Sleeping Troubles

I would say if there is a lot of stress in the family this may be her way of de-stressing!It's a good thing.We have a pretty hectic life and my daughter does the same thing.Good luck
A. from channahon

I've no experience with this (besides my own childhood) and I think avid reading is so wonderful...let her enjoy it while she has the time to (I never do anymore!).

well--atleast she loves to read! You mentioned that your daughter has said that she has trouble getting to sleep, but does she feel tired during the day? I remember that i used to have trouble sleeping and would read a lot at night, but wasn't tired during the day. Since she is doing something relaxing, she may be getting the rest she needs, even if she is staying up later than usual. I think what is most important is how she feels during the day. If she is tired, than you may have to limit her reading time and give her a lights out time.

J., My 7yr old is the same way. Reading has helped us a lot because before that, he'd bug us until he fell asleep! We put a 9:00 book down rule in place. He has a night light and he is welcome to continue with the story in his head - he'll act/review things out for a while and then fall asleep. As long as his head is on the pillow, we don't worry about when he falls asleep since it usually doesn't take long. We try not to pressure him to fall asleep but push him being in a position to not notice when his eyes close! Not sure this will help, but you're not alone out here! LacyLyn

Kids pick up on family stress. If her reading habit seems to be similar to the other responders, their advice is great. But she may be worried about the family stressors or about you, and thus her mind can not shut down so she reads to distract it. To set an earlier lights out you might help her bring herself to a more relaxed state by helping her create a guided vizualization of a quiet peaceful place; or teach her body relaxation (tighten one body part like the forehead, hold a few seconds that way, then release and be with that more relaxed feeling, then do each body part the same way); or put on quiet music if there are household noises that distract her. Talk to her and get her ideas. Also check with the school and see if she seems extra tired or irritable to them. The best to you...

Just a thought: It might be genetic-- some people are morning people and some people are night people. U are often gone late to rehearsals and shows at night. You're obviously a night person. It follows that your kid is too. That's how it is in my (also theatrical) family.

I think it's great she's reading. Have you tried just giving her an earlier bed time or an earlier reading time? I find it hard to sleep after reading too cuz the story can get me all riled up and leave me thinking about it and how can you sleep if you're thinking? I wouldn't worry about it if I were you. I was just like her and I grew up to be a very talented writer. God bless my mother for not killing me when I read in bed with my flashlight. However, if your daughter starts reading during math class like I did, you might wanna think about punishing her then. I still multiply & divide like a 3rd grader!

I have a five-year-old daughter, and she doesn't go to bed until 9 or 10 pm. Each child is different; some need more sleep than others. (My sister rarely slept more than five hours as a child and was just fine. I've always needed more sleep than the average person. My daughter has a hard time going to sleep any earlier than 9-10 unless she's had a particularly busy day.)

As long as she seems refreshed in the morning, I don't see a problem with her falling asleep later. It's great that her choice activity during that time is to read.

Move back her "official" bedtime to 8 or 9pm, and have a "lights-out" policy some time between 9 and 10pm. Reading before bed is great, but there needs to be a cut-off so she DOES sleep--as an avid reader, I know all too well how easy it is to get caught up in a good book, so DO enforce that lights-out time.

Keep an eye out for obvious signs of fatigue. If she seems fine, then you can relax. If she gets those dark circles under her eyes or gets grumpy, then reassess.

Good luck!

Although your daughter MIGHT be just fine with less sleep than others, I think it's important not to underestimate the importance of sleep. Many scientific studies have linked lack of sleep to health and behavioral problems. See for example this abstract of a study demonstrating a link between short sleep and obesity in children: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18220080?ordinalpos=10...
I'm not replying for the purpose of alarming you. I just felt it was important to emphasize that you SHOULD be trying to find ways to get your daughter to sleep earlier, just as you are doing. Sounds like she is very smart! Maybe it would even help just to talk to her about how getting enough sleep will help her body stay healthy and allow her to learn effectively. Kinda like explaining why it is important to eat healthy foods!
Good luck!

With all respect, I would say she is doing that because her bedtime is way too early. Make her bedtime 8:30 and I betcha things will change. Also make sure she gets a lot of activity whether inside or out, I have a very active one who is the same way....loves to stay up and read a few books even after I've read to him. Good luck! :)
B.

Since you mention there is a large amount of stress in your family, it maybe possible she is feeling some of that anxiety.. But that said, my 8 year old is the same way. No matter what time I put him to bed, he stays up reading until almost ten. I have come to the conclusion that it is something that he needs to wind down. As long as there are no problems with her being tired during the day, I don't see a problem with it. 7 pm is pretty early, my 6 year old goes to bed between 8 and 8:30.

