Source
r/family•
cfm76

Can playing lullabies during the night cause my son to be more tired during the day (cross post from /r/autism)

My son, who is four and on the spectrum, has been having trouble sleeping during the night. This has had an effect on the amount of sleep that my wife and I have been getting. In other words, we are sleep deprived. I have found that playing lullabies during the entire night helps him have a better night sleep, but my wife believes that it is harmful to him. I have done some searching on the internet but can not seem to find any definitive information regarding the effects of playing lullabies (classical music) during the whole night for children. Does anyone know of a source of information that would help us make a decision on the matter?

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I really appreciate this community, you all have provided me a great deal of hope and support.

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Edit: side note, I play them on a loop, but the songs are quite long... and here is the list of songs I've been playing for him:

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I do not let him watch the video, he just listens to the music:

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oi12K9uAd98 - Hush little baby ( the one I play most often )

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJpEAPk_-xI&t=3236s - Twinkle twinkle little star

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMhGm5LrBDs- Brahms' Lullaby

Posted Dec 20, 2018, 11:50 PM UTC

65
Calm_Investment•

I don't think there is a problem.

How about white noise, or sound of waves, rain forest etc, if your wife doesn't like the idea of nursery rhymes.

I'm not an expert in any way.

3
peakonic•

I never heard of this. Would be good to know if anyone else knows. I have played the same lullaby piano song for all 3 of my kids. Now that they are older I seldom play it for my 3 yr old. I do use a sound machine though. I am a light sleeper. I tried to not use it but I sometimes need it at night after using a machine since having kids. I actually thought maybe it might make their sleep worse. Like always needing it? When it’s super quiet I actually felt Like I needed a sound.

Anyways the song I’ve used since my 7 yr old was young : Robin Spielberg - Amy’s Lullaby.

My boys sleep with a sound machine too. There’s lots of noise around so I hope it’s not actually hindering their sleep.

2
Atlusfox•

There could be many reasons why your child is tired during the day. If the music is the issue it would be because it hinders rem sleep, it's possible that the music despite its calming nature could be a little over-stimulating during sleep. However, it could be other things from a slow metabolism, not getting enough physical activity, a lack of sunlight, and diet.

Understand that I don't know how you set things up and I will not make any assumptions so these are just universal possibilities.

If anything else try this. Try replacing the music with something else, like a fan or nothing. Give it a day or two and see how he reacts.

1
cfm76OP•

Hey, I'm sorry that I lead you to believe tasty he is tired during the day... in fact. He is so filled with energy it's overwhelming 9 especially since his mother and I are sleep deprived). Thanks for your concern :)

1
MachineSheder•

I have known adults to listen to classical music all night long to sleep.

1