7 year old is not sleeping. I’m exhausted!

[sourdoughfan]

My ds has not been sleeping well now for 3 months. He struggles to fall asleep and then wakes in the night most nights. I’m honestly at my wits end with it all. I’ve tried removing his iPad, restricting sugary snacks before bed, practicing a relaxing evening/routine. I’m really not sure what else to do. He says he feels too excited to sleep and wakes feeling excited as well. He also says he’s scared in the middle of the night. Has anyone been through this with their child? Any suggestions would be really appreciated.

The only way we got my daughter to sleep through the night was by leaving meditation playing all night. She was 5 when we started and within a week she wasn't needing us to go back to sleep. She's 6 now and still has it. She's a low sleep needs child and now has audio books after bedtime and we switch them for the meditation about 8.15. she goes to sleep sometime between 9 and 10. It helps to keep her calm and in her bed, which generally reduces the stimulation and means she will go to sleep. Otherwise she'd play and wake up more.

3 months ago would be around the shortest nights,, I wonder if you have considered seasonal effects? My daughter (me too) are sensitive to the changes in daylight and it makes it harder for us to go to and stay asleep. She has black out blinds with black out curtains on top. They are closed before she goes into her bedroom at night. When she was younger we had to limit time outside in the evening as she'd be super awake

Sounds as if you are taking all the right steps, keep going with all that.
When you talk about restricting sugary snacks, does that mean none within 3-4 hours of bedtime? Also no iPad within 3 hours of bedtime, and really, a 7 year old doesn't need an iPad at all.
You've probably tried more exercise ( some kids I know with ADHD have been really helped by what I would consider a pretty gruelling schedule of swimming before school, football training after school, and karate on top of that.
You could look at some mindfulness techniques or try audio sleep books, and make sure there are wind-down activities that are calming, like drawing or model-making, like Lego.
Some essential oils ( lavender? )can help some people sleep, might be worth checking out, and I have been reading on other threads about magnesium supplements. I don't know if that's advisable for children but check that his diet includes things like bananas, nuts and leafy green veg.
I suspect it will be a slower process than you'd like, but longer nights and shorter days may start making a difference. I had a very anxious child who at one point wouldn't sleep at all unless there was someone with him, and so we just had to go with that until he felt more secure.

Magnesium and omega 3. Mighty kids are good but expensive. The only thing that worked with my daughter was to co sleep with her. She was bit younger though. I was so tired and just gave in