trouble sleeping
Beth Fleming
Dear List,
First of all, thanks to you who help me to grow and become a better mother, a better unschooler and more confident in my emerging beliefs. I wonder if some of you might have some advice for me regarding my 10 yo dd, who is a wonderful, bright, caring girl. She, in the last 6 mos or so has had increasing difficulty sleeping. She has never, since babyhood, been a "restful" sleeper. Rather a tosser and turner. But of late, she often wakes up at 2 or 3 in the morning, having trouble going back to sleep. She often comes to our room, crying, having a hard time calming down b/c she says that she knows she wants to sleep but she can't. I have rubbed her back, brought her back down to her room, turned on soft music, she often reads to calm herself. My worry is not so much the waking b/c I think her body is changing and I think it's her "normal" way to sleep, but the fact that she's beginning to have anxiety about sleeping....often worrying before she goes to be whether
she'll have trouble or not. She also has more and more trouble calming down once she gets upset at night ....seems like a viscious cycle!
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you!
Peace,
Beth
---------------------------------
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First of all, thanks to you who help me to grow and become a better mother, a better unschooler and more confident in my emerging beliefs. I wonder if some of you might have some advice for me regarding my 10 yo dd, who is a wonderful, bright, caring girl. She, in the last 6 mos or so has had increasing difficulty sleeping. She has never, since babyhood, been a "restful" sleeper. Rather a tosser and turner. But of late, she often wakes up at 2 or 3 in the morning, having trouble going back to sleep. She often comes to our room, crying, having a hard time calming down b/c she says that she knows she wants to sleep but she can't. I have rubbed her back, brought her back down to her room, turned on soft music, she often reads to calm herself. My worry is not so much the waking b/c I think her body is changing and I think it's her "normal" way to sleep, but the fact that she's beginning to have anxiety about sleeping....often worrying before she goes to be whether
she'll have trouble or not. She also has more and more trouble calming down once she gets upset at night ....seems like a viscious cycle!
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you!
Peace,
Beth
---------------------------------
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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Ren Allen
~~She also has more and more trouble calming down
once she gets upset at night ....seems like a viscious cycle!~~
Sleep with her next to you, the way human beings naturally NEED to
sleep. I bet it will help. She shouldn't have to come looking for you
when she wakes with anxiety.
Ren
learninginfreedom.com
once she gets upset at night ....seems like a viscious cycle!~~
Sleep with her next to you, the way human beings naturally NEED to
sleep. I bet it will help. She shouldn't have to come looking for you
when she wakes with anxiety.
Ren
learninginfreedom.com
Sylvia Toyama
Hi Beth,
She often comes to our room, crying, having a hard time calming down b/c she says that she knows she wants to sleep but she can't. I have rubbed her back, brought her back down to her room, turned on soft music, she often reads to calm herself. My worry is not so much the waking b/c I think her body is changing and I think it's her "normal" way to sleep, but the fact that she's beginning to have anxiety about sleeping.... often worrying before she goes to be whether she'll have trouble or not. She also has more and more trouble calming down once she gets upset at night ...
*****
Andy has had trouble sleeping for virtually all his life (he's 11 now). For him it really is part of his anxieties issues, and that he just can't quiet his mind enough to sleep. We've been thru a couple of different sleep remedies. For a time we used melatonin, which gave us quick results for deep sleep but with regular waking at very early am hours (2 or 3 am). Recently a friend how is an herbalist discouraged us from using it, especially for a child. At her suggestion he started on a homeopathic remedy a few months ago called Calms Forte, made by Hylands. We buy it at Wild Oats, and I'm sure you could find it at any health food store or alternative pharmacy. It can still take him about an hour to actually sleep, but he seems to sleep better, and longer. We've really been happy with this remedy.
