Sleep is destroying us — what actually worked for your family?
Posted May 10, 2026
I'm writing this at 3:47am. My 6-year-old has been awake since 1:30. This is the third night this week. I am holding it together with coffee and prayer.
We've tried: melatonin (helps fall asleep, doesn't help stay asleep), weighted blanket (mixed), white noise (helps), screen-free hour before bed (helps a little, hard to enforce), bath routines, lavender, the works. Some weeks are okay. Some weeks are this.
I know sleep issues are incredibly common in autistic kids and there's no single fix. I'm hoping this thread can be a place where families share what actually moved the needle — not the generic advice, the specific stuff.
A few questions for the group:
- Did a sleep study help your family, or was it more useful in theory than practice?
- For families using melatonin long-term — what does your prescriber say about it?
- What did you do about night waking specifically (vs. trouble falling asleep)?
- Anyone find that addressing GI issues, anxiety, or sensory needs solved the sleep piece?
No judgment about anything. I just need to hear that other people have lived through this and come out the other side.