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I’m mentally toasted today. Kid has gone from being a “go to bed at 9, get up at 7″ kind of a child to getting up about every fifteen to thirty minutes to tell me that she can’t sleep and could I please fix that.
I know that part of it is the surge of hormones that kick of puberty. I think that part of it is still grappling with the aftermath of having her lullaby eliminated unilaterally by me about a month ago. (A kid who wants to stay up until 10 every night and begs to watch Glee does not need a lullaby tuck-in.)
I am guessing that without that familiar ritual, she just doesn’t know how to shut herself off. Or, rather, she gets to sleep rather easily (9-11) and then can’t get back to sleep once she wakes up.
She gets plenty of exercise during the day, both running around outside at the park and dancing. She has a light snack before bedtime so I don’t think she’s hungry.
Any ideas about suitable age-appropriate bedtime rituals for a kid entering sixth grade? Alternately, any insights from your own experiences about what she/I can do to get her back to sleeping through the night?
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Sleep patterns are so individual that I hesitate to suggest anything. But just in case: you might try, for a limited period, letting her get to bed 15 minutes later to see if that helps. My parents sent me to bed way to early at that age (though it doesn’t sound like you do), and lying in bed not sleeping set me into a pattern of insomnia that vanished instantly once I could set my own bedtime. If she’s not needing quite as much sleep as she used to, it could be that waiting to fall asleep is the issue. If it doesn’t help, you can always go back to the old bedtime.
Comment by nm September 3, 2010 @ 11:34 amFrom personal experience and having learned the hard way, go see a doctor. This was the first symptom of a very difficult diagnosis for my son.
Comment by pattiwag September 3, 2010 @ 1:57 pmHi Bridgett,
You could try letting her go to bed at the usual time and read for 15-30 minutes. I had the same issue growing up and that helped. Still does!
Comment by Anne September 22, 2010 @ 1:41 pm