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JennGM
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| Posted: Feb 07 2014 at 8:43am | IP Logged
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My oldest (10 year old) has always had a hard time getting a good night's sleep. He is very sensitive to all stimuli and his brain is always going 100 miles an hour.
The last few weeks he's had some really bad nights. Either he can't fall asleep, or wakes up and can't go back to sleep.
Now I've been experiencing the same thing, but I'm an adult and have some ways to cope.
I know there are some factors I could remove or add, like less tv and more exercise, but any other hints that could him?
He's been like this since an infant--he never slept in the car, and even stayed awake through the Easter Vigil at 7 months old!
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Jennifer G. Miller
Wife to  & ds1  '03 & ds2  '07
Family in Feast and Feria
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SeaStar
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| Posted: Feb 07 2014 at 9:44am | IP Logged
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I also have a poor sleeper, Jenn. Ds 11 has done it all... never slept in the car, never napped for more than an hour as a baby and gave that up by age 2, night terrors, sleep walking, talking in his sleep. His mind apparently never rests!
We have a very set bed time routine, which helps, but sometimes he can get really wound up at the end of that. A hot bath before bed helps him. He also has a standing fan that keeps him cool and makes a low noise, which
is a sleep aid for him. If he is too hot, he really has trouble sleeping.
Despite all that, some nights he really has trouble falling asleep. If that happens, I will offer him motrin...sometimes he has leg aches or growing pains and that helps.
I find that it's not very helpful at all to tell him he has to stay in his room and read quietly, etc until he falls asleep. The inability to fall asleep is very distressing for him, and he could easily stay up for hours getting more distraught. Often my dh or I will stay with him until he falls asleep on a really bad night. That seems to help more than anything.
He sleeping has improved over the years, but he still gets up one or two times during the night. He has very vivid dreams that make him a restless sleeper.
Some people are just like that, I guess. 
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Melinda, mom to ds ('02) and dd ('04)
SQUILT Music Appreciation
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CrunchyMom
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| Posted: Feb 07 2014 at 9:59am | IP Logged
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Magnesium can help. Nature Calm is a good brand for taking it as a supplement. I use magnesium oil, and I have a friend who takes baths in Epsom salt daily. I used to have severe pregnancy insomnia, but this past pregnancy was the first where I tried the oil, and it really did help lessen it.
Dh is especially sensitive. If he starts having bouts of insomnia, sure enough, it is when he has been slacking on magnesium. He took it for years in pill form as magnesium citrate but now uses the nature calm. He first started taking it at the recommendation of our chiropractor for anxiety, waking up with a racing heart, and he hasn't suffered since he started supplementing. There are other symptoms that pop up. You might look, too, at some of the other symptoms of magnesium deficiency to see if they coincide for you, too.
Dh still sometimes struggles winding down at night, so some of it is temperament, but the supplements help a lot.
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Lindsay
Five Boys(6/04) (6/06) (9/08)(3/11),(7/13), and 1 girl (5/16)
My Symphony
[URL=http://mysymphonygarden.blogspot.com/]Lost in the Cosmos[/UR
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JennGM
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| Posted: Feb 07 2014 at 10:55am | IP Logged
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I need to get the magnesium oil. I do the Natural Vitality Calm for me and it really helps, but I have to ease my stomach into it. I might try for ds.
Lindsay, your dh sounds like me, and Melinda I always think our sons are so similar. We have been having those nights of frantic meltdowns because he's not getting to sleep. Usually it will be before a holiday. ANY holiday. Did you know a child gets excited about Valentine's Day, Fourth of July, Thanksgiving just as much as birthdays and Christmas? And we don't even DO much for them.
But lately I don't see a big reason, unless he's just unwinding from all the events from this past year with his mother and such.
We started those bedtime routines when ds was a tiny baby...maybe we need to tighten them up a bit. We do the fan and white noise. I will work on the being hot thing. He likes covers, but then complains that he's hot. 
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Jennifer G. Miller
Wife to & ds1 '03 & ds2 '07
Family in Feast and Feria
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JodieLyn
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| Posted: Feb 07 2014 at 11:32am | IP Logged
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I don't know what you're willing to use, but for myself, I've had a hard time sleeping most of my life.. and yes laying in bed often only makes it worse.. but I've recently found that Bach's Rescue Remedy combined with Hyland's Calms Forte (both homeopathic remedies) works wonderfully for me without any side effects. The Rescue Remedy helps with the immediate stress of not falling asleep and the calms helps with being able to shut down, relax and fall asleep.