Sylvia
---------------------------------
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She often comes to our room, crying, having a hard time calming down b/c she says that she knows she wants to sleep but she can't. I have rubbed her back, brought her back down to her room, turned on soft music, she often reads to calm herself. My worry is not so much the waking b/c I think her body is changing and I think it's her "normal" way to sleep, but the fact that she's beginning to have anxiety about sleeping.... often worrying before she goes to be whether she'll have trouble or not. She also has more and more trouble calming down once she gets upset at night ...
*****
Andy has had trouble sleeping for virtually all his life (he's 11 now). For him it really is part of his anxieties issues, and that he just can't quiet his mind enough to sleep. We've been thru a couple of different sleep remedies. For a time we used melatonin, which gave us quick results for deep sleep but with regular waking at very early am hours (2 or 3 am). Recently a friend how is an herbalist discouraged us from using it, especially for a child. At her suggestion he started on a homeopathic remedy a few months ago called Calms Forte, made by Hylands. We buy it at Wild Oats, and I'm sure you could find it at any health food store or alternative pharmacy. It can still take him about an hour to actually sleep, but he seems to sleep better, and longer. We've really been happy with this remedy.
Sylvia
---------------------------------
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Dianna Glick
Another homeopathic remedy to try is Rescue Remedy. My daughter uses this a few times a week and it relaxes her so that she can fall asleep without anxiety or effort.
Sylvia Toyama <sylgt04@...> wrote: Hi Beth,
She often comes to our room, crying, having a hard time calming down b/c she says that she knows she wants to sleep but she can't. I have rubbed her back, brought her back down to her room, turned on soft music, she often reads to calm herself. My worry is not so much the waking b/c I think her body is changing and I think it's her "normal" way to sleep, but the fact that she's beginning to have anxiety about sleeping.... often worrying before she goes to be whether she'll have trouble or not. She also has more and more trouble calming down once she gets upset at night ...
*****
Andy has had trouble sleeping for virtually all his life (he's 11 now). For him it really is part of his anxieties issues, and that he just can't quiet his mind enough to sleep. We've been thru a couple of different sleep remedies. For a time we used melatonin, which gave us quick results for deep sleep but with regular waking at very early am hours (2 or 3 am). Recently a friend how is an herbalist discouraged us from using it, especially for a child. At her suggestion he started on a homeopathic remedy a few months ago called Calms Forte, made by Hylands. We buy it at Wild Oats, and I'm sure you could find it at any health food store or alternative pharmacy. It can still take him about an hour to actually sleep, but he seems to sleep better, and longer. We've really been happy with this remedy.
Sylvia
---------------------------------
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---------------------------------
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Sylvia Toyama <sylgt04@...> wrote: Hi Beth,
She often comes to our room, crying, having a hard time calming down b/c she says that she knows she wants to sleep but she can't. I have rubbed her back, brought her back down to her room, turned on soft music, she often reads to calm herself. My worry is not so much the waking b/c I think her body is changing and I think it's her "normal" way to sleep, but the fact that she's beginning to have anxiety about sleeping.... often worrying before she goes to be whether she'll have trouble or not. She also has more and more trouble calming down once she gets upset at night ...
*****
Andy has had trouble sleeping for virtually all his life (he's 11 now). For him it really is part of his anxieties issues, and that he just can't quiet his mind enough to sleep. We've been thru a couple of different sleep remedies. For a time we used melatonin, which gave us quick results for deep sleep but with regular waking at very early am hours (2 or 3 am). Recently a friend how is an herbalist discouraged us from using it, especially for a child. At her suggestion he started on a homeopathic remedy a few months ago called Calms Forte, made by Hylands. We buy it at Wild Oats, and I'm sure you could find it at any health food store or alternative pharmacy. It can still take him about an hour to actually sleep, but he seems to sleep better, and longer. We've really been happy with this remedy.
