Kids anxiety

[toots82]

Originally Posted by pinkstarburst

Just wanted to say I really feel for you as much as your daughter. We have a slightly different situation - my son is autistic and also has ADHD. Unfortunately the medication for his ADHD plays havoc with his sleep and anxiety related to his autism is heightened by this. Some nights he doesn't sleep at all. After about 6 months of very little sleep within the household we persisted with our GP having tried everything imaginable and it really affecting the whole family. He has now been prescribed melatonin to help get him to sleep. He doesn't have an issue staying asleep just "switching off" to go to sleep. This may be an option if it doesn't settle in the longer term. I am completely against medicating where not necessary, however good to know there is an option. Hopefully its just a temporary issue and she will settle back into a routine.

See more...

Thank you so much I appreciate you sharing your experience. Sleep deprivation is super hard on everyone. I agree about the medicating as a last resort but it sounds like you've exhausted all options so I really hope it does the trick x

[toots82]

Originally Posted by aqualiv

Definitely, hormones and school transition

See more...

Luckily no school change for us. Shes an older p6 just going into p7 in August. Shes a march baby.

[Joelin]

My son went through something similar at around that age and would get really panicked and anxious at bedtime saying he couldn’t get to sleep. I read a lot about puberty and circadian rhythm as this changes due to their hormones. Not really advice but might be helpful to understand what might be affecting her. Here’s a wee link -
sleepfoundation/sleep-to...our-body-clock

[duchy]

I learned that my usually great sleeping son found the treat of late nights completely unsettling and instead of sound asleep the moment his head hit the pillow would be awake for ages.
I found a good bedroom routine helped, maybe a really regular routine would help her ... that and early enough bedtime she is asleep before you go up .

I can't see what a doctor would do except suggest meds , if you are thinking of going that route maybe try a herbal remedy like rescue remedy first as it soothes and relaxes rather than forces sleep.

Personally I'd only give Melatolin to a child as a last resort although I've used it myself as an adult to deal with jet lag !

[DonnaD]

Originally Posted by Joelin

My son went through something similar at around that age and would get really panicked and anxious at bedtime saying he couldn’t get to sleep. I read a lot about puberty and circadian rhythm as this changes due to their hormones. Not really advice but might be helpful to understand what might be affecting her. Here’s a wee link -
sleepfoundation/sleep-to...our-body-clock

See more...

This makes sense for my 11 year old DD. She is having problems sleeping at the moment and I did tell her it might be puberty. Having a shower just before bed instead of in the morning seems to help.

[shona]

Have you tried a lavender pillow spray or maybe the natural alternatives people use for exams, sorry I can't remember the name but you can get in drops or sweets in a yellow tin in boots. I find the sprays very good and I believe lush do a sleep cream that has very good reviews. If it is hormonal, evening primrose is excellent.

[Pookie3101]

Your daughter sounds very much like my 11 year old. She sometimes struggles to sleep and panics if she is the last one awake in the house and like your daughter gets a knot in her stomach. I’ve found her curled up in a ball saying her tummy hurts. She was checked out and nothing physically wrong.
My dd doesn’t cope with being away from home though and she suffered really badly with anxiety before her Year 6 residential and was sent home from school a couple of times with tummy pains. She went though, enjoyed it and had a sleepover at a friends a couple of weeks ago.
She starts secondary school in September and she has started worrying about it.
Hormones are playing a big part for her too. She is turning into the devil once a month for a few days and has definitely started developing.

No real solution but we have introduced a shower before bed and use a bedtime lavender spray. She also takes rescue remedy night if she feels her head won’t switch off. Last night she was fast asleep by 9.30pm but the night before she woke me up at 11.30 in a panic because she couldn’t sleep.

[toots82]

Massive thanks to everyone for your replies. It a made me much calmer knowing it's not unusual. She has a lavender pillow spray that she loves think it's an Avon one. I think I'm going to go down the strict routine avenue first. Making sure the tablet and electronics apart from story cds are off at least an hour before bed. They both enjoy colouring, Lego etc and they're both good readers so plenty to chill them out.

I'm going to have a good read of links and things suggested when I'm at work. Thanks again

[toots82]

I've been focussing on this only happening in the holidays because she's not physically tired enough, maybe it's more that her usual routine during term time works well for her (we rarely have these issues in term time) and by relaxing bed time rules she ends up feeling this way.

[Nic18076]

I find Bach’s Remedy Remedy night to be really helpful if I can’t “switch off” at night. My father says these sorts of things are rubbish and it’s “all in my head” that they work.
Luckily I am 50 years old - so I just ignore him - because what does it matter if something only works because I think it will .
I also like to use the lavender sprays and limit screen use for a while before bed. Also it helps if I have heavy curtains to block out the light in the summer.