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Characterizing Sleep in Adolescents and Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders

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Abstract

We studied 28 adolescents/young adults with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and 13 age/sex matched individuals of typical development (TD). Structured sleep histories, validated questionnaires, actigraphy (4 weeks), and salivary cortisol and melatonin (4 days each) were collected. Compared to those with TD, adolescents/young adults with ASD had longer sleep latencies and more difficulty going to bed and falling asleep. Morning cortisol, evening cortisol, and the morning-evening difference in cortisol did not differ by diagnosis (ASD vs. TD). Dim light melatonin onsets (DLMOs) averaged across participants were not different for the ASD and TD participants. Average participant scores indicated aspects of poor sleep hygiene in both groups. Insomnia in ASD is multifactorial and not solely related to physiological factors.

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Funding

This research was supported in part by a grant from Autism Speaks, as well as CTSA award No. UL1TR000445 from the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences.

Author contributions

SEG and BAM conceived of the study, participated in its design and coordination and drafted the manuscript. MLA, HJB, BAC, RH, DW DBF, LW, and MLL participated in the interpretation of the data. SEG, BAM, and LW performed the statistical analysis. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Sleep Disorders Division, Department of Neurology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, 1161 21st Avenue South, Room A-0116, Nashville, TN, 37232-2551, USA

    S. E. Goldman, M. L. Alder, D. Wofford, D. B. Fawkes & B. A. Malow

  2. Departments of Behavioral Sciences & Internal Medicine, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, USA

    H. J. Burgess

  3. Department of Psychiatry and Kennedy Center, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, USA

    B. A. Corbett

  4. Department of Pediatrics, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, USA

    R. Hundley

  5. Department of Biostatistics, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, USA

    L. Wang

  6. Behavioral Immunology and Endocrinology Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Denver, CO, USA

    M. L. Laudenslager

Authors
  1. S. E. Goldman
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  2. M. L. Alder
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  3. H. J. Burgess
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  4. B. A. Corbett
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  5. R. Hundley
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  6. D. Wofford
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  7. D. B. Fawkes
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  8. L. Wang
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  9. M. L. Laudenslager
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  10. B. A. Malow
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to B. A. Malow.

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All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Goldman, S.E., Alder, M.L., Burgess, H.J. et al. Characterizing Sleep in Adolescents and Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders. J Autism Dev Disord 47, 1682–1695 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-017-3089-1

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