7 year old not falling asleep

[Choice4567]

After some opinions! 7.5 year old is suddenly struggling to get to sleep. Followed the same routine since young. She’s in bed by 8, I read a bit to her, she reads a bit and then goes to sleep.

In the last month or so, 3 or 4 nights a week she’s taking over 2 hours to fall asleep. She reads and stays in bed but is still awake now!

I think I’m panicking a little because it’s the same age it happened to older DC, and that lasted until they went to secondary. I don’t think I can take another 4 years of wondering when she’ll fall asleep!

older DC tried everything. Warm milk, lavender spray, audiobooks. The thing that worked in the end was a weighted blanket. But I can’t pin everything on that because I gave them that when they started secondary. It may just be they were exhausted from school!

Eldest is diagnosed dyslexic. Completely think they have inattentive ADHD but not diagnosed. Strongly suspect youngest is ADHD but school say she’s fine so I’ve hit a brick wall!

what can I do?!

Stick to your normal routine and try not to worry - the more you make a thing of it the more it becomes a thing! And your anxiety about it will be catching so you really need to stay calm and tell her not to worry. If she is reading in bed with dim lighting, she is still resting. Try a warm milky drink like ovaltine or horlicks half an hour before bed which is calming and relaxing.

Thanks. I don’t think she’s picking up on anxiety from me - I didn’t know she wasn’t asleep until she told me at 9:30. Then I just said ‘oh dear, never mind, go and do some more reading and I’m sure it’ll happen soon’

I’ve also noticed a link recently between when she eats lots of sugar and on those days not being able to sleep. But she’s always been a sugar fiend so again I’m not sure why that’s only recently started to happen

Bump

And still awake now. She must be exhausted