My 8 year old son has a hard time getting to bed at night. He will lay in bed for sometimes up to 3 hours trying to fall asleep. Getting out of bed a few times stating his brain won't let him sleep. After 8-9 hours of sleep he has a hard time getting up in the morning. He is almost in a sleep walking state. Goes through the motion of doing things but does not really comprehend anythng. He is like a zombie in the mornings. We've taken him to a neurologist who has done a sleep study on him only to find nothing. They currently have him on a blood pressure medication to help get him to sleep, and so now it only takes 1/2 hour to 45 minutes to fall asleep but he is still in a zombie like state. Anyone ever seen this before? Any comments or suggestions. Thanks for any help.
Have you tried using a white noise machine in his room at night? Sometimes the constant hum of the machine can help settle the thoughts in the mind. It subconsciously gives the mind something to focus on besides random thoughts. Just a thought, and good luck!
L.
My son behaves similar, but not to the extreme you are describing. He is only 4, so the first thing we did was take away naps. But I also find I have to actually lay in bed with him. When I lay in bed with him (with my back to him), I make sure he does not talk to his toys, or pretend to be a super hero, etc. witch he does when I am not laying next to him. He usually falls asleep in about 15 min. – but will stay up 2 hours or more if I am not in the room.
You may also want to make sure he is doing something very relaxing and not requiring a lot of thought before bed. Adrenaline from exercise or a mind that is over charged could be causing part of the issues.
In the morning, you may try making sure eating breakfast is the first thing he does. This might help the zombie problem even if he is still lagging on sleep.
Good luck – I know my son was driving me nuts when he was still awake at midnight.
L. ~
I agree with what the other mom's have adivised so far.
* Definitely monitor caffine and sugar intake, not only before bed, but throughout the day.
* Try to eliminate meals and snacks by 2 hours before bed time. 3 hours is best, but that can be tough. Try to offer only water after this time.
* Limit evening activity. No TV, video games, rough-housing/wrestling with siblings, etc. at least 1 hour before bed time, 2 if possible. Even be sure homework is finished by this time during school months. During that time, suggest something relaxing such as reading a book/magazine/comic book, play a mellow board or card game as a family, etc.
* Try a warm shower or bath each night before bed.
* Try to eliminate TV's, video games, toys, and general distractions from his room.
* In the morning, try getting him up an hour earlier. This will give him time to wake up before needing to be truly alert, and also make him more tired in the evenings. Don't let him sleep in too long in the summer months when there's no school or he will stay up later and later.
* Start the morning with a shower and breakfast before anything else. If he showered the night before, then just have him wash his face and brush his teeth.
But above all else, make certain there are no life changes or stress factors causing the problem. No family issues/arguements, recent moves or job/schedule changes, being picked on or bullied by siblings or friends, etc. Also, be sure he's not afraid in his room at night. He may be ashamed to admit it since he as an older brother, so try to talk about it in private. If so, offer a nightlight or allow him to keep a flashlight by his bed.
Also, some kids need more than 8 hours of sleep to be fully rested. I've read as much as 10-12 hours for some kids depending on activity level, growth spurts, health, etc. This may be why he's still so tired in the morning.
Hope some of this helps. Best of luck to you and your family.
~ V.
Oddly enough, it sounds like an issue my daughter had. In her case, it was simple to fix. She had been sneaking caffienated drinks at school as well as a lot of caffiene offenders I didn't think to moderate as well like chocolate, fruit juices containing green tea, and aspartame/nutrasweet products (no caffiene, just make kids hyper). She had hidden the stuff in her closet, under her bed, and at various places around the house...
Once I got her off caffiene completely, off nutrasweet completely, and drinking a glass of milk with her dinner, she could fall asleep almost immediately.
I sincerely hope it's something simple with your son. I understand how much stress a child that age goes through and how much sleep is truly needed.
M.
Melatonin (sp?) works wonders!! We give my 3 yr old 1 mg before bed and it works like a charm. My ped told me that I could give her up to 3 mg if needed. Hope it works!!! You can by it in the vitamin section.
