Insomniac 7yr old - wits end!

[whethergirl]

DS has never been a great sleeper. He was one of those babies that didn't sleep through the night (first time was when he was 2).

He has better and worse periods, but on the whole, no matter how tired he is, he doesn't fall asleep generally until about 11pm. Earliest 10pm. Very occasionally, when it's all caught up with him, he has an 'early' night of 9.30pm. We get up at 8am and it's such hard work getting him out of bed because he is so tired.

If I could have a penny for every time someone said "Have you tried....". Yes, I probably have. Lavender pillows, adjusted lighting, earlier bedtime, later bedtime, changed eating times, quiet, background noise, etc etc.

The paediatrician basically shrugged her shoulders and said "some kids are like that."

I'm surprised that something is bound to have an effect on both his physical and mental health is not more of a concern.

Does anyone else have or had sleep deprived children?

Melatonin is usually only prescribed to children with an Autistic Spectrum Disorder and then I think can only be prescribed by CAMHS or a paediatrician although GPs can supply repeats.

There are a few small hints in your posts which make me wonder if your DS displays a few traits of Autism although they are probably very subtle and he is clearly functioning well.

It may be worth seeing the paediatrician again, with a sleep dairy and info about any concerns expressed about his tiredness by school, and mentioning any traits he has that you may feel place him a little way down the Autism Spectrum.

My DD's paed explained to me that lots of children on the Spectrum have naturally lower levels of Melatonin which affects their ability to fall asleep. For this reason they can be offered it whereas NT children have normal levels and the cause is usually elsewhere.