My child is 8 and STILL waking! 🥴

[Realitea]

Dd has a great routine, goes to bed at 8 after a bath, never any problems getting to sleep. But every night exactly one hour later, she either sleep walks (crying) or sits up in her bed crying. Some nights she has panic attacks and is sick, some she gets back off to sleep quickly.
We have moved house fairly recently and it has got a lot worse since moving. Before it was only if me and dh went away which was rare but every time we did, she would be sick and cry all night.
I really don’t know what to do. I can’t see that talking to a doctor would help as I wouldn’t want her to be given something to keep her asleep.
Does anyone have any advice? I’m wondering if maybe she has anxiety. She’s fine in the day but she is a worrier.

Didn't want your post to go unanswered. I don't have any advice as don't have a child that age but what is the reason she's waking? Does she say she's having bad dreams etc?

Hopefully someone will come along soon who can help

She doesn’t remember any of it. In the morning she asks ‘did I wake up last night?’ And I say yes. She says ‘I don’t remember’!
Maybe I should speak to the doctor. It might be sleep apnea but then if it’s always an hour after going to sleep and never any other time, it seems unlikely

Could be something really worrying her? Or is she really tired going to bed? Just thinking if she's having a disturbed sleep? Could you try and put her to bed a bit earlier?

My son went through a stage of something like this - I think they were 'confusional arousals' he'd wake up, talk utter nonsense - scare us to death and go back to sleep and not remember it in the morning. I think he was about 8 as well. And come to think of it, it was always an hour or two after falling asleep.
He said nothing was worrying him etc etc and in the end it just stopped.
I too think it could have been to do with sleep apnea as he's always had huge tonsils and adenoids - I'm sure I read about a correlation too but my GP just showed me out when I asked....
Sorry, no remedy but it's always good to hear you're not alone.

I think its worth a trip to the gp. There are some paediatric doctors who specialise in sleep. There is a team at Southampton hospital

Thanks everyone. She does have huge tonsils and had tonsillitis so many times and she snores. Her dad also has sleep apnea despite being slim and no reason to have it really.
She doesn’t seem to have anything worrying her but she is very clingy with me, she always has been. She won’t go and stay away from home with family.
I think she will probably just grow out of it.
I will mention it to the G.P. though.

Have you tried stirring her about 45 mins after she goes to sleep? It might help with her sleep cycles and help her resettle before she has chance to wake up crying. Not sure how successful it will be but might be worth a shot. I've heard it recommended for small children who can't settle between sleep cycles.

I did think about it but I think it would cause more hassle if she got woken up as she finds it so hard to get back to sleep again!