sleep problems due to nightmares

[AngieW in Texas]

My 12yo is having sleeping problems again. At least we know for sure what they are related to this time.

 

A few weeks ago, she was very excited about seeing the movie Coraline. She had seen part of it at a Halloween party and thought it looked great. She didn't think she would have any issues with it.

 

She ended up turning it off about 2/3 of the way through because it was seriously creeping her out.

 

If you've seen the movie, you'll remember the little door she went through to get to the other world. She has a little door inside her closet. She knows that it's an access point for the plumbing of the bathtub on the other side of the wall, but knowing isn't helping.

 

She wakes up during the night and then she just can't stop thinking about it.

 

Melatonin doesn't work for her anymore. She is often taking a benadryl at night already because of sinus stuff and it hasn't helped with the sleep issues.

 

She can go to sleep initially, but she's usually the first one to go to bed (around 10:30 or 11pm). The rest of us are up until around 11:30 (15yo), 12-1am (dh and I), or who-knows-when? (17yo). When she wakes up again around 3 or 4am, she has a lot of trouble getting back to sleep.

 

She already sleeps with a light (although it is just 7.5 watts) and uses a mask so the light doesn't wake her up. The mask is so she can actually have it dark while the light is so she CAN see if she feels like she needs to.

 

Any hints?

 

The primary problem is that she's waking up in the middle of the night. If we could stop that from happening, she'd be in pretty good shape.

 

Note: We aren't Christians, so suggestions about praying over it with her won't help.

[Jean in Newcastle]

There is time-release melatonin that you can get. You could get her some Calms Forte to have by her bed. It's a homeopathic treatment that is very calming and very safe.

[happi duck]

When dd had sleep troubles we used Badger Sleep Balm. When she was calm, sleepy and in bed we put some on her temples. She liked the smell and she liked that if she woke she could still smell it.

 

Though dd's mood can be affected by scent, I think the biggest part was having something that was a reminder that everything was okay. I imagine something else could fill the role of reminder. (a specific blanket or piece of cloth under her pillow)

 

Here's a link to the sleep balm we used.

http://www.badgerbalm.com/p-393-sleep-balm.aspx

[AngieW in Texas]

She already uses time-release melatonin. It no longer works for her. I will get some Calms Forte though. I used to use that for her when she was little.

[AngieW in Texas]

I'll try it out. She's willing to try different things to see if they work. She really needs sleep.

[annandatje]

Could she make a sleeping pallet in another room of the house, or will she think about the access door regardless of where she sleeps? Maybe a couple weeks sleeping on your bedroom floor would do the trick if you do not object to that.

[Alexandra]

I have heard of ES helping people with nightmares or night terrors. She could take a nice soak in a tub before bedtime. I have also heard of people just soaking their feet in a basin.

Good luck!

[Ibbygirl]

Could she make a sleeping pallet in another room of the house, or will she think about the access door regardless of where she sleeps? Maybe a couple weeks sleeping on your bedroom floor would do the trick if you do not object to that.

 

I was thinking something along those lines too. Maybe she can sleep in the bed or in the room with one of her older sisters just temporarily until she can get some distance between herself and the images in the movie? A bath with some lavender essential oil before bed and maybe a couple of drops of the oil on her pillow to help her stay relaxed? Just a thought.

[Cinder]

When ds had trouble sleeping because of thoughts running through his head we found that listening to music helped him. Before we had any mp3 players in the house we set up a cd player on his bed (he had the top bunk) with a few of his favorite cd's. It helped him get through that rough patch.

 

Cinder

[AngieW in Texas]

She doesn't want to sleep in another room (none of my kids really sleep well together). She'd still think about that little door in her closet and wonder if something was going to come through it. She actually has her closet barricaded.

 

She used to go to sleep with a book on tape every night. I have tried the PowerNap cd for her, but it just annoyed her. She has speakers for her ipod, so she could go to sleep listening to music that way or with a cd. She'd have to find music that she feels is restful.

 

She's already taking magnesium supplement (part of epsom salt baths that relaxes you) because she apparently had a magnesium deficiency that was causing the problems we went to four different doctors for. Jean in Newcastle told me that all her symptoms could be due to magnesium deficiency and the problems went away once she started taking the supplement.

[Guest mrsjamiesouth]

I have sleep problems and what helps the most is keeping a light on and noise of some kind. A radio with the volume very low helps a lot.

I sleep with the TV on, I turn the volume very low and put it on the Food Channel because I know no scary shows or commercials will come on while I am sleeping.