My 8 year daughter will not sleep through the night.?

Question

My 8 year old has had maybe 5 full nights of sleep since she was born. She slept in our bed until she was 4 and then transferred into her own bed with me next to her because she would not let us get any sleep if she stayed alone. That practice continues today during the school week, with attempts to break the pattern on the weekends. There is very little sleep gotten in this house and we are desperate for a solution. Nothing works. If we don't respond to her, she cries out loud all night long, only falling asleep in the wee hours of the morning. Any advice is greatly appreciated. The lack of sleep is depressing me.

Answer 1

At 8, this habit has gone on too long. Do not let her sleep in your bed and do not sleep in hers. If in the middle of the night she comes into your room, escort her back to hers. Tuck her in and leave, don't stay with her. If she cries, she cries. Eventually, she will learn that this is not a subject up for debate and she will follow your rule without complaint. Don't let this continue as it will certainly effect her socialization with other kids her age as far as staying at other's homes or slumber parties or even having friend's stay at your home.

Answer 2

What you could try to do is keep her up all day and all night to break the pattern when she gets tired the next night. If you don't read to her, then that would be the next suggestion. Also if she has a tv in her room that will not help, so if you have that in there now is the best time to not have it in there. If she is taking naps durning the day or evening then you also should cut out naps. If your child is eating too much candy or caffeine, that could be another cause of her staying up to long and to late every night, because children act differently to the affects of these and it tends to have a longer affect. You should also try more activity durning the day, if she isn't tried maybe she needs more activities, running, jumping and playing for hours until the batteries run out. Also you can try slow music, something like a melody or yoga cd and or a sounds of the outdoors machine (bubbling brook, birds, rain, etc.) Or before bed, let her watch tv with the lights off, they makes the eyes focus harder, and makes you more tired as you try to focus. The final answer I have is a medical solution that hasn't been found yet. If all else fails and you need a professional opinion ask 1 to 3 doctors, or a sleep specialist. I hope this helps, best wishes for a good night sleep.

Answer 3

Try having a day where she over-exercises. Go to the playground for a long time, or even to a big theme-park. If she is exhausted from an exciting day, and she has a big dinner (with milk maybe) then she will be very tired. This is your best chance to get her to sleep in her own room.

In the morning, congratulate her on making it through the night by her own. This is called positive reinforcement, and is probably the best way of modifying her behaviour.

After the first night she might not want to go her own bed the next night. It might take several of these active weekends to help her make the transistion. And always be willing to congratulate her, that's the key.

Also, you could leave lights outside her bedroom on when she's young, that's what my parents did, when I had a similar problem.

And don't worry, eventually all will be fine.

Good Luck!

Answer 4

At 8 years old you should be able to reason with her a bit. Explain that sleeping at night is very important and it will make her feel better. Tell her that when she wakes up Mommy and Daddy at night she makes them tired and sleepy the next day. Take her to the store and let her pick out whatever stuffed animal that she likes. Tell her that it's her sleep buddy and when she wakes up at night she should cuddle it and close her eyes and try to go back to sleep. Also you could try getting one of those timers that you plug your lights into and they go on at a certain time. Plug a night light into it and set it to go on when she should wake up. Tell her if she wakes up and the light isn't on yet she should try to go back to sleep. Most importantly set up a rewards system. Find something that she really likes. For example, every time she stays in her room and is quiet all night she'll get a new outfit for her Barbie. I'd say that it's just become a habit for her and if you make it worth her while she will sleep through the night. You may also want to check with the doctor and see if she has any medical issues like sleep apnea or something. Make sure to ask her about it. Is she having bad dreams? Is she afraid of the dark or afraid of something else?

Answer 5

1) Excercise her extensively throughout the day. Have her to take a warm bath (hopefully, she is bathing by herself), give her a glass of warm milk with dark karo syrup stirred in it and maybe only sit by her bed until she falls off to sleep.

2) Assure her that you are only a room away and she is a big girl and everything is fine.

3) Take her to the toy department or to a toy store and let her pick out a large stuffed animal for her have in the bed with her at night.

If she does not improve very soon, I would suggest taking her to a doctor, this has got to stop for everyone involved.

It's easy to sleep with your babies sometimes but that does create monsters that you didn't expect. Be firm and sincere, she will get the message.

Answer 6

It seems like it has gone on because it is allowed to. Make sure she always sleeps in her bed. Let her have a shirt or a pillow case of yours. The smell will help her relax. You could try walkie talkies on the weekend. If she's scared or upset she can talk to you there but isn't allowed to get up at all. It seemes to be just a habit that needs to be broken.

Answer 7

I completely understand where you are coming from. You sound like I did a few years ago. My son has several disabilities and he wouldn't sleep through the night for anything. He once went 3 days without sleeping! He is now 9 years old. If you haven't mentioned how bad this is to her doctor, you should. If you have and they haven't suggested a sleeping pill..then ask for one for your child. My son has tried Ambien- Lunesta to get the right one for him. He gets immune to them after awhile. He has been on them since the age of 4. They are a lifesaver because he is a flight risk. Its not healthy for your child or the rest of the family if nobody is getting any sleep. I wish you lots of luck and restful nights soon!

Answer 8

buy a sleeping remedy called sominex. after takeing one out you'll see a line across the small pill. break it in half. crush the half up with something hard cut the podwer in half and put it in her drink of some sort. she'll get sleepy.put her to bed=in her own bed. every now and then do this. after a while she will do it on her own, because each time she wakes up she'll notice that she had a good sleep alone.

Answer 9

You are all ensnared in a terrible pattern. Go to a family therapist, and you might also consult a child therapist. You'll want to do this with wisdom and love. There are many abrupt, basically cruel, ways to stop this behavior, but I get the sense that you love your daughter. So, get some quality help here - you are all worth it!

Answer 10

Go to a sleep center. Most hospitals have them nowadays. They will be able to tell you if something is legitimately wrong with her, such as insomnia or night terrors. If they find nothing wrong with her then go to a behavior specialist and try to get some suggustions for getting her to sleep on her own.