Gcse child can't sleep what can I give her

[IamSlave]

As above she's not been able to sleep.
What can I give her

I've just thought as well, does she have a revision plan in place? One that she has done herself so she feels like she's in control.

A walk in the morning, no phones after 7pm, a decent diet. Please don’t start medicating her.

Podcasts can work well if she is ruminating - something which is fairly interesting but not too gripping.

My DS uses aromatherapy oil plus pillow mist which really helps him to get to sleep.

I wouldn't try any medication for the first time the night before an exam. You could try something at the weekend and wake her up at usual weekday time to see how alert she is. And try natural ideas such as warm milk, herbal tea, exercise, listening to an audiobook in bed, writing down her worries, a weighted blanket.
The best thing IMO would be to reassure her that lots of people struggle to sleep before important events but it won't significantly affect her exam performance. Because pressure to get a good night's sleep is often the thing that stops us sleeping.

Ah bless her. How about a nice relaxing bath before bed, milky drink and herbal nytol or kalms?
I would want to give anything stronger in case it makes her groggy in the morning

Sometimes I take a half phernagan. I find the confidence that I’ve taken something that will make me sleep is enough! But the dose is so low I don’t feel groggy the next day.

I use the Sleep Better rollon and it's great for at least half a night.

Valerian worth a try, as a herbal tea eg Dr Stuart, or tablets, made from the root.

Unfortunately because of her cough I'm reluctant to give her milk.

Some fabulous ideas here though, thank you.
Also very good idea to reassure her that's it's common to mot to sleep and still be OK

Kalms night - brilliant, herbal and no after effects
Magnesium spray - also great
Lavender spray for pillow, or few drops essential oil in bath
I am a terrible sleeper and all of the above really help 🤞🏻

A 20 mins walk in the late afternoon or evening helps me fall asleep.

Tell the school and ask for special consideration in case it's affected her exams. My son hadn't been well and Ive done this - school were supportive x

Someone once told me that it didn't matter if you don't sleep the night before exams, because as long as you are laid down and relaxed, you will still be getting enough rest to get you through. That always helped me.
I would also ensure lots of reassurance about how unimportant exams are as a determinant of how happy you are in life. Don't equate success with money, grades etc. Allow plenty of downtime, physical exercise and a healthy diet. Just throwing some tablets at the problem won't work.

The Calm app is actually brilliant re relaxation and sleep. I have a Bluetooth sleepmask and drift off listening to sleep stories. That also really helps.

I use Feather and Down sleep butter every night - it contains magnesium, camomile and lavender, and it has made a huge difference to my sleep issues.

I would highly recommend it, @IamSlave.

Just be warned, if you haven't used mangesium spray or cream before and you have a deficiency (which many people do) it can make your skin really prickly and itchy for a short while. Drove me nuts the first few times I used it.

Magnesium tablets and any herbal sleep supplements give me terrifying nightmares.

Sending you my sympathies, I have a GCSE daughter at the moment too!

Does she walk to school and back? That should be fairly good exercise for her. I would make sure she's done with any revision by around 9 so she can start winding down before bedtime. My dd uses ASMR on YouTube to help her sleep. It's hard, mine is currently in school 8.30 to 5pm every day. Counting down until June 14th!

Oooh think I might get some, thanks for the recommendation.

Night nurse

I can't function for days if I take phenergan.

Consult a GP and consider asking for special consideration in the exam if your child is unwell.

a walk after dinner. or other exercise she likes.
hot milk & honey (naturally high in melatonin) before bedtime routine
no caffeine after lunch

all the best.

BBC Sounds has a load of 'deep sleepscapes' audio - the best one is an hour-long recording of rain falling.

Lavender spray on her pillow.

DD used rescue remedy pastilles (which made her sleepy) and a lavender pillow spray (search on Amazon and get next day delivery!) She’s still using the pillow spray, it’s great 😀

Cetrizine hydrochoride anti histamine at night