Comments on: Try This Tuesday #19: How Do You Get Your Child To Sleep? http://www.5minutesforspecialneeds.com/656/try-this-tuesday-19/ Support. Insight. Inspiration Fri, 19 Mar 2010 13:23:00 -0400 hourly 1 By: gail http://www.5minutesforspecialneeds.com/656/try-this-tuesday-19/#comment-14079 gail Wed, 26 Nov 2008 17:51:52 +0000 http://www.5minutesforspecialneeds.com/?p=656#comment-14079 thanks everyone! yesterday we were on the road for 10 hours so i didn'thave time to read or blog. several of these suggestions sound doable and i'm going to put themon my to try list. esp the diet. thanks again! gail thanks everyone! yesterday we were on the road for 10 hours so i didn'thave time to read or blog. several of these suggestions sound doable and i'm going to put themon my to try list. esp the diet.

thanks again! gail

]]> By: Trish http://www.5minutesforspecialneeds.com/656/try-this-tuesday-19/#comment-14067 Trish Wed, 26 Nov 2008 17:36:51 +0000 http://www.5minutesforspecialneeds.com/?p=656#comment-14067 Thanks for all the suggestions. Hopefully Gail will find something that works for her son! Thanks for all the suggestions. Hopefully Gail will find something that works for her son!

]]> By: rickismom http://www.5minutesforspecialneeds.com/656/try-this-tuesday-19/#comment-13468 rickismom Tue, 25 Nov 2008 11:29:07 +0000 http://www.5minutesforspecialneeds.com/?p=656#comment-13468 Gail, I think that all of the above suggestions are pretty good... however, I personally do not know if earlier than 10 o'clock is very realistic. 9 hours of sleep is about the ideal for 11 year olds, and it may be very hard to get more than that. But I wish you lots of luck in trying!! Gail, I think that all of the above suggestions are pretty good… however, I personally do not know if earlier than 10 o'clock is very realistic. 9 hours of sleep is about the ideal for 11 year olds, and it may be very hard to get more than that. But I wish you lots of luck in trying!!

]]> By: elizabeth channel http://www.5minutesforspecialneeds.com/656/try-this-tuesday-19/#comment-13361 elizabeth channel Tue, 25 Nov 2008 05:34:34 +0000 http://www.5minutesforspecialneeds.com/?p=656#comment-13361 Well, we also do melatonin and have implemented the GF/CF diet. We also had apnea so we had our tonsils removed and all this has helped tremendously. My child is 7, and he enjoys listening to books on tape so we have that set up in his room and he falls asleep listening to those. Then if he wakes up he has permission to turn them on again to help him fall back asleep. He still ends up with us many nights due to nightmares, but these have helped! (Also of course lots of outdoor activity to tire him out!) Well, we also do melatonin and have implemented the GF/CF diet. We also had apnea so we had our tonsils removed and all this has helped tremendously. My child is 7, and he enjoys listening to books on tape so we have that set up in his room and he falls asleep listening to those. Then if he wakes up he has permission to turn them on again to help him fall back asleep. He still ends up with us many nights due to nightmares, but these have helped! (Also of course lots of outdoor activity to tire him out!)

]]> By: Another Piece of the Puzzle » Try This Tuesday: Sleep Needed - Please Help! http://www.5minutesforspecialneeds.com/656/try-this-tuesday-19/#comment-13360 Another Piece of the Puzzle » Try This Tuesday: Sleep Needed - Please Help! Tue, 25 Nov 2008 05:06:18 +0000 http://www.5minutesforspecialneeds.com/?p=656#comment-13360 [...] week on Try This Tuesday, one of our readers asks the question, How Do You Get Your Children To Sleep? Please stop by and offer your ideas for her to try! Share and [...] [...] week on Try This Tuesday, one of our readers asks the question, How Do You Get Your Children To Sleep? Please stop by and offer your ideas for her to try! Share and [...]

