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My 9 year old daughter has a sleeping problem. The thought of going to sleep makes her stressed out.
Anonymous January 5, 2010
She starts crying thinking that she'll not fall asleep and will stay awake. It takes her atleast 2 hours to fall asleep. In those 2 hours she will get out of bed, cry etc. to complain that she cannot sleep. I asked her if there is anything bothering her. I also tried to sleep with her but in vein. It has been going on since 2 months now.
healthy11 January 5, 2010
Hi. I'm wondering if there was any particular thing that might have triggered her sleep fears? Have there been any unusual changes in your family (ie, loss of a grandparent or pet, separation) or might she have even gone to a sleep-over at someone's house and seen a scary movie? Is it possible someone at school is bullying her? I know some parents have found giving their children a small amount of melatonin (you can buy it in the vitamin section of many stores, like Walgreen's) about 1/2 hour before bedtime helps with sleep, but if there's some underlying reason for her anxiety, I do think it's best to talk to the doctor and try to find out.35237
PixieD February 9, 2010
My 9 year old son went through the same thing!
What helped him was a) reminding him that he did (eventually) fall asleep, so he should be able to do so again, b) sleep is a natural process and to just let it happen and c) having a journal to write his concerns/fears/ dreams/ hopes or whatever was in his brain down. The journal idea really seemed to help.
I also thought that a set of 'worry dolls' might help, too.
Good luck!52968
Claubel March 16, 2010
Hi! I just came online to find some answers and I saw your post... My 9 year old daughter has always been anxious, but lately she's been a lot more... the reason... she's waiting for a big earthquake since she saw what happened in Haiti and Chile, I already talked to her about not to worry, gave her tea, told her to pray, to read a book, went to bed with her, and she'd been "visiting" my bed at midnight for the past 3 weeks and she's barely sleeping 3 or 4 hours every night. I'm worried about her health, but she's a normal girl during the day. 53988