Sylvia
---------------------------------
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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
---------------------------------
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Beth Fleming
Thanks, Ren....I agree and we've tried it, but she is almost as big as I am now (she's over 5" tall!) and she just doesn't get comfortable sleeping beside anyone.....When she was a bit younger, she often slept in our room, beside our bed on her own homemade pile of blankets and pillows....maybe she'd like to go back to that. Thanks for the suggestion!
Beth
Ren Allen <starsuncloud@...> wrote:
~~She also has more and more trouble calming down
once she gets upset at night ....seems like a viscious cycle!~~
Sleep with her next to you, the way human beings naturally NEED to
sleep. I bet it will help. She shouldn't have to come looking for you
when she wakes with anxiety.
Ren
learninginfreedom.com
Unschooling Mom to Frances (10), Will (8), Catherine (3), and Grace (14 months)
www.6uvus.blogspot.com
---------------------------------
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Beth
Ren Allen <starsuncloud@...> wrote:
~~She also has more and more trouble calming down
once she gets upset at night ....seems like a viscious cycle!~~
Sleep with her next to you, the way human beings naturally NEED to
sleep. I bet it will help. She shouldn't have to come looking for you
when she wakes with anxiety.
Ren
learninginfreedom.com
Unschooling Mom to Frances (10), Will (8), Catherine (3), and Grace (14 months)
www.6uvus.blogspot.com
---------------------------------
Be a better Globetrotter. Get better travel answers from someone who knows.
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Beth Fleming
Thank you, Sylvia....I will give it a try. I googled it and it seems they make a Clams Forte for kids and it's even sold at your local CVS, although our nearby health food store has it, too. I think it is mental (and sometimes) physical restlessness and since we've been unschooling bedtimes, she knows the difference a good night's sleep makes in the way she feels.
Beth
Sylvia Toyama <sylgt04@...> wrote:
Hi Beth,
She often comes to our room, crying, having a hard time calming down b/c she says that she knows she wants to sleep but she can't. I have rubbed her back, brought her back down to her room, turned on soft music, she often reads to calm herself. My worry is not so much the waking b/c I think her body is changing and I think it's her "normal" way to sleep, but the fact that she's beginning to have anxiety about sleeping.... often worrying before she goes to be whether she'll have trouble or not. She also has more and more trouble calming down once she gets upset at night ...
*****
Andy has had trouble sleeping for virtually all his life (he's 11 now). For him it really is part of his anxieties issues, and that he just can't quiet his mind enough to sleep. We've been thru a couple of different sleep remedies. For a time we used melatonin, which gave us quick results for deep sleep but with regular waking at very early am hours (2 or 3 am). Recently a friend how is an herbalist discouraged us from using it, especially for a child. At her suggestion he started on a homeopathic remedy a few months ago called Calms Forte, made by Hylands. We buy it at Wild Oats, and I'm sure you could find it at any health food store or alternative pharmacy. It can still take him about an hour to actually sleep, but he seems to sleep better, and longer. We've really been happy with this remedy.
Sylvia
---------------------------------
Luggage? GPS? Comic books?
Check out fitting gifts for grads at Yahoo! Search.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Unschooling Mom to Frances (10), Will (8), Catherine (3), and Grace (14 months)
www.6uvus.blogspot.com
---------------------------------
Got a little couch potato?
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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Beth
Sylvia Toyama <sylgt04@...> wrote:
Hi Beth,
She often comes to our room, crying, having a hard time calming down b/c she says that she knows she wants to sleep but she can't. I have rubbed her back, brought her back down to her room, turned on soft music, she often reads to calm herself. My worry is not so much the waking b/c I think her body is changing and I think it's her "normal" way to sleep, but the fact that she's beginning to have anxiety about sleeping.... often worrying before she goes to be whether she'll have trouble or not. She also has more and more trouble calming down once she gets upset at night ...
