Sleep troubles

[alpidarkomama]

Help! DS9 has turned into a monster! The last three weeks, he has been almost impossible to work with and is getting very little work done. This is VERY atypical, and he usually has no problem getting his things done or learning with me. He says he needs more sleep. He is in bed from 10:00-9:00 every day, but it often takes him two hours (!) to fall asleep. I have stopped waking him up, hoping he can get more rest. His behavior is definitely that of someone who is sleep deprived. There is nothing worrying him. Life in our house is pretty stress-free. His learning load is good, not overdone. He also really doesn't eat well... Just dairy and wheat (pancakes, cereal, toast, etc.). All whole grain, but still... The other three kids eat everything. Tons of veggies, spicy and not spicy, really everything. They have a great diet. I do all the cooking; only buy 1-ingredient items at the store; we don't eat out (no kosher restaurants here!). If I insist he only eats from what is served, he will go to bed hungry. For days! Food allergies have crossed my mind, but we went dairy-free for a few months a few years ago, and also did a gluten-free experiment. Neither had any positive affect on his wellbeing. He has chronic headaches and frequent stomachaches. We've tried allergy medicines;those take the sniffles away, but that's it. My DH has migraine issues, but if he walks a very careful line gets at least 8 hours of sleep, keeps stress low, eats a little bit every 2-3 hours, and does a vigorous forty minutes of exercise, he can usually avoid them. Anyway... I don't know if anyone has any insights, but I sure hope so!!!

[73349]

How about exercise?

[Peaceful Isle]

My dd is the same way when it comes to sleep. I have come to the realization that when she reads on her kindle at night, she has a harder time going to sleep.

Does he read or play on a tablet at night before bed? I have read that the light from a tablet can hinder melatonin from forming naturally before bed, and then it takes so much longer for the child to get to sleep.

 

Maybe he could read real books at night, or even draw to help him get sleepy. Maybe end the day with a warm shower, comfy pjs, and a good book in bed with a bedtime snack. It might help. Just my thought.

[alpidarkomama]

He does a warm bath, reads at bedtime, has a late snack. No ipad or other blue light source; they have a 20-minute turn sometime in the early afternoon for flashcards, etc. Lots of exercise with swimming, kung fu, trampoline, hikes. Keep the ideas coming. I'm baffled, sad, and frustrated.

[momacacia]

I hate to suggest it because it's so much work for the cooks on the house, but he sounds like a candidate for something like the GAPS diet protocol.

[RosieCotton]

This has helped my best home schooling friend/mom tremendously - she has 7 kids and 3 of them had issues with eating like this. Find a good holistic/natural doctor in your area if you have one, and get his nutrition corrected and tested for allergies and find out what's bugging him if anything.  Couldn't hurt right? Then you can scratch that off the list anyway and focus on other areas.

 

Her 7yr old son had the same symptoms, and he is doing much better now after eliminating things his system couldn't handle well. It was many of the additives we have in our food now and the GMO foods. (I know - really a pain in the butt to eliminate . . )

 

I have a son who loves cereal and eats alot of it. And he is a picky eater overall. But he will eat fruits and veggies. Hey try juicing them - 3 carrots and 2 apples is a very tasty juice!

I hope you can find out what's going on.

 

Frustrating for sure.

 

 

[Pronghorn]

You can get special glasses to wear two hours before bed to filter the light and help you sleep. These have changed my life. Check out lowbluelights.com if you think this sounds of interest to you.

[Acadie]

With sleep, stomach issues and headaches, I'd look into histamine intolerance.  Kids with food intolerances are often "picky" eaters until the food intolerance(s) are discovered, then their diets expand when they're eating more food that agrees with them.

 

Amy

[Tracy]

I think you are right to be looking at physiological issues.  We recently went gluten free because I was diagnosed with celiac disease, and both me and ds6 are sleeping better.  Have you had food allergy testing?  That could certainly have an effect on both sleep and digestion.  The allergy testing is a pretty simple process.  

[BlessedMom]

Have you gone into his room to listen to him when he is sleeping? Is he stuffy, sleeping with his mouth open, snoring?

Some children develop sleep apnea and it definitely can impact his sleep and may other issues.

[Sunnybuddy]

Do you notice any adhd like symptoms? My daughter was diagnosed with adhd years ago and doctor said falling asleep is an issue with adhd. She will literally not be able to fall asleep AT ALL! She will be up for 48 hrs straight. But as baby she would sleep 12 hrs at night. We've tried everything, including essential oils, and sleep studies. Doctor is still baffled and has put her on chlonodine. I've heard a lot about food allergies causing all these same issues (adhd & sleep) and GAP diet has been brought to my attention as well. They are worth looking into.

[kiwik]

You say it has only been 3 weeks? Did he have the summer off?

 

I would start by sending him to bed at 8.30 - that way 2 hours settling will take him to 10.30 rather than midnight- and wake him earlier. Also check you haven't accidentally changed soap powder etc (or it hasn't been reformulated while you weren't looking) and that no new plants etc have started flowering.

 

And it may just be a phase. Ds5 has awful periods then periods of sleeping well.