10yodd sleep issues

[xinme]

I'm wondering if anyone out there has some suggestions to help my 10 yo dd with her sleep issues. She has a really hard time falling asleep, and the longer she lies in bed, the more anxious she gets about her inability to fall asleep before my husband and I go to bed. (She has intense anxiety about being awake when everyone else is asleep if it happens before she has slept. If she wakes up in the wee hours of the morning, she is not bothered by being the only one awake -- in fact, she says she enjoys that time -- but only if she has slept first.) Of her own volition, she has stopped eating after supper time (in case something she eats will keep her awake), taken soothing drinks like cammomile tea, taken natural children's sleep aids (an awful tasting tincture -- the name of which escapes me right now), gone to bed earlier than the rest of the family (to get a head start on falling asleep), tried listening to soothing music, and given up reading in bed (because, while she loves to do it, she finds it too stimulating -- she just keeps thinking about the story after she has turned the light off). She has also established a routine of asking me to lie with her and pray with her soon after she goes to bed (which I'm happy to oblige).

I'm thinking I should take her to the doctor -- but in the meantime, do you have any suggestions? I'm wondering if it's hormonal. I really don't want to put her on any medication -- I want to find a natural solution.

Thanks in advance for any words of wisdom you can offer!

[catalinakel]

I feel your pain. I have been an insomniac for so much of my life, and when I realized my daughter has the same problem, boy was I concerned. All that you are doing sounds like what our dr. suggested. My daughter is now 11, and some of it may have been hormonal...anyway, she seems to go to sleep best when she is very worn out from physical exercise outside. I dont' know the answer. We have not tried any medications. But I think a check up with maybe blood work couldn't hurt.

[Mom2GirlsTX]

If I were you, I would try Melatonin for her. It comes in multiple dosages, but 1mg should be fine to start with. My daughters pediatrician as well as her pediatric neurologist have told me it is safe for my daughter. 1 mg makes my daughter who could never sleep, sleep well through the night without feeling any drowsiness in morning. I know the dosage for children can go as high as 10mg, but I wouldn't do that unless a doctor told me to. 1 mg makes me sleep through the night too!

[Claire]

Magnesium deficiency can show up this way, with insomnia and anxiety. Both magnesium and calcium help with relaxation. Google insomnia for more info. Here is one website (http://www.revolutionhealth.com/drugs-treatments/rating/magnesium-for-insomnia) with a thread about magnesium for insomnia.

It would be fine to try melatonin also. Some people have a melatonin deficiency, and then it can really help. However, be aware that melatonin can begin to cause vivid nightmares, I think in people who don't have an actual deficiency. This happened to both my dd and me, but it does not happen with everyone.

[Janna]

My dd, who'll be 10yo in April, has been having sleep issues since December. I took her into the Dr. about it in early January and this was a follow up appointment today for that issue.

For us, there are some medications she was put on that possibly have an impact, so we're taking her off them one at a time to see if that's the issue.

I don't think it is. I mean, I don't want her on all that medicine anyway, so I'm still going to be dropping those, but I don't think it's what has caused her sleep problems. I think my daughter, who is definitely a Type A personality, has a lot of anxiety. She just has a very difficult time calming her brain down and relaxing. In her own words, "it's hard to turn my brain off". We have had her get into the habit of writing in her journal at night before bed - she loves to write in her journal and she'll do it throughout the day, but she really needs to do it before bed - to clear her mind.

She is going to be a big sister again pretty soon and I think that is subconsciously bothering her as well.

We found out today though, that she has TMJ and she grinds her teeth. We found out about the TMJ at a dentist appointment she had last week, and I casually mentioned it to her Dr. today, come to find out after prodding that dd has been grinding her teeth at night for some time. Whether the grinding of the teeth has caused her TMJ or whether the TMJ is causing her to grind, we don't know. My gut says she's grinds out of anxiety which has caused her TMJ. The Dr. recommended a consultation with a psychologist she knows and trusts. We'll look into that.

We never talked about it possibly being hormonal, though she did say that she has seen young kids with seasons of insomnia that have no rhyme or reason to it. For those kids, she'll prescribe a sleep aid that generally is only used for a month or 2 and then the kids don't need the help anymore. But with dd, we'd like to make sure there is no rhyme or reason - maybe hereditary or something, before giving her an Rx sleep aid.

Maybe something in our experience here will resonate with you. It's funny that you posted about this today though when we literally just got home from the Dr. about this issue about an hour ago!

Oh, and after reading the responses you had, I realized I had forgotten to ask the Dr. about taking melatonin, so I just called and left a message about that. I'll let you know what she says about giving that to dd if you want.

Good luck!

[4kids4me]

...calling Houston's or going to a naturopath? :confused:

[Cindyg]

I agree. My 10YO has taken 1/2 mg sublingually (under the tongue) every night for 4 years. It is an absolute miracle. You can buy a bottle at the healthfood store for a few dollars. Try it for 2 or 3 nights. You'll know right away whether it's right for her. I knew 15 minutes after the first dose. :)

My dh was out of town. DS was 6YO, and had never had a good night's sleep in his life. I am not exaggerating. One night he was up ALL night and I got almost no sleep. The next day, we had to be somewhere early, like at 8:00. Remember, my DH was out of town, so I was on my own. No help.

I had read about Melatonin, but we were very opposed to using a drug to knock DS out. In desperation I went to the healthfood store and bought a bottle. At bedtime I gave him a small dose, 1/2 mg, not expecting anything. I figured I'd give him another small dose an hour later. And maybe I'd try another small dose an hour later. I had been told a child could take 3 mg.

Well, 15 mins after that first small dose, DS was yawning, rubbing his eyes, and ready to crawl into bed. Already something that had never happened before. But I still didn't expect actual sleep. I put him to bed and he was out like a light within seconds. We had never had a night like this in his life.

Guiltily, I called DH and "confessed" what I had done. He understood the need, but we agreed that we would only use this for rare emergencies. That was 4 years ago, and we haven't missed a night since. DS is totally used to sleeping well and doesn't even remember when he used to have so much trouble sleeping. On the rare occasions that he can't fall asleep, we check the bathroom counter, and sure enough, the pill is still there!

Oh, and of course we've learned that Melatonin is not a drug. It is produced naturally by the body. Apparently some people don't produce enough of it and need a little supplemental help. I've asked 3 doctors if this was OK, and none had any concern. I've also learned that Melatonin is a powerful antioxidant and good for the body in other ways besides as a sleep aid.

You do hear of people having nightmares on it, and it doesn't seem to work for everyone. My FIL has trouble sleeping, and we thought maybe there was some genetic link, and encouraged him to try Melatonin. No luck. It didn't do a thing for him.

One night my son accidentally took a triple dose, and the next morning he did report weird nightmares. (And he has never read that some people have nightmares on Melatonin.) So, if you child does experience the nightmares, I suggest a smaller dose.

[tinag]

My ds(14) and I have always had a hard time going to sleep and staying asleep. We have been taking cal/mag for about a year now and have had great improvemants with our sleep.