9 year old sleep issues

amother

Thu, Oct 15 2020, 10:21 pm

I am at my wit's end. My son has always been a difficult sleeper. He has lots of anxiety in general (he has a therapist). His sleep issues are just getting pathetic already. I have tried every single thing I have been told to do. He only sleeps nicely if he is in my room or someone older than him is in the room.he is the oldest so no real.oprion there although he sleep with his younger brother. He will cry for hours how he can't sleep and won't even let himself try. I can lay with him literally for hours and he won't sleep.I am going to have to speak to my pediatrician again to rule out anything medical because it is becoming pathetic already. She thought it was anxiety, which is what I think it is but I can't seem to stop it no matter what we do. He hasn't slept a full night without coming to my room literally in years and I am not interested in having him sleep here every night all night. If he comes towards morning it's a different story. Even once he is asleep he gets up really really often......Charts don't work for him, prizes don't work....any other ideas?

amother

Ruby

Thu, Oct 15 2020, 10:26 pm

amother [ OP ] wrote:

its a neurotransmitter thing. Have you ruled out pandas? The sleep disturbances plus the anxiety and inability to relax sound like it. What helps here is lots of magnesium throughout the day, methyl b complex in the morning, gaba, 5htp, l theanine and melatonin before bed. Plus treating the deeper issues like chronic infections, brain inflammation, adrenal issues, etc. Also, diet is huge. Serotonin and dopamine are needed to convert to melatonin, and those are mostly produced in the gut. So if there is dysbiosis or disease in the gut, neurotransmitter will be thrown out of whack. Bare minimum to be done towards gut healing is gluten and dairy free. And probiotics. Many see drastic improvements with these interventions, some need more restrictive diets and more targeted gut healing.

amother

Gold

Thu, Oct 15 2020, 10:40 pm

amother [ Ruby ] wrote:

Yes, we had the same experience.

amother

Hotpink

Thu, Oct 15 2020, 10:44 pm

Please be careful with daily melatonin for a 9 year old. Dependence happens after consistent use for not that long, and it can affect the hormones at this important time. I had two boys on it for awhile. They are both significantly shorter than all the males in the family, and the one who was on it longer into his teens never really filled out. And he still doesn't sleep well without it.

amother

Thu, Oct 15 2020, 10:48 pm

amother [ Ruby ] wrote:

I did not rule out pandas. I'm not exactly sure what that is even, although I've seen threads on that so I'll look at that.