Hormone Treatment May Help Children With Autism Fall Asleep, Study Says
As many as nine out of 10 children with autism have sleep problems, but new research suggests a small dose of a naturally-occurring hormone at bedtime might help such children get some shut eye.
Melatonin, which is derived from the amino acid called tryptophan, is a key factor in regulating the body’s “sleep-wake cycle,” also called circadian rhythms. Children with autism and another disorder called Fragile X syndrome may not have enough of the hormone and can suffer from difficulty sleeping.
Autism is a complex brain development disorder that causes impaired social interaction and communication, as well as repetitive and restricted behavior. The symptoms of the disorder most often begin before age three. About 1.5 million people in the United States have some form of autism, but the number of diagnosed cases is increasing as the condition is better understood. Also, boys are about three to four times more likely to be autistic than girls.
Study Finds Benefits of Melatonin
A month-long study of 18 children ages two to 15 years old focused on children with autistic spectrum disorder and/or Fragile X syndrome. The children were given three milligrams of melatonin or a placebo each night for four weeks.
Children who completed the study benefited from the melatonin treatment and saw significant improvement in the amount of time they slept, the time it took them to fall asleep, and other areas.
On average, autistic children receiving melatonin at bed time slept 21 minutes longer and fell asleep 42 minutes earlier, said the researchers.
Researchers Herald Possible Autism Breakthrough
“Sleep onset problems at the beginning of the night are very troublesome for children and their families,” researchers said in a statement accompanying the release of the study. “Sometimes children may take one to two hours to fall asleep and often they disrupt the household during this time.”
The research suggests that the use of melatonin “is an effective treatment for sleep problems in children with autistic spectrum disorder and fragile X syndrome, a finding that is consistent with previous studies of children with autistic spectrum disorder and developmental disabilities,” according to the research.
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