*****
Andy has had trouble sleeping for virtually all his life (he's 11 now). For him it really is part of his anxieties issues, and that he just can't quiet his mind enough to sleep. We've been thru a couple of different sleep remedies. For a time we used melatonin, which gave us quick results for deep sleep but with regular waking at very early am hours (2 or 3 am). Recently a friend how is an herbalist discouraged us from using it, especially for a child. At her suggestion he started on a homeopathic remedy a few months ago called Calms Forte, made by Hylands. We buy it at Wild Oats, and I'm sure you could find it at any health food store or alternative pharmacy. It can still take him about an hour to actually sleep, but he seems to sleep better, and longer. We've really been happy with this remedy.
Sylvia
---------------------------------
Luggage? GPS? Comic books?
Check out fitting gifts for grads at Yahoo! Search.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Unschooling Mom to Frances (10), Will (8), Catherine (3), and Grace (14 months)
www.6uvus.blogspot.com
---------------------------------
Got a little couch potato?
Check out fun summer activities for kids.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Beth Fleming
Thanks, Diana....I'm learnig so much as I go along. There is a Resue Sleep, too! (I may just pick this up for myself as well.)
Peace,
Beth
Dianna Glick <thehomeopathicway@...> wrote:
Another homeopathic remedy to try is Rescue Remedy. My daughter uses this a few times a week and it relaxes her so that she can fall asleep without anxiety or effort.
Sylvia Toyama <sylgt04@...> wrote: Hi Beth,
She often comes to our room, crying, having a hard time calming down b/c she says that she knows she wants to sleep but she can't. I have rubbed her back, brought her back down to her room, turned on soft music, she often reads to calm herself. My worry is not so much the waking b/c I think her body is changing and I think it's her "normal" way to sleep, but the fact that she's beginning to have anxiety about sleeping.... often worrying before she goes to be whether she'll have trouble or not. She also has more and more trouble calming down once she gets upset at night ...
*****
Andy has had trouble sleeping for virtually all his life (he's 11 now). For him it really is part of his anxieties issues, and that he just can't quiet his mind enough to sleep. We've been thru a couple of different sleep remedies. For a time we used melatonin, which gave us quick results for deep sleep but with regular waking at very early am hours (2 or 3 am). Recently a friend how is an herbalist discouraged us from using it, especially for a child. At her suggestion he started on a homeopathic remedy a few months ago called Calms Forte, made by Hylands. We buy it at Wild Oats, and I'm sure you could find it at any health food store or alternative pharmacy. It can still take him about an hour to actually sleep, but he seems to sleep better, and longer. We've really been happy with this remedy.
Sylvia
---------------------------------
Luggage? GPS? Comic books?
Check out fitting gifts for grads at Yahoo! Search.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
---------------------------------
Be a better Heartthrob. Get better relationship answers from someone who knows.
Yahoo! Answers - Check it out.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Unschooling Mom to Frances (10), Will (8), Catherine (3), and Grace (14 months)
www.6uvus.blogspot.com
---------------------------------
Moody friends. Drama queens. Your life? Nope! - their life, your story.
Play Sims Stories at Yahoo! Games.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Peace,
Beth
Dianna Glick <thehomeopathicway@...> wrote:
Another homeopathic remedy to try is Rescue Remedy. My daughter uses this a few times a week and it relaxes her so that she can fall asleep without anxiety or effort.
Sylvia Toyama <sylgt04@...> wrote: Hi Beth,
She often comes to our room, crying, having a hard time calming down b/c she says that she knows she wants to sleep but she can't. I have rubbed her back, brought her back down to her room, turned on soft music, she often reads to calm herself. My worry is not so much the waking b/c I think her body is changing and I think it's her "normal" way to sleep, but the fact that she's beginning to have anxiety about sleeping.... often worrying before she goes to be whether she'll have trouble or not. She also has more and more trouble calming down once she gets upset at night ...
