12 year old son not sleeping

[blondebird69]

My DS is 13 soon so nearly a teenager. For the last two months he has been having problems sleeping. He constantly asks what time me and his dad are going to bed. Long story but as we work shifts one of us would normally be up til late at night but lately we have both been going to bed around 10-1030 at night and reading in bed or watching tv.
DS goes to bed to be asleep by 10. He goes up and about an hour later is crying saying he cant sleep. Its got so bad he wants a night light on and is disturbing the whole house.
I have had trouble sleeping since christmas due to shift work and i am not sure if he has picked up on this.
When this started a couple of months ago he said he was frightened to go to sleep as he find it scary about dropping off or not waking up. Also about being the only one awake in the house.
He was having some problems at school but he insists it is not that its just he has trouble sleeping.
Last night he said he woke up and woke his dad up (i was working) and then he had to have the light on and woke up lots. It usually starts with him saying he has a stomach ache and feels sick and then sits by the loo.
Not sure what to do about it now as it has gone on for a couple of months and is now effecting everyone's sleep in the house. I have tried the usual winding down before bed, no computer, hot drink etc.
Any suggestions gratefully received.

Hi. I know how you feel as our 12 year old is also like this. His difficulty in going to sleep began when he started secondary school. We have tried many different things to help. Some had more success than others. In the end we wrote down a list of things that he could try to help. He works his way down the list and hopefully one of them will work. Most helpful was listening to the radio or an audio book with the volume low and the lights off. Also a spoon of piriton which is supposed to make you feel drowsy. Taking away his alarm clock because he had a habit of looking at the time and then worrying about how late it was and how he would be tired the next day etc etc... Good luck

My dd is 14 and has had years of sleep problems. We bought a pillow which you can plug an iPod into and downloaded some audio books, maybe try that? You can also download relaxation exercises which may help if he's really anxious. We also got Melatonin which can be used short term to break the cycle.

Just a few suggestions...I've had good results with Indigo Essence Sleepeasy - it's like a bach flower remedy for kids that can't sleep and are fearful. Worked a treat on my daughter.
www.indigoessences.com/

I would also look at diet - any stimulants, additives, preservatives or food intolerances? Make sure he's eating regularly so there's no blood sugar imbalances and has a carb rich dinner (not so protein heavy).

hope that's helpful. best wishes