Should 10 year old have grown out of sleep issues?

[MammyMia]

(NC as this is incredibly identifying)

My 10 yo DD has always suffered from sleep disturbances. She was a difficult baby and a tricky toddler, but she has grown into a lovely, funny pre-teen now.

However one thing persists - she has sleep issues still. She screams, talks, shouts in her sleep, very occasionally will even sleep walk. It's like she's barely asleep at all - if you even approach her bedroom, she starts shouting or talking in her sleep. She complains that she wakes in the night for hours, but I don't know how true this is.

I am also a light sleeper and have had night terrors, but nothing like this..

I'm reluctant for her to do sleepover parties and dread an upcoming trip away with school for the reason that she'll keep the whole house awake. Is this her "normal"? Is there anything I can do to help her?

[CarefullyAirbrushedPotato]

I realise that some on mumsnet might consider this a bit "woo", but have you thought about dietary causes at all? I get rampant parasomnias if I eat gluten, for example

[Longdistance]

My brother's 42 and still wakes in the night banging walls, screaming, shouting, swearing, and grinding his teeth.

[Dungandbother]

If you think it's normal and runs in the family then fine.

But that's not normal to me. Is it worth a chat with your GP?

Is she a buzzy energetic child or does she seem tired, grumpy, lazy, lacking in child like fizz? Does she fall asleep in day time maybe on sofa watching TV or in the car even if short journey ?

Mine are opposite spectrum. Bed time even when preceded with the 'shock horror' been on my iPad in bed, stick their heads on pillows and zonk for 8-10 hours with not a peep to be heard. But that's normal in my family.

Is this normal for her, or is it recent? Recent would have me demanding some sort of sleep clinic intervention via Gp.

Good luck

[toothgenie]

My daughter is the same. From an early age she has had the most vivid nightmares. When she was 4 she went through a terrible stage, she was very scared when I said goodnight and shut the door. At the time I didn't know she was scared but thought she was just objecting having to go to bed. She wasn't able to explain how she felt. Apparently, when I closed the door she felt like there wasn't a 'world' outside her room and she was completely alone. I felt awful about that, I must add I always sat with her and a read story before I closed the door! She also used to sleep walk. We discovered recently that she is B12 deficient, one of the symptoms is insomnia. It's a constant worry for me, her brain just doesn't seem to switch off.

[toothgenie]

I didn't say but she's 17 now.

[MammyMia]

Thanks all - I really appreciate your views. I have always wondered about dietary impact and for a while when she was a 3-4 year old limited dairy products before bed, especially cheese, but it didn't seem to make a difference. She has lots of nut allergies, never thought of gluten or vitamin issues though. That's a very useful angle.

I will bring her to the doctor then. I had half expected posts saying it was very normal for older kids but everything I have read says it normally finishes by 5/6 - hence the post. I didn't even know there were sleep clinics before dungandbother mentioned it.

Thanks all again.