The following is a visitor-submitted question or story. For more, you can submit your own sleep story here, or browse the collection of experiences and questions other visitors have shared here.

My Son Is Falling Asleep Throughout The Day In School And Home

by Lori
(New Jersey)

For the past 3-4 months my son had randomly fell asleep during the day. He's 6. I have mentioned it to the doctors but they didn't seem too concerned.


His school has informed me he is doing it every day, sometimes 2 or 3 times a day. He can fall asleep sitting up, talking to you...it's just very random and when he falls askeep he's out.

Now his doctors are finally concerned--his neuro doctor, pediatrician, and ashtma doctor. But they can't run any test until after he recovers from having his tonsils removed this up coming Monday....

They gave me a list of tings it can be and of course I googled it..and now am freaking out... He's never been a kid to take a nap..napping stopped around age 2...anyone else go through this?

Kevin: Hi Lori, Thank you very much for sharing your son's experience. When you say that he is falling asleep at random times, including when talking to people, it makes me think immediately of the autoimmune sleep disorder narcolepsy. You can learn more about narcolepsy here and see if any of the other symptoms match up with what your son is experiencing.

All the best, and feel free to update this page with anything you learn. Other visitors may be able to offer you advice, or learn from any additional experiences you share.

Warmly,
Kevin


(Please keep in mind that I am a student of sleep science and not a medical doctor. Please take any thoughts I give with my background in mind.)

Comments for My Son Is Falling Asleep Throughout The Day In School And Home

Click here to add your own comments

Aug 03, 2015
 I'm in the same boat NEW
by: Savannah

My daughter is doing it to. She's fine throughout the whole day then she just falls asleep. We took her to the emergency room. They ran all kinds of tests that came back perfect. They saw her passed out non responsive. The dr informed me he thought it was a mild seizure. We talked to her dr that said it may only be a one time thing so we left it alone. After a month she did it again. We took her to a special seizure doctor that had a test ran. She had to have the eeg done for 2 days. Nothing came from it. We were told to watch her and call if it happened again. We waited and watched. She had another episode (all together she's had 4). We called the dr and had another eeg done. Again we were told there was nothing. Were lost and confused and desperate for answers. What else could it be? She goes months without episodes. I just want to know my baby is okay. The last episode she seemed confused. We got her to wake up and she was talking about us saving a squirrel and a birds mommy. She didn't remember we were going to go to her great grandmas house which is odd because she remembers a week ahead. She didn't know how old she was or what that even ment. Any ideas?
Apr 10, 2016
 My son falls asleep in high school NEW
by: Laura

My 17 year old sons sleep pattern is all off, he's in high school they give these kids a ton of work to do at times he may be up until 1am we gotta get up in the a.m. already at 4:30 or 5am, teachers tend to think these kids are just staying up looking at tv, not the case. Now his body out of no where will start to jitter. Anyone else have this issue with there teenager?
Feb 23, 2017
 staying awake at school NEW
by: johnny

has any one find if a something sugary that would come a vending machines help them stay awake in class.
Feb 28, 2017
 10 yr old son can't stay awake NEW
by: Shannon

I am having the same issue. My 10 year old son is falling asleep almost instantly, as soon as he gets to school on multiple occasions. His teachers have informed me that it will be loud in the classroom and he's in a deep sleep. He does it pretty much any time he stops actively moving. My concern is that he had an accident in October of 2014 that busted his front cranium and scattered shards of bone fragments into his frontal lobe. He had emergency surgery done at Texas Children's Hospital in Houston (one of the best in the country). Now a little over 2 years later and this is starting to happen to a point that my straight A student is making low C's because he can't stay awake in class or focus. He seems scatter brained all the time now and he used to never be this way.
Feb 28, 2017
 My son passes out in school NEW
by: T. J.

My 10 yr old son will pass out in school shortly after I drop him off. He autistic, And will sleep good at night. (9-11 hrs a night) He's OK for weeks at a time then he'll start sleeping again. Some times still dressed in his out door clothes like today snow suit and all. It's gotten to the point where he actually has a sleeping spot at school with blankets. Doctor's have found nothing wrong. I think I'm gonna get him looked at again.
Aug 17, 2017
 10 Yr. Old Granddaughter Sleeps During Home Schooling NEW
by: Anonymous

My granddaughters are home schooled, and the youngest of the two, who is 10, cannot stay awake during her classes. It does not matter how much sleep she gets, as soon as she knows she had to be online to do work, she gripes, than passes out refusing to stay awake to do the work at all.
Mar 06, 2019
 My son sleeps all the time NEW
by: Anonymous

My son is 10 he is sleeping in class,as soon as I pick him from school he sleeps in the car a few minutes after his lunch he sleeps what is causing it ,please help me.
Apr 10, 2019
 Sleepy 6 year old
by: Anonymous

