Sleep Disturbances And Gluten Intolerance (4 Year Old)

[lizajane]

I was just diagnosed about a month ago after vomiting for about 2 weeks after everything I ate. (endoscopy with biopsy showed lymphocytes and vomiting stopped immediately upon going gluten free.) I have wondered if my son has a gluten intolerance since he was a baby and he had 2 straights months of D. We did a blood test, which was negative. But while he is in the 50th percentile, he is MUCH smaller than his brother and much smaller than I was as a child (and my siblings.) He has a tummy but is otherwise skinny. He complains of tummy aches lately. He is very irritable at times and lately seems to have NO appetite.

But our biggest issue is SLEEP. He wakes up EVERY night, several times each night. He has been waking like this every night of his LIFE. It has been FOUR YEARS! I can't take it anymore! For what its worth, I am a terrible sleeper, too. I had a few great nights after I went gluten free, but then got the flu which became pneumonia and now I think my thyroid may have flipped to hyper... but I digress...

We went gluten free with him starting yesterday. He is on board and has been compliant. It helps that he is "eating like mommy." I don't need a diagnosis- I just need him to SLEEP. Any thoughts? Could his sleep disturbances be gluten intolerance? Does this sound familiar to anyone? We have done all the psychological things we can think of to help him sleep all night with no success. He does not snore or have chronic colds or anything to suggest apnea, other than the waking.

If you did have a similar experience with your child, how long was he/she gluten free before the sleep improved? (FYI: we already have to use melatonin to get him to sleep at night and he does not nap.)

Thanks for any thoughts!

[Genna'smom]

Hi

I just wanted to tell you that I think it does as my almost 3 year old went gluten free about 1 year ago and she had never slept through the night. She now does much better and only wakes occassionally. She still does not sleep as long as my 5 year old but that is ok with me. She has a lot of other issues as well so I am not sure if her sleep is related to those as well. Good luck.

[sugarsue]

Both my girls sleep better after going gluten free. I used to be up a lot throughout the night. My 6 yr old still wakes up and gets in bed with me but it's not every night any more. She goes to sleep and stays asleep better now. GOOD LUCK to you.

In addition, these have helped our sleep situation, epsome salt baths before bed and magnesium supplements.

[The Kids Folks]

YES! Our DS 7yo now sleeps wonderfully gluten free. He used to yell in his sleep, which didn't do much for the rest of the famiy's sleep. His sleep was very restless, if we went in to check on him when he was sleeping and and would pull up the covers, he would yell and kick and groan. It was hard to watch almost every night.

Now that he is gluten-free his sleep is much more restful and peaceful. For me, I have had insomnia since I was pregnant with my almost 5 yo DD, since going gluten-free I now sleep like I am on vacation, that really really good, not a care in the world sleep!

Oh, by the way our son's blood tests were also negative.

Good luck!

[weluvgators]

Yes, our super silly DD has trouble sleeping with any gluten exposure. Her short cycle, very disrupted sleep was a great motivator to help me get us gluten free! Gluten makes her sick. When exposed, she is a "sick" kid, so sleep is very disrupted, and she would often wake up crying.

[Kurstin]

I am very new to Celiac, (My little girl might have it) But I can tell you my daughter was up ALL NIGHT every night, waking as many as 16 times per night. Her problems went away very shortly after taking preservatives and coloring out of her diet. She also had asthma that also disappeared. Maybe you have not yet nailed down all the food sensitivities. Not sure if someone has suggested this already, just thought I would add in my experience.

I do hope you figure this out and get some much needed Z's!! Good luck!

[GFinDC]

Some of us also react to casein, the protein in dairy I am one of those who can't sleep after eating dairy. So, just another thing to keep in mind in case the kiddo has the same reaction..