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My Son The "Good Sleeper" Suddenly Not Sleeping Through The Night

by Sarah
(Unadilla, NY)

My son is 9 years old. He has been a sound sleeper almost his whole life. He struggled with bed wetting when he was younger because he couldn't wake himself up. He had a tonsillectomy and an adenoidectomy when he was 6, and his bed wetting improved after the surgeries.


Beginning last year he was waking up in the middle of the night (3-5 am) and having trouble going back to sleep. He tells us that he wakes up to go to the bathroom and then cannot fall back asleep.

We have also discovered that he has been watching TV, eating food, or sneaking soda (that he is not allowed to drink) when he wakes at night.

This lack of sleep is greatly affecting his behavior and ability to make good choices. He is fidgety, but easily exhausted. He acts out at home and cannot seem to make good choices while he is at school.

I am not sure how to help him stay asleep or to be able to fall asleep if he wakes up. He does not sleep with lights on and I just moved a night light into the bathroom so that he doesn't have to turn the light on when he goes in. The thought being that perhaps turning the light on was waking him up too much.

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