]]> By: Cale http://www.5minutesforspecialneeds.com/656/try-this-tuesday-19/#comment-13340 Cale Tue, 25 Nov 2008 04:36:09 +0000 http://www.5minutesforspecialneeds.com/?p=656#comment-13340 Hey. Last semester I had persistent insomnia, and I'd sleep 2 hours a night, right at the crack of dawn.(I survived mostly on pop and pure will power). I'm now on a low dose of an anti-depressant that is helping me to regulate my sleep cycle, though I still often have problems. Some things that help: 1. I get into bed at the same time each night (11pm). If I'm not asleep a half-hour later, I get out of bed, go for a short walk outside the dorm with an MP3 player. I play 15 minutes of intense music to get my stress out, and 15 minutes of soothing music to get my brain ready for sleep. I repeat this 1/2 in bed, 1/2 hour outside process until finally falling asleep. Usually it takes only one trip outside. 2. On nights when I know natural sleep will be impossible, I drink kava tea before bed. It's a legal herbal anti-anxiety, that can put anyone right out, particularly when mixed with an anti-d. However, I would highly recommend asking your GP before trying this as it may dangerously interact with other medicine. 3. I nap. I've been told it is a terrible idea, that it will destroy my sleep cycle, and all those other things doctors tell you, but if I can't sleep at night, I know a 2-hour nap by day will keep me running. 4. I have a nighttime routine. I listen to a set playlist of music, brush my teeth, swallow my meds, say G'night to my roommate, shut the light, lock the door, and climb into bed. Doing this routine tells my mind it's time for bed. 5. if I've had 3 nights in a row where I've had a difficult time sleeping, I switch the side of the bed the pillow is on (head or foot). This way any particular pose doesn't become associated with a lack of sleep in my mind, and I have a chance of being able to successfuly revisit that pose in the future. I wish you much success in this difficult battle for sleep! Hey.
Last semester I had persistent insomnia, and I'd sleep 2 hours a night, right at the crack of dawn.(I survived mostly on pop and pure will power). I'm now on a low dose of an anti-depressant that is helping me to regulate my sleep cycle, though I still often have problems. Some things that help:
1. I get into bed at the same time each night (11pm). If I'm not asleep a half-hour later, I get out of bed, go for a short walk outside the dorm with an MP3 player. I play 15 minutes of intense music to get my stress out, and 15 minutes of soothing music to get my brain ready for sleep. I repeat this 1/2 in bed, 1/2 hour outside process until finally falling asleep. Usually it takes only one trip outside.
2. On nights when I know natural sleep will be impossible, I drink kava tea before bed. It's a legal herbal anti-anxiety, that can put anyone right out, particularly when mixed with an anti-d. However, I would highly recommend asking your GP before trying this as it may dangerously interact with other medicine.
3. I nap. I've been told it is a terrible idea, that it will destroy my sleep cycle, and all those other things doctors tell you, but if I can't sleep at night, I know a 2-hour nap by day will keep me running.
4. I have a nighttime routine. I listen to a set playlist of music, brush my teeth, swallow my meds, say G'night to my roommate, shut the light, lock the door, and climb into bed. Doing this routine tells my mind it's time for bed.
5. if I've had 3 nights in a row where I've had a difficult time sleeping, I switch the side of the bed the pillow is on (head or foot). This way any particular pose doesn't become associated with a lack of sleep in my mind, and I have a chance of being able to successfuly revisit that pose in the future.
I wish you much success in this difficult battle for sleep!

]]> By: Maddy http://www.5minutesforspecialneeds.com/656/try-this-tuesday-19/#comment-13334 Maddy Tue, 25 Nov 2008 04:24:32 +0000 http://www.5minutesforspecialneeds.com/?p=656#comment-13334 Sleep issues! Don't even get me started. All three of mine are different but we follow a similar routine and there's little room for them to negotiate except on special occasions. For us the two keys are routine and relaxation. For my daughter who is getting older [nearly 11] that's a bath with dimmed lighting [quite fancy that one myself] When they're out of routine or something's happened to upset it, we go back to basics, massage / brushing / guided imaging / white noise. I've wanted to experiment with weighted blankets but they're hugely expensive, but we're still coping most of the time. Best wishes Sleep issues! Don't even get me started. All three of mine are different but we follow a similar routine and there's little room for them to negotiate except on special occasions.

For us the two keys are routine and relaxation. For my daughter who is getting older [nearly 11] that's a bath with dimmed lighting [quite fancy that one myself]

When they're out of routine or something's happened to upset it, we go back to basics, massage / brushing / guided imaging / white noise. I've wanted to experiment with weighted blankets but they're hugely expensive, but we're still coping most of the time.
Best wishes

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