To expect my 11 year old to sleep through the night?

[noisewithdirton]

Seriously, every night he is up once or twice... he is shattered by 8pm and up about 6.30-7 irregardless of time of going to bed. Often doesn't come in to us but I hear him going to loo, or being restless in his bed. He says he hates sleeping. Is it ever going to change?

Coming on to second audiobooks on low. You can borrow from the library or subscribe to audible.

I struggle getting back to sleep if I wake in the night and putting one on low always sends me off to sleep; it gives my brain permission to switch off!

I've always been like this, no problem getting to sleep but usually wake at least once in the night. It's worse when it's completely dark and quiet, I've had nights where I've woken a dozen times or more.

Now I leave the TV on with the volume on low over night and I sleep much better and usually have no problems getting back to sleep when I do wake. Luckily dh needs background noise to fall asleep and once he's asleep he wouldn't hear a bomb drop.

Try having a TV or music on low volume to see if that helps him sleep. Or get him to go to bed later, 8pm is very early for an 11 year old to be going to bed. It could be that he's not really tired enough which is making him wake up.

I'm in my 40s and I've always been unable to sleep through the night. It was particularly difficult as a child when adults would just get angry and tell me I had to.

Sorry to panic people! He has always been a rotten sleeper to be honest! Even as a newborn he would fight sleep! Half hour naps and so on! It is more like 9pm by the time he goes to sleep and is often up and reading by 6am and also shattered and headachy most days! He does loads of sport but does seem to have endless energy but not SEN as fine at concentrating etc. Just the way he is made I guess. Getting better at not disturbing us but I am such a light sleeper since having kids I wake anyway! Will try a radio/audiobook maybe. Also have tried tracing him meditation!

*teaching him meditation

I echo the people saying it is normal to wake during the night. He should be able to sort himself out without disturbing you.

An 8pm bed time seems very early for an 11 year old. My 12 year old DSD usually goes to sleep around 930-10.

I think it would be unwise to give him the idea that there is something wrong with a sleep pattern such as you describe. For many people, it is just the natural way they sleep and nothing to worry about. Waking up and lying awake isn't in itself a bad thing: it's how some people rest. As long as you are relaxed, you are still getting rest. But if he starts worrying about it, then he will end up exhausted.

I used to think I was suffering from insomnia until one day my mum totally out of the blue happened to mention how much she enjoyed waking up in the night and lying there thinking how nice it was to be comfortable and not have to get up. From that day I stopped worrying- and got a much better quality of sleep.

I used to be put to bed at this age about 8.30pm - I was bitter and resentful, and didn't realise it was so my parents could have a couple of hours of child free time, which, frankly, is perfectly reasonble, tbh. I would

a) Listen to Radio Luxemburg using a mushroom earpiece
b) read a book with a torch (or with the curtains drawn a bit back in the summer)
c) watch an old black and white telly I had in my room from about 11 onwards with the mushroom ear piece plugged into the sound - this was rare, though, as reception upstairs was crap
d) lie and fret

I distinctly remember the "bongs" of the ITV News and worrying I "only" had 8 potential hours sleep left.

M brother was like this. My mum used a fish oil based supplement called eye-q which helped. He also ended up being prescribed melatonin for a while in hi teens. It might be worth a trip to the doctors.

Short of drugging myself, I've never slept through in my life. Can't do it. Always have to wake up to go to the toilet at least once.

Another one here who never sleeps through the night. I'm sure I did years ago but every morning in the early hours now I'll wake up....