my 10 yr old son can't fall asleep at night?

Question

my son can not fall asleep at night he has been like this ever since a toddler.there are times he is up past midnight on school nights i know he is not getting the sleep he needs.he is on the go always busy,busy,you would think he would be tired.he is a water drinker rarely drinks pop so it is not a cafine issue.he says he just cant fall asleep.we read at night,we tried a sm radio with soft music.he is adhd but his dr said the med is worn off by time he gets home from school,so that has nothing to do with it.ant suggestions would be helpful

Answer 1

could it be that his mind is racing? sometimes people have trouble relaxing.
I suggest he read at night.

Answer 2

You have my sympathy you must be exhausted. My kids are hard enough to keep up with without having adhd.
I have to confess I know very little about adhd but perhaps the answer is in the fact that your sons meds have worn off by bedtime. Maybe it would be worth talking to the doctor about splitting or changing his dose. It has to be worth a try?
I believe many adhd kids do go on the cope with the condition better as adults so hang on in there.

Answer 3

try eating dinner a little later. have a full schedule when he gets home

4:00 - eat snack
4:30 -Homework and afterwards, TV
6:30- Dinner
7:30- Chores/ TV
8:30 Shower and Cleanup
9:00 Warm milk or something heavy to fill the stomach. (Full stomaches make you sleepy)
9:15- Sleep

Make sure that he doesnt have a TV or Laptop near him because he is most likely sneaking tv or surfing the net, and tat stimulates his brain keeping him awake.

Also! You can buy natural supplements called Melatonin. Melatonin basically tells your body that it's time to sleep. Melatonin is a naturally occurring hormone (derived from serotonin) that is both endocrine (enters the bloodstream from a pineal gland) and paracrine (signaling cell phenomenon, as from the retina when light is low, when the signal is "time to sleep").

Answer 4

Remove all computer, TV use, radio use. They stimulate the brain to stay active (even though your body may say otherwise). Replace it with sports or a play in the park till he is tired. Or try karate, soccer team after school. Reduce fatty, sugary foods like chips or lollies. Once he resets his sleeping clock, he should sleep more normally. If you go to the park with him, you'll also find you sleep well.

Answer 5

Unless he is a bed wetter maybe try and give him a warm Milo or hot chocolate before you put him to bed. Something warm in our tummy's generally makes us tired. If that doesn't work maybe go to the chemist and ask about children sleeping pills something that is safe for him to take.

Another thought is do you stay up late at nite yourself??
As he may be thinking about you being awake and it is making him not go to sleep. I use to be like that when i was a kid. if i new there were people up. i.e. my older brother or if my mum had friends over i couldn't sleep, as i wanted to know what they were doing.

Answer 6

deja vu. remember, when the meds were off, the child kind of makes up for lost time. so to speak. odds are, he's actually over tired. make sure he has a calm down period about an hour before bed. reading is a good idea but maybe reading to him would work better for him.

Answer 7

Well it may not be because he has adhd or add. Maybe he is afraid of the dark just sit him down and have a nice long chat with him and make sure to get all details.

Answer 8

I'm 12 and the same way,I can't ever fall asleep, but i got this thing called calm, you mix it into a small glass of water right b4 he goes to sleep, and that helped me. I don't have adhd though, but you should ask his doctor about it.


Best of wishs

Answer 9

Make sure he runs around and stuff a lot during the day. It will make him tired at night. Also you can leave and say "I will be right back" and then he will eventually fall asleep. That is what my sister does with her kids.
~maddie

Answer 10

Check with the doc first but you can get a product all natural and herbal called "Calms Forte" at Walmart and it helps and is safe for children to take. I take it myself and didn't have to take my perscription night time meds anymore...ask the doc, or melatonin is good..find out.

Answer 11

make sure his bed is REALLY confy. have a furry blanket and a squishy mattress, with that, u can't help but fall asleep. or if he has any form of elecronics in hhis room like a tv a computer or a game boy type tihng, he might be doing that at night instead of sleeping.