*****
Andy has had trouble sleeping for virtually all his life (he's 11 now). For him it really is part of his anxieties issues, and that he just can't quiet his mind enough to sleep. We've been thru a couple of different sleep remedies. For a time we used melatonin, which gave us quick results for deep sleep but with regular waking at very early am hours (2 or 3 am). Recently a friend how is an herbalist discouraged us from using it, especially for a child. At her suggestion he started on a homeopathic remedy a few months ago called Calms Forte, made by Hylands. We buy it at Wild Oats, and I'm sure you could find it at any health food store or alternative pharmacy. It can still take him about an hour to actually sleep, but he seems to sleep better, and longer. We've really been happy with this remedy.
Sylvia
---------------------------------
Luggage? GPS? Comic books?
Check out fitting gifts for grads at Yahoo! Search.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
---------------------------------
Be a better Heartthrob. Get better relationship answers from someone who knows.
Yahoo! Answers - Check it out.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Unschooling Mom to Frances (10), Will (8), Catherine (3), and Grace (14 months)
www.6uvus.blogspot.com
---------------------------------
Moody friends. Drama queens. Your life? Nope! - their life, your story.
Play Sims Stories at Yahoo! Games.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Ren Allen
~~I agree and we've tried it, but she is almost as big as I am now
(she's over 5" tall!) and she just doesn't get comfortable sleeping beside
anyone....~~
Co-sleeping doesn't have to be done in the same bed really, you could
put her bed in your room or like you did in the past make a bed on the
floor. You could sleep in her room. What does she feel will help? Are
the anxieties about anything in particular? Is there some kind of
ritual that would help her room be more comforting or redecorate so
the room is extremely calming? There are so many options, but I would
think being closer to her parents would help. I assume that since
she's seeking you out when she wakes, it would be more calming to have
you right there.
Ren
learninginfreedom.com
(she's over 5" tall!) and she just doesn't get comfortable sleeping beside
anyone....~~
Co-sleeping doesn't have to be done in the same bed really, you could
put her bed in your room or like you did in the past make a bed on the
floor. You could sleep in her room. What does she feel will help? Are
the anxieties about anything in particular? Is there some kind of
ritual that would help her room be more comforting or redecorate so
the room is extremely calming? There are so many options, but I would
think being closer to her parents would help. I assume that since
she's seeking you out when she wakes, it would be more calming to have
you right there.
Ren
learninginfreedom.com
Meredith
--- In [email protected], Beth Fleming <momofwc@...>
wrote:
beginning to have anxiety about sleeping....often worrying before
she goes to be whether she'll have trouble or not.
*****************
Have you talked with her about this? That its a "normal" sleep
pattern for many people? It might be better for her and you to
expect her to wake up and have some options for her other than
trying-to-get-back-to-sleep. Brainstorm things she can do while
tired but not sleepy.
Personally I know that if I wake up in the middle of the night, I
can tell within a few minutes if I'm falling back to sleep easily or
if I'm going to be up for a couple hours. Recognizing that helps me
let go of the expectation that I "should" be getting back to sleep.
Once I let go of that expectation, I can decide what I want to do
instead - day dream (except its night) or read or go downstairs and
putter around.
---Meredith (Mo 5.5, Ray 13)
wrote:
>My worry is not so much the waking b/c I think her body is changingand I think it's her "normal" way to sleep, but the fact that she's
beginning to have anxiety about sleeping....often worrying before
she goes to be whether she'll have trouble or not.
*****************
Have you talked with her about this? That its a "normal" sleep
pattern for many people? It might be better for her and you to
expect her to wake up and have some options for her other than
trying-to-get-back-to-sleep. Brainstorm things she can do while
tired but not sleepy.
Personally I know that if I wake up in the middle of the night, I
can tell within a few minutes if I'm falling back to sleep easily or
if I'm going to be up for a couple hours. Recognizing that helps me
let go of the expectation that I "should" be getting back to sleep.
Once I let go of that expectation, I can decide what I want to do
instead - day dream (except its night) or read or go downstairs and
putter around.
---Meredith (Mo 5.5, Ray 13)