieve deeper, more consistent rest.

In this post, we’ll break down why weighted blankets can be helpful, what the science says, how they affect the nervous system, and how to choose and use one safely.

Sleep isn’t simply a matter of feeling tired and closing your eyes—it’s a highly coordinated biological shift. The body must move from a state of alertness into a state of deep restoration, and that transition is controlled largely by two branches of your autonomic nervous system: the sympathetic and the parasympathetic.

Think of them as the body’s accelerator and brake. Both are essential. Both influence sleep. And both can work for—or against—you depending on your daily habits and stress levels.

In this post, we’ll break down what these systems do, how they interact during the sleep–wake cycle, and how you can support the parasympathetic system to promote deeper, more restorative rest.

Sleep depends on a delicate balance of neurotransmitters, particularly serotonin and dopamine, which play opposing but complementary roles.

Tryptophan is an essential amino acid that helps the body produce serotonin and melatonin, key chemicals for mood and sleep regulation. While often associated with turkey, many everyday foods can support better sleep naturally.

Your dreams often reflect the health of your sleep. Sleep disorders can profoundly alter both how you dream and how often you recall dreams.

Certain prescription medications can influence your sleep architecture and neurotransmitters, sometimes leading to intense dreams or nightmares. While these effects aren’t dangerous for most people, they can be disruptive or disturbing.

Sleep disturbances are among the most common—and frustrating—symptoms of drug withdrawal. Whether it’s caffeine, nicotine, opioids, or prescription medications, your body’s internal balance of chemicals and rhythms shifts dramatically when you stop using a substance to which it’s grown accustomed.

You’ve probably heard that alcohol can make you sleepy—but what many don’t realize is that it can also lead to unsettling dreams and nightmares. While that evening drink might help you doze off faster, it can drastically disrupt your sleep architecture and alter your dream patterns in ways that leave you groggy and anxious the next morning.

You’ve finally settled into bed after a long day, ready to rest—but as soon as you get comfortable, your legs start to tingle, twitch, or ache. The urge to move them is impossible to ignore, and sleep slips farther away. If this sounds familiar, you may be experiencing restless legs syndrome (RLS), a surprisingly common sleep disruption during pregnancy.

If you’ve ever felt yourself relax instantly under a heavy blanket, enjoyed the grounding comfort of a tight hug, or noticed how infants settle when swaddled, you’ve experienced the calming benefits of deep pressure therapy (DPT). This gentle but firm touch-based technique has grown in popularity because of its powerful effect on the nervous system—and its ability to improve sleep.

From weighted blankets and compression garments to massage and firm hugging sensations, deep pressure therapy helps the brain shift into a calmer state that makes falling asleep and staying asleep easier. Here’s how it works, why it helps, and simple ways to incorporate it into your nightly routine.