ANCSLEEP BLOG

Since the pandemic the rise in melatonin use in children has steadily increased. Pediatricians are seeing more adults giving children melatonin and ever before. This is due to the major sleep disturbances they experienced at the height of the pandemic. However it is becoming more alarming that melatonin use has become an everyday thing instead of a sleep aid to use every once in a while.

Nighttime disturbances in children can be disruptive to a child's daily function and to everyone else in the house. However, it's important to understand that the long-term use of melatonin has not been studied in children. Therefore it is unknown what will happen to children who use melatonin on a daily basis.

Another concern is the risk of melatonin overdose and children. The calls to poison control have risen over the last couple of years due to melatonin overdoses. Part of this is due to the fact that melatonin is packaged and gummies which is very appealing for kids. They think that melatonin is candy and consumer as such. Tablets are less appealing to children and therefore experience less overdosing than the melatonin gummies.

Continue reading to learn more about why overdose of melatonin looks like in children, and what you should do if you suspect that your child has eaten more melatonin and they were intended to.

Children diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) often struggle with lack of attention and overactivity. Do these problems roll over into sleep? Absolutely. Children with ADHD often struggle with sleep issues from insomnia, to other sleep disorders. It's important to treat sleep problems as this can reduce both sleep disorders, as well as ADHD symptoms. Continue reading to find out more about this connection. 

Children with autism may have trouble sleeping, which can be problematic for both them and the family. Many children with autism experience sleeping issues, so it is not an uncommon finding. When children are diagnosed with autism parents should monitor sleeping problems that they can share with their physician. Below is some more information on how sleep and autism go together, and what you can do to help. 

What Is Childhood Insomnia

Childhood insomnia is not often talked about, but is a very real issue. Signs may not be obvious, unless you have a child overtly acting out, and sleep deprivation is identified as the main issue.

Childhood insomnia is the same as it is in adults where children can't fall asleep, stay asleep, or sleep until the next morning.

Unfortunately identifying childhood insomnia is made difficult because symptoms largely overlap with seemingly normal child and teen behavioral changes:

• Moodiness
• Acting out
• Being tired all the time (we might ask ourselves, "Is it just a growth spurt?")
• Difficulty concentrating

The difference between childhood insomnia causing such problems and normal childhood development is that one is normal, and one is likely preventable.

What Is Childhood Insomnia

It's not something most people would think of when their child - toddler, adolescent, teenager - is acting out, but childhood insomnia is very real. The effects of sleep deprivation are very real too.