Hey J.! I too have enjoyed reading all of my life and I am currently 36yrs. old. This should not be a real alarm that your daughter is not sleeping so well for know, but do keep a close watch on her for the next several months. Of course if the problem persist talk to your child's doctor and he maybe able to give more advice on this issue. However I believe one of the problems could be the time you are putting her to bed. If your child is in school all day and she is apart from her home and family she may just need a little more time to unwind at home and with you guys before she setteles in her rest mode. Try making he bedtime around 8:30-9:00p.m this will give her a better chance to calm herself. If you like to read as I do and your daughter you may understand that a good book causes excitment and your adreline raises and you just have to flip one more page until you reach the end! maybe allow her to read no later than thirty minuets before her bedtime this may help decrease the adreline rush she feels in a good book. If all fails set aside thirty minutes right before bed to just have a conversation with her about her day at school and her next day agenda she may start to enjoy the conversations more and it could very well relax her.

Is she naping during the day? You may wanting to shorten that nap. Also, her brain is probably adrenalen rushed from her brain working so long. How about letting her read for an hour or less then give her a nice warm bath to relax her and a little soft music to fall asleep to. Good luck mom

I am an avid reader as well, so I can symapthize with her. I am not sure as to her reasons, but I know, for me, that books are like movies and to stop reading would be like to pause the movie and finish it tomorrow. I've stayed up until 2 am just because I couldn't fathom putting the book away until I knew what happened. If it is the same with her, maybe you could get her some small books to read on weeknights and limit her to one a night. Let her read as many as she wants and as big of a book as she wants on the weekends. Good for her though. You should be proud of yourself and your daughter that you raised a kid that stays up reading all night instead of watching t.v. or playing video games. Kudos to both of you.

Hi J.,

I also have a 6-year-old K who loves to read & write in her journal before bed - and goes down at 7pm! She always complains she's not tired, even though at times it's obvious that she is. :)

When I get her in bed, I tell her what time the lights need to go out - usually before 7:45. We bought her a clock & a bedside lamp so she doesn't even need to get out of bed.

Best of luck!

M.

This doesn't have anything to do with her going to sleep earlier...She should not be reading with a low light. Make sure she has a good light to read with. Using to low of a light is not good for our eyes! I also think 7pm is too early of a bedtime. My 4 year old and 9 year old both have an 8:30pm bedtime, sometimes a little earlier and sometimes a little later! Good luck.

Hi J. - Here's something no one else has brought up! I work with college students and share with them the theory that we subconsciously link activities with locations. Therefore, studying in bed is a bad idea because you may either fall asleep while studying there (because you'll be used to sleeping there) or you may have more difficulty sleeping there (because you'll be used to studying there). So... what if she were to read in the family room prior to going to bed?

I also liked the suggestion about having your daughter imagine the story in her head after lights out, so that she can be in the right position and focus away from trying to fall asleep. Good luck!

J.,

If staying up later to read doesn't interfere with her ability to focus and be alert during the day, I wouldn't worry about it too much. However, I would say that by 8:30 or 9pm, enforce a lights out rule. That way she gets to read and you get to make sure she has time to wind down and get the sleep she needs.

Our daughter is also 6 (almost 7) and an avid reader as well. She also would read forever if we let her. Everyone has a different bedtime routine...for us there would be no way in the world to get settled down and in bed by 7:00. Could part of the problem be that eating dinner, getting ready for bed, having a snack or drink before bed is so rushed that she needs those 3 hours just to get settled down? Now with the time change it is even harder to get ready for an early bedtime since it is so light outside. Maybe it is time to consider moving bedtime to 8:00 so she can unwind a bit more before going to sleep. You didn't mention it but if her room is full of light from outside you may need to add some darkening shades as well. Also, if you are often out at night maybe she is unconsciously staying awake so she can see you off to your shows or see you when you get home? I see clients in the evenings at times and I actually have to call home before I come home to be sure they are sound asleep--if they are at all awake they want to spend time up cuddleing instead of sleeping.
Our girls have a target in bed waiting for kisses and songs bedtime of about 8:15. We just started letting our 6 year old read in bed. She is allowed to read between my husband and I visiting her room and for about 15 minutes after. After that it's lights out...she might play very quietly for a bit but eventually drifts off. It does take her awhile to fall asleep sometimes and she complains she isn't tired....but being bored and not stimulated by the wacky adventures of Junie B Jones helps. If our daughter---and yours--- remains stimulated by reading it could take her forever to drift off. Good luck with your reader!!

If it's not causing problems with her mood the next day I would just ride it out. My daughter who is 8 has trouble sleeping some nights as well. I've found it's worse the weeks that I'm having pms. Hormones can be crazy little buggars. Maybe keep track to see if some nights are worse than others and see if there is some type of pattern that lines up with your cycle.
It could also have something to do with stress in the family as well. I recently just scaled down my work schedule to stay home more because our children were acting out, especially our 4 year old. Now that I've been home he's so happy and not having as many tantrums. He actually slept in his own bed for the first time in 2 years!
I've asked each of our 4 children if they like it better now that I'm home more and they all exclaimed Yes!

Best of luck to you J.,
M.