8 year old with insomnia/sleep anxiety

[Loley22]

Hi everyone DD who has just turned 8 has never been a great sleeper. Even as a baby we used to joke her life motto was sleep was for the weak. Always wants to stay up late and usually up 6am at the earliest. We had a good few years of a good bedtime routine which we stuck to inline with her age so most recently into bed for 7:30. This all started with her saying she can never sleep on a specific day (PE and dance day) and complaining of growing pains. I do believe she is hyper mobile which doesn't help. It's since evolved to full blown fixation on sleep. Shes decided to go to bed when her 3yo sibling does but from around 5:30pm she's constantly asking what time it is, if she looks tired, if I think she will sleep tonight. She can be an anxious little girl so have spent a lot of time asking if she's worried but she says her only worry is if she will sleep. Once she's in bed she's back downstairs constantly saying she can't sleep sometimes minutes after I've taken her back up. I have now said to her that she will sleep- she's never had a night where she hasn't slept and even if it takes longer, the worst thing that will happen is that she's tired the next day. I've put my foot down tonight and said we arent talking about it anymore because the more attention we give the sleep issue the bigger it will become. Asking first of all is this normal development stuff? and second any tips, tricks and methods that anyone has experienced that can help?

Just to add that we've implemented a screen ban whilst we try and get on top of this and it hasn't helped any. The fact she has gone along with that with no complaints tells me it's a genuine concern for her.

Sending solidarity - I have a child of the same age who never slept either. He’s still up at 5.30 every morning and would not go to bed before midnight if left to his own devices. We now give him melatonin after trying everything. We were reluctant but his GP was really blunt and said ‘we’ve tried everything, either you try this or you live with the consequences of everyone being exhausted’.

I researched it heavily and concluded it’s very safe (I work at a university in a science based field and had lots of access to research). Would putting her on a short cycle of it to break the pattern help? We just disdolve the capsules in water and give it as his last drink.

DS is naturally anxious and has ADHD so we don’t have other options. When we thought it was just sleep issues the doctor suggested a two week course to reset his circadian rhythms and it did work (but being ADHD he eventually needed to go back on it).

Thank you for replying. That's where I am thinking we are heading. I don't have anything against medication so if thats what's needed the I am all for it. I think I was just hoping someone out there might pop up to say it's a developmental phase and she will move past it.
Ill definitely be taking her in about her legs even if the sleep settles doen. Shes very long limbed and she can turn her leg nearly 360° I'm suspicious that she might have EDS.