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Jodie, wife to Dave
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JennGM
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| Posted: Feb 07 2014 at 11:35am | IP Logged
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JodieLyn wrote:
| I don't know what you're willing to use, but for myself, I've had a hard time sleeping most of my life.. and yes laying in bed often only makes it worse.. but I've recently found that Bach's Rescue Remedy combined with Hyland's Calms Forte (both homeopathic remedies) works wonderfully for me without any side effects. The Rescue Remedy helps with the immediate stress of not falling asleep and the calms helps with being able to shut down, relax and fall asleep. |
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Oh, thanks for that reminder. I used that many years ago when I was just really going through stress and migraines.
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Jennifer G. Miller
Wife to & ds1 '03 & ds2 '07
Family in Feast and Feria
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JodieLyn
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Well, I've started using these when I can't sleep and I love it. Even if I get woken up right after falling asleep (what mom hasn't?) I don't feel at all "drugged" (except from lack of sleep) so that it feels quite safe to use and comforting to know that I can wake up any time with no more difficulty than if I'd fallen asleep without taking anything.
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Jodie, wife to Dave
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Kathryn
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I have been considering a "weighted blanket" for my DS. They're kind of pricey online (ebay or etsy) but I have a friend that just whipped one up the other day. I may try that.
My DS likes to listen to music so I'll let him listen to classical...ONLY. If it switches over to a more upbeat song or chatter, then I have to take the radio away. I'm not sure how "fast" this puts him to sleep but it keeps him in bed and at least starts the relaxation part.
Me still reading to him also seems to help calm him since he's not a great reader, he's not as likely to unwind with a book alone.
Also...I did just glance and saw the Hyland's tablets recommendation and I have used those myself for years so I 2nd those too. And I have used Melotonin on a rare occasion. I know some people swear by them regularly but I resort only on more desperate times.
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SeaStar
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Yes, Jenn, it does sound like our boys are alike. ANY holiday, or even the anticipation of a fun event (like going for a boat ride), gets ds all charged up.
Or some times he cannot get to sleep and tosses and turns and after an hour comes out with something like: are all the doors locked? or is hemophilia common in kids? or I miss our dog (who died a year ago!) or I could get rich from collecting rare coins. Can I look at all your change tomorrow?.
So obviously he has a lot on his mind and tends to process it all at night. I can not even imagine what all goes on inside his head.
I have been sneaking epsom salts into the bath water lately, but I have not seen much help from that- could be that I am not consistent enough or using enough salt.
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Melinda, mom to ds ('02) and dd ('04)
SQUILT Music Appreciation
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JodieLyn
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Kathryn, what about audio books? if reading to him helps him sleep, this might be useful.
I actually did this almost every night I was in the hospital with my last pregnancy. I could lay down and focus on the story and go to sleep without giving my brain any time to fuss and worry.
Oh another thing, a notebook next to the bed where he can write down questions or things to do the next day. so that he won't forget.. sometimes being worried you'll forget the item or questions is enough to keep you awake so you don't forget.
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Jodie, wife to Dave
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ekbell
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I have never reliably slept though the night. For some reason if I rouse I need to do 'something' so as to be able to fall asleep again (when my mom realized this she used to put me on the potty - I was night trained long before I was day trained). If I simply try to go back to sleep I end up 'stuck' in not quite asleep mode with my mind running in circles.
As a child I used to sneak outside for a short walk if visiting the bathroom wasn't enough -this worked well but I wouldn't exactly recommend it - no matter how cherished my memories of the stars and the cool, quiet, dark countryside are.
As an adult I generally start my go-to-sleep playlist on my iPod (external speaker) set at an level where I need to concentrate just a little bit to hear it (that tiny bit of concentration helps keep my mind from running in circles). It's all material I've listened to before (so I won't mind falling asleep) and find soothing.
However if I have a major concern or if sleeping is important then I will start praying the Rosary -paying careful attention to each phrase- dedicating it for either my concerns or a prompt return to sleep. This way my lack of sleep has been put to worthy use rather then wasted in fruitless worry (and my prayers for a prompt return to sleep are often answered before the rosary is finished  )
What has helped me the most, however, is the realization that this is how I am, I don't need to 'sleep through the night' to get enough sleep- I just need to adjust my expectations (about bedtimes) to allow for my normal waking periods. It's even come in handy with newborns.
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hmbress
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| Posted: March 06 2014 at 7:04am | IP Logged
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My oldest also has trouble falling asleep. And I have secondary insomnia (no trouble falling asleep, but waking up in the middle of the night and unable to get back to sleep). Melatonin has been a huge help for both of us. I've tried several different kinds. Dosages, time-release, etc. What works best for us is the sublingual ones. Ds takes this brand, 2.5 mg at bedtime. I take the same thing if I wake up in the middle of the night. It helps both of us get to sleep within 30 minutes.
Hope that helps!
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Heather Rose (ds13, ds10)
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4Real Forums : Our Lady of Good Remedy and Care
Topic: Sleep Help