My son is doing the same thing, he is getting worse after weeks of falling asleep in class now he can't stay awake and often falls over due to sleepiness
Blood tests have come back normal, he is eating a drinking normally, we have an mri scan and eeg booked but I'm terrified because his symptoms are worsening. Does anyone have any answers?
Jan 06, 2023
 My son sleeps wherever we go.
by: Anonymous


My son is 19 and autistic, he falls asleep wherever we go. He falls asleep in restaurants, he falls asleep in doctors' offices, he falls asleep in church, he falls asleep in the car, he falls asleep mostly everywhere. He is not on medication, but he has had eeg's, MRI's and all kinds of diagnostics and even tests in front of the doctor and the doctor says everything is normal. I'm concerned and people around us are worried too! Is there anything anybody can say?
May 15, 2023
 Maybe POTs and Ehlers Danlos?
by: Anonymous

I was scrolling through the internet and feeling bad about myself when I saw this forum. A lot of what commenters here are saying sounds familiar, so I’ll offer my two cents. Forewarning though, I am not a doctor and can’t diagnose anyone. Autistic people can sometimes experience comorbid conditions along with autism. Ehlers Danlos Syndrome is a pretty common one. There’s about thirteen different types, and it’s usually associated with hyper mobility. Please look it up or join an ehlers danlos Facebook group, everyone is wicked smart in there. Anyway, EDS is a connective tissue disorder which means it affects the entire body. Sometimes this will mean people can also develop POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome). Again, please look it up and how it’s related to EDS. Long story short, people with POTS faint a lot. For me, this looked like falling asleep in class everyday mainly starting with middle school, falling asleep in church, falling asleep trying to do my homework, etc. Furthermore, I did not learn about any of this from a doctor. I had to do all this research for myself because it is incredibly difficult to advocate for these conditions. It’s hard to find doctors who can actually identify and treat this stuff, so please please do research and find doctors that listen and specialize in these conditions if possible. Again, I highly highly recommend Facebook groups and asking for their opinions. You will not be disappointed. I hope this helps, but take it with a grain of salt. It could also be something else autoimmune related, and overall I’m not an expert. Just a broke college student 💕

Click here to add your own comments

Join in and write your own page! It's easy to do. How? Simply click here to return to Experiences With Sleep Disorders In Children.



Enjoy this page? Please help us pay it forward to others who would find it valuable by Liking, Sharing, Tweeting, Stumbling, and/or Voting below.

About This Site

Welcome! This site is continuously being created by students of Dr. William C. Dement's Sleep And Dreams course at Stanford University.

We made this site as a call to action for people all over the world to live healthier, happier, safer, and more productive lives by learning about their own sleep. We have faith that reading the information provided on this site will motivate you to be smart about your sleep deprivation and strategic about your alertness in order to live life to your fullest, most energetic potential.

In fact, we challenge you to do so! What do you say, are you up for the challenge?

A Note On Visitor-Submitted Questions:

Publishing sleep stories and questions from our visitors is meant to create a forum for open and proactive dialogue about an extremely important portion of our lives (one that occupies 1/3 of it and affects the other 2/3) that isn't talked about enough. It is not meant to substitute a trip to the doctor or the advice of a specialist. It's good to talk; it is not good to avoid consulting someone who's profession it is to help you with this kind of stuff.

If you are in any way concerned about your sleep health, don't wait for an answer on here, and don't necessarily rely on them. See a sleep specialist in your area as soon as possible.

More Questions:

Ask | Answer

The Stanford Sleep Book

Stanford Sleep Book Picture

Dr. Dement's pioneering textbook has been the core text for Sleep and Dreams since 1980, but it has just recently been made available to the wider public for the first time.

In it you'll find a more detailed account of the most important things you need to know about sleep, alertness, dreams, and sleep disorders. Studies, statistics, plus plenty of Dr. Dement's classic anecdotes painting the history of sleep medicine.

Preface | Intro | Contents | Get A Copy

More Sleep Resources

The Zeo

Track Your Own Sleep With Zeo

A revolution in personal sleep tracking, the Zeo is a wireless headband that transmits your brainwaves in realtime to a dock (pictured here) or your smartphone. The result? You can wake up and see exactly what stages of sleep you were in during the night! Unprecedented personalized sleep knowledge.

Sleep Paralysis: A Dreamer's Guide

Sleep Paralysis Treatment Book

Ever woken up paralyzed? A surprising number of us have, believe it or not. But few know the actual causes of this phenomenon, and fewer still how to exert control over it. Dream researcher and sleep paralysis expert Ryan Hurd shares breakthrough insights into how to do just that.

Important Disclaimer

Please Note:

The information found on this page and throughout this site is intended for general information purposes only. While it may prove useful and empowering, it is NOT intended as a substitute for the expertise and judgments of healthcare practitioners.

For more info, see our
Terms of Use.