My seven year old has been having sleep issues the past month or so, pretty much nightly. He has trouble going to sleep and wakes up at least once a night. He will come into our room in the middle of the night saying he can't sleep but he will then go back to sleep in our bed. He does seem sleep deprived as he sleeps in later now than usual. It is stressing him out and he is apprehensive about going to bed now, not wanting to be miserable laying there unable to go to sleep. It's stressing me out because I worry that something underlying may be going on to cause this. He is a pretty carefree laid back kid, I don't think anything much worries him and school is starting next week. I don't want him to be sleep deprived at school. Any suggestions?
Hi Theresa,
I had the same problem growing up and it was frustrating.
I now sleep on a sleepsystem that is wonderful. My whole family is on it.
If you want more info let me know.
Good luck.
N. Marie
Theresa
If the sun is still out when he goes to bed, or he can hear the neighbor kids still playing he will have an issue. My kids still think it's not fair if we tell them to go to bed when they still want to be up. Summer was always the hardest. We had a schedule, unlike a lot of parents, and they needed to stick by it. Maybe put some room darkening curtians on his window?
W. M.
A couple of things you can try:
vit b3/ b6, calcium and magnesium can help with sleep as they support nerves and the nervous system. Calcium deficiency can present with insomnia, sleep disturbance,aggitation, left side leg cramps, teeth grinding,anxiety and day fatigue.
Magnesium and Calcium complement and need eachother, but will cancel eachother out when taken at the same time.Also taking an overload of one will cause a deficiency in the other. So take them at different times and take equal amounts. If you take 800mg magesium, take 800 mg of calcium.
Take dimagnesium malate and b complex in the morning or afternoon, and cacium lactate at bedtime.
two other things that you can try are L triptophan and corydallis root.
Make sure he rises earlier. A late wake time will encourage insomnia in the evenings. Best time for sleeping for regeneration of the body is beween 10pm - 1am.
I have 3 suggestions for you. First have you ever tried chiropractic? Many people think it is only for adults who hurt thier backs. The fact is many of our adult aches and pains start when we are children and become out of allignment. I have been using chiropractic for about 15 years now and I even work for one. I have seen many children who come in because of common probles such as bedwetting, troubble sleeping, headaches, troubble focusing, etc. It could be just as simple as his neck is a little out. Believe it or not it is recommended that you get your first adjustment within 6 hours to 1 day after birth. I have had my daughter adjusted all her life and she has never had the ear infection problems that plague most kids. In fact she has only had 1 prescription in her life and it was for eczema.
Second- What type of TV or video games is he watching? Sometiems when children hit a growth spurt it can really mess up sleeping habits. During these times I notice that my little one really reacts (in her dreams) to they type of TV she sees, like aggressive cartoons. My nephew would react to the news. Maybe look for things that are mild and avoid any type of stressful TV.
Third- How much corn syurp or high fructose corn syurp is he eating daily? You really have to watch for this stuff because it is everywhere! Your pasta sauce, can tomatoes, ketchup, granola bars, fruit snacks, pancake syurp, bread, peanut butter, jelly, soda, ceral, etc. Let's say he had a small soda today, a PB &J, a bowl of ceral, and a fruit snack he could have absorbed a ton of this "sugar" and it could be over stimulating him. Watch for these hidden triggers.
Hope it helps!
What is his bedtime? Has he had a recent change is activity level? You may try moving his bedtime 30-60 mins earlier for a while to help him become well rested.
Sincerely,
L.
It might be the anticipation of school starting that may have him freaked out right now...not really realizing it.
Make sure he has plenty of physical activity during the day, and talk him into a warm bath at night just before bed.
THEY SAY that tv and vid games an hour before bedtime gets the brain all riled up, forego those things if possible before bedtime. Good luck. I'm sure it's just temporary. Once school starts he'll be tired at night and the problem will probably solve itself.
Check out with him what is going on during the time that he is not with you.....happened with my son and something at school was bothering him.
P
If he is anxious about something, ( seems comforted with sleeping with you=safety) try an herbal product called "Rescue Remedy" drops under the tongue. My niece did this when she was having school/test anxiety and couldn't sleep and it helped her. Safe for kids and adults, I use it also when I am extra stressed.
I agree with the mom who said talk to your dr. Don't let this go on too long. A good sleep routine is important. Stop all caffine and sugar for awhile. Stop all tv or computer or video game stimulation at least 1 hour before bedtime. These things really stimulate the brain to stay awake. He needs to have down time 1 hour before bedtime. He needs the same bed time every night and the same wake time every night. No day time rest so he is good and tired at bed time. YOu need to reset his sleep clock and add melatonin if the dr. says ok.
Good luck.
There's a similar post below about a 9 yo girl. First, I would contact the pediatrician's office for advice. Also, you might consider melatonin. Our 6 yo son takes it because he has ADHD and can't calm down enough to fall asleep. It's a natural product, not a medication. See what your doctor thinks about it (we tried it on our son's doctor's advice). It just makes you sleepy in a natural way and you wake up fine in the morning (I tried it myself to see how it worked). Many people take it to adjust to different time zones when they travel.
Good luck! Hope the issue gets resolved soon.