My 9 year old son has struggled with sleep for a few years. He also was on a Blood Pressure medication to allow him to sleep, Catapress and now takes Remeron which is for Depression and other Psychiatric issues. While our boys are obviously different they shared the comment about their brains not letting them sleep. My son has Anxiety and is working beyond Post Traumatic Stress Disorder from the effects of a divorce and mis treatment/lack of by his father. At night he would play back the stressful events of the day and past for the matter and didn't have the skills to work through them. He also struggled with verbablizing what was happening because he simply couldn't understand it himself. Seeing a Child Psychologist has made tremendous improvement! He sleeps soundly now and doesn't appear drugged or have difficulty functioning in the morning. Prior to this treatment he was a mess though. Hope this helps some and good luck.
M. M.
L., I am a nurse and mother of two. Although I am not a pediatric nurse, I would be a bit worried about the b/p meds if his b/p is ok. There is a natural pill called melatonin. You can get small dose forms at health food stores (1mg, 2mg) but places like Krogers has it in the vitamin section in 3mg. You may need that anyway, as did my six year old who used to be able to tell you what cartoons ran until about 6am. I first found out about his problem (at age 4) by catching him awake on my way to work. At first I thought he was just getting up really early. He doesn't take it regularly anymore. I think his body is starting to become somewhat normal, he still has nights that are horrible. Last night after laying in bed for about 2 1/2 hours, I heard the "my brain is controlling me to not sleep" which is normal to us now. I remark back with " but you are in control of your brain" to minimalize it! The melatonin works great & is natural. (We crush it with a pliers and put it in pudding or applesauce- he calls it his "good dreams pill" & always knows when he is taking it, we don't sneak it) My doc recommened it (not someone from the health food store) although they do have a lot of knowledge re: their products. Please let me know what you try, & please get some advise on those b/p meds. I don't want to scare you, because I truly don't know the safety of that. I just think it is worth it to get a 2nd opinion on that. Good Luck!
Hi L.,
This must be extremely difficult for all of you. You have already received some advice that I would include, and I am aware that wake/sleep issues can be solved with nutrition but food choices may not be enough. Also making sure your home environment doesn't have toxic cleaners (nearly all are) as well as personal care products that are non-toxic is essential. If you want to contact me personally I'll share with you which ones we found were best for my son.
____@____.com
Your son sounds alot like my son who went through intense testing. He was diagnosed with ADD, NOT ADHD. There are different medications for each. The H is for Hyper....which he is not. He just had a hard time getting his brain to relax at night. Maybe have him tested. The last thing I wanted was for my son to be on medication, but I do what him to succeed and if that's what it takes so be it. He was flunking the Fifth grade in December, was tested and diagnosed in January and passed Fifth grade in June with B's and one C! That was a huge improvement. Maybe look into it. Good luck!
Hi L.,
My 7 year old daughter also had problems falling asleep at night. I finally called the doctor and they put her on medicine for ADHD and it made her a zombie too. It was awful. We took her off the medicine after 3 days. Her teacher even called to ask me if something was wrong because she almost fell asleep in class. She really wanted to fall asleep at night but she couldn't. It was like her brain would not turn off. One of the pediatricians in our office told me to try Melatonin. It is an all natural sleep aid. Our doctor told us that she may not be producing enough Melatonin. I cut the pill into fourths and she gets one a night. Let me tell you, it is a godsend. It helps her so much. I like the fact that it is all natural. We don't go anywhere overnight without it. If you have any questions you can email me at ____@____.com.
Denise
Don't know were you live but if close to Chicago would consider get an appointment with Dr. Weissbluth. Also you souhld read his book for advice " healthy sleep habits, happy child". Good luck.
I am just curious if it might be diet related. Do you notice anything different when you remove all sugar for example?
Have you tried using Melitonin. Works great for my son. We give him 1 mg an hour before bed then give him a warm bath. Plus its something natural and less likly to harm him.
T., 30 yr old mother of 4
