7 year old boy, cant get to sleep - any ideas?

kabie

Have you heard of night-time milk? It's naturally higher in melatonin which is the hormone that helps us to feel sleepy.
They don't add it to the milk it's there naturally: the website explains.

http://www.night-time-milk.com/

My son's autistic and has a problem with melatonin production so he takes it as a suplement and it works for him (not suggesting this lad needs to do that), I've not used the milk myself but it could be worth a go if there's a local stockist, (stockists on website).

crutches

i'll send my dd4 to sleep with him....she has the same problem.!

misty

Could listening to a tape cd help? My son is only 4 - he's sleeps well thankfully but likes to listen to a cd after his story. Maybe he finds the silence loud if you know what I mean!!! every little noise then becomes distracting, especially in the light evenings when people are in their gardens etc I've always had trouble going to sleep even as a kid. I remember be asked - you not asleep yet? and thinking I would be if I could.

jennybear

Sounds like me! My parents tried all sorts to get me to sleep til i was about 11, including prescribed medication! Apparently, according to the child psychiatrist I was deemed a suitable case for, the reason i didnt sleep was because I wasnt been mentally stimulated enough in the day, I was a clever child and because my brain wasnt being tasked, it didnt tire out and wind down naturally. The solution that was come up with was giving me challenging puzzle books etc to read before i went to bed, thus mentally tiring me out! Have to say, it did work, much to parents relief as I was not as well behaved as your nephew and when I was awake I demanded attention!

kaya

How about diet? Most supermarket food is full of nasty chemicals that can make people hyper/restless, colourings, preservatives/allergys etc. Even "healthy" foods contain nastys

swizzle_2

I had the same problem with my DS.

We got a meditation cd which is especially for kids- they use them in scholl for circle time etc.

Have a look at https://www.hypnosisaudio.com

We have the relax kids one, at £15 I was a bit unsure- but it was worth the money, great to help adults unwind too.

My Ds had trouble getting to sleep-too much going round in his head, but a later bedtime was out as he needs his sleep-like his mum!

squibbs25

I would just like to say a huge thanks for all your comments and suggestions.
My sister has now seen this thread and is amazed by the friendliness of everyone on here. I think she was worried about having her parenting skills critised as she was scared she was doing something wrong.
But she now realises that others are, have been (and will be) in the same position.
Big hugs,
squibbs.



(and i have thanked you all personally to )

AnnieH

Hi there. My dd1 has Aspergers Syndrome and doesn't sleep well because of that. One trick her nurse suggested to me was to borrow story cd's/tapes from the library and let her listen to them on a walkman until she falls asleep herself. Stressing about it does not help so if he's in bed and resting that's good enough.

Rachel85

Is it possible that he's not burnt off enough energy during the day? Its not always easy, but perhaps they could encourage him to play football in the garden, go to the park, get a dance mat or something to tire him out a bit before he goes into bed.

I used to find it really hard to sleep when I was around 11. It was cured when I went to stay at a friends house and got virtually no sleep at all. The next night I went to bed at the same time as normal but feel straight to sleep. Then got up as normal the next day and have been an early night-er ever since!

culpepper

Have they tried lavender drops ? You can put them on a pillow and the smell is soporific or you used to be able to get kids lavender bath stuff dont know if you still can.