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My 6 Year Old Son Can't Get To Sleep

by Natasha
(England)

My 6 year old is struggling to fall asleep night after night. The school nurse suggested putting him to bed earlier (7pm) and making sure that he has calm time before bed. It hasn't worked.


He typically falls asleep at 10pm. He says he can't help it. His eyes are wide open and you can see his brain working through his eyes! I have tried no tv, calm tv, kids relaxation cds, calm story before bed ... and so it continues.

He is tired in the mornings and has terrible frustration temper tantrums. He has been having these for years and can become violent. Kicking and punching his older siblings.

In the morning he says he hasn't slept all night! I know that he has had some sleep. Occasionally he comes into our room in the early hours due to nightmares etc. and we send him back to his room.

I am completely exhausted and cannot carry on like this. I'm thinking of going to my GP to ask for some sleeping medicine for him. I'm not sure they will even prescribe this for a 6 yr old.

At school they are concerned by how quiet he is. Obviously his body is possessed by another child during school hours!

He also won't eat proper hot meals with the rest of the family.

I'm so tired...

Comments for My 6 Year Old Son Can't Get To Sleep

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Feb 16, 2016
 You just described my child NEW
by: Britt

You have just described my little boy! He's been this way since he was a baby. He's now six years old. Nap time and bed times have always been a struggle. I thought maybe every kid was like this and other parents were just better at handling it than I was. But Then I has baby number 2. AND HE SLEPT! From the first day I brought him home from the hospital, he slept beautifully!

For years we gave my six year old melatonin in the form of tablets. It's the hormone in the body that is naturally created and signals us to go to sleep. Obviously my son wasn't making any of his OWN! So I thought this was the answer. And for a while it was. His doctor agreed with it and said it was fine and so we continued. But my mother in law sent us an article about how it's NOT GOOD especially for kids...So we stopped this last week.

Needless to say, it's been hell! He's up for hours! And then, like your child, says he didn't sleep at all that night. So here I am surfing the internet for answers. So far I have found this page and also stumbled across a weighted blanket as a possibility. (I want one!) I read they are very therapeutic for a number of things including a better nights rest.

So with that idea in mind and making a mental note to now call his doctor to talk about a possible sleep disorder...that's what I've got. He does snore at night and I have heard him choke...I thought maybe he just was choking on spit or something but now I'm not so sure... Best of luck with you and your little one!
May 16, 2016
 Any updates? NEW
by: Anonymous

Hi, your son is very similar to my 7 year old. Was just referred to a neurologist today, and in the past year and a half he has grown 2 centimeters and .4 kilo.

Feb 09, 2017
 My 6 year old NEW
by: Anonymous

Have you had any luck getting him to sleep? My daughter is put to bed around 7:30pm and I will still find her laying there awake quietly at 1:00am almost every night. She has dark circles under her eyes and is extremely cranky during the days. I just dont know what to do. I read those same articles about melatonin, so I dont want to use that.
Aug 22, 2017
 anyone found a n answer? NEW
by: Anonymous

My child is the same,he can stay awake for over 20hrs yesterday morning he was up at 8 and asleep by 8, success I thought,it's 1pm and he's still asleep,he's probably tired from not sleeping much the night before. I can't send him to school as he's going to be in fairy land and possible tantrums and lots of crying. Iv tried waking him at 10am, a compromise time,but I found it made things worse he slept till 4pm. Iv heard of fenigin for kids,but not keen on medicating,even tho I know he wont touch it. Its winter so I can't even take him out till 10pm to help wear him out. I also had sleeping problems as a child,nearly to a panic attack when id he's the clock chime 11. But my parents wouldn't listen.e a tv helped me when I was older,but makes it worse for my son,hell just watch all night. Can anyone help
Aug 23, 2017
 my six year old is now 11 and sleeps well. NEW
by: Anonymous

It turned out that a child he had been friends with right the way back from nursery was controlling him and telling teachers that he was bad. My son is the complete opposite to this. He worries all the time (still now) about what everyone else thinks. He suffers from anxiety at times. He didn't tell me what was going on even though I kept asking him if anything was wrong. In the end it all came out and when he moved class I asked for them to be separated. Suddenly he had lots and lots of friends and was happy. They stood up for him against the other child and the school sent him to ELSA to try and help him to learn that it's ok to say no and deal with anxiety. Anyway - I think it's well worth trying to find out if there is underlying anxiety and the cause of it. School should help. He is the opposite of violent now and is a very caring boy that mediated between friends solving disputes. Hop this encourages you to find out what's going on. Sometimes it's autistic spectrum disorders. Sometimes anxiety/ worry that they can't cope with at such a young age.

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