5 year old does not sleep through the night?

Question

My daughter since she was born has rarely or has never slept through the entire night, she is fantastic about going to bed on time but at 1am and/or 3:30am; she wakes up and calls for me and/or comes to my room to sleep or reassure her to go back to sleep.

She has not had in over five years consecutive sleep and nor have I (I am exhausted from the years of lack of sleep). She is at school all day and has after school, so I think she would be tired; her bedroom is clean, quite and dark so there are no distractions. She does suffer from speech delay/apraxia/aphasia and I am wondering if this is a typical symptom. Is there anything can suggest? Please help mom who has not slept in over 5 years (literally)

Answer 1

okay i know this sounds cuckoo,but..have you tried getting in a medium to clear the roomif shes waking up at specific times then it could be down to a spirit waking her up,dont worry not a bad one just sometimes spirits,especially child spirits get lost and go out to seek a friend,ask your daughter things like is there anyone waking her up does she see anything,my father in law is a medium and when mine start haveing a disrupted sleep i get him to go in the bedroom and just ask the spirit not to go but could they come and play during the day and not disturb them at night..works everytime for us,good luck i know how awful it can be.

Answer 2

I can see that this is really distressing for you and your daughter but the only way to help increase her ability to sleep right through the night is to have a relaxing routine before going to bed. Bathe her in a really cosy bath with a lavender or jojoba bubble bath but don't let her play with toys in the bath as this will stimulate her energy levels.Instead of watching TV between dinner and bedtime listen to some relaxing music. let her cuddle up to you an just gently stroke her face or hair in a smooth pattern. Read her a happy bedtime story with NO scary characters in it as children have a very good memory and imagination which could cast up these horrible characters in her dreams. But instead of reading her the story with the light on buy some baby powder or relaxation scented candles it will make her room smell nice and it won't be really bright. If all fails you might wish to take your daughter to te doctor for a prescription sleeping pill fo children. But before you go to the doctors don't hesitate to try all of the above first. I hope you and your family get a good nights sleep really soon.Oh and if she doesn't have a problem with bedwetting by some Horlicks it is a hot milky drink which fills you up to make sure you are not hungry at night and helps you sleep much better. (it is found near the coffee and hot chocolate in most supermarkets) If you have trouble finding it email me and i will buy you some and send you it in the post ([e-mail])

Answer 3

It is not unusual. Many adults don't sleep through either. My husband gets up at least once every night. I hate it because I am a light sleeper and he wakes me when he gets up for a drink or pee and I am often still awake when he gets up for the 2nd time. My 4 year old (almost 5) has a bed in my room (we are still building our house so it's not quite normal circumstances) and she wakes most nights and I just go "shhh" and she will relax. Does your daughter have a soft toy that she likes? My daughter does and if she can find it in the night, this is usually enough to comfort her.

Answer 4

I would say at this point put a few toys in her room and teach her to stay there until morning so you can sleep. My four-yr-old is much to smart for his own good and like to wait until we go to bed then sneak out and destroy the house. He will get things out of the fridge, get toys and stuff everywhere and sometimes even turn on the TV. We have tried gates and everything but he has to be able to get to the potty so we are screwed. Talk with her doctor if you haven't already, there may be a neurological root in her lack of sleep and it may be linked to the aphasia.

Answer 5

I myself am not a parent, However, I happen to look after a 5yr old girl on the occasional weekend.

When I look after her, she comes to my house to stay, and the way I do things is far different to what she's used to.

At her house she watches 2 films whilst she's in bed, so that means she's in bed for 7, but still awake at 10:30!

...This made her very restless when she stays with me, and she used to wake up several times during the night.

Something I decided to try the other weekend was:

A nice warm bath at about 6:30, get her out, ready for bed, and into bed for 7 (this helps relax most kids)
Instead of her watching films, I played some of my instrumental music quietly (she didn't like it at first, but she soon gave in)

The result?

instead of getting to bed for 7 but being awake till 10:30, she was asleep within 15 minutes and didn't disturb me once during the night.

...I am aware that your daughter does not have any distractions, so this case is a little different to yours, but I thought that the methods I used were worth mentioning?

hope this helps?

good luck and sleep well!

Answer 6

During the late afternoon and evening try to make sure she is always awake.

take her for a walk, play games indoor (i know its hard work)
play tea party etc, anything that keeps her excited.

i reccomend taking her out to park, good fresh air, which make her exhausted. (but do make sure she eats though)

then in evening at 8.00pm give her a bubbly bath. (before she falls asleep)
and then massage her with body oil.

hopefully she will be so worn out from her outing and playing games and the bath. she wont wake up during the night.

i personnaly dont reccomend putting children to sleep before 9.30 as they will likely to wake up early morning around 2pm
good luck

Answer 7

i used to be like that when i was little if its really getting you down. Take her to doctors or to a sleep therpist.