Stephanie wrote:
> Penny Gaines wrote:
>> Stephanie wrote:
>>> My son is very often tired. I am a firm believer in the im****tance
>>> of sleep! I think the main problem is that his mind is always
>>> thinking and moving. He has a hard time stilling his mind. He will
>>> lay awake in bed playing in his head all sorts of pretend games.
>>>
>>> One thing that definitely helps is HARD physical exercise throughout
>>> the day. And we are working to increase this further.
>>>
>>> Another thing I thought would help if we were able to learn some
>>> meditaton skills. I don't really know much about meditation. So I
>>> guess I have to have a clue before introducing it. Does anyone have
>>> any thoughts on how to proceed or other helpful ideas for sleep?
>>> Once asleep, he has no trouble. But *falling* asleep is a problem
>>> for him, especially now that he is a little older.
>>
>> Are you sure falling asleep is a *problem* or do you just mean it
>> takes him some time?
>>
>
>
> The problem is that he is later tired during the day. Yawning,
> rubbing eyes, emotional...
>
>> The worst thing you can do with a falling asleep problem is to worry
>> about it. Some people do genuinely take a little time to fall asleep
>> - 20 minutes is perfectly normal, or even longer.
>>
>
>
> Well 20 minutes would be a joy beyond belief! Longer... on an order of
> magnitude is what we are dealing with.
>
>
>
>> Worrying about not-being-asleep-yet turns into a vicious circle,
>> which keeps you awake.
>>
>
> How would you suggest limiting his worry? He gets no angst out of me.
> I am not there in his bed.
Is he actually worried? Let him rattle around in his room for a while with
the focus off sleep and more on just doing quiet, relaxing things. That
is,
no full-on light sabre battles with the shadows while bouncing off the
walls
but pretty much anything up to that.
>
>
>
>> I don't think pretend games are a problem, as long as they are all in
>> his head. Alternative methods are the old favourite of counting
>> sheep (or footballs, or just numbers). Variations are counting up
>> to ten, and then restarting from zero. Or counting backwards from
>> some number. Or doing sums.
>
>
> I am going to get him to add when he is 7 and wants to have fantasy
> games in his head? I don't understand that.
With my DS7 I'm pretty sure the fantasy games in his head as he settles
down
to sleep *are* a form of meditation and counting sheep. We can usually
hear
him chatting to himself, making gun noises, singing or even clattering
about
and sliding guiltily back into bed with the half-dozen toys and books he's
gathered since his offcial bedtime, if we come to suggest he "snuggles
down
now". Sometimes he falls asleep instantly, other times it can take as long
as an hour.
Is your son allowed to turn his bedside light on a read or play quietly
for
a few minutes if he's having trouble going to sleep? I tihnk that works
better as a settling device than asking them to lie quietly in the dark
waiting for that elusive sleep.
I'm a nightowl but there is a point in the early evening when I could
probably go to sleep easily (and then wake at 3am!) if I went to bed. It's
at around 7:30 or 8 pm for me so much too early on most nights. I get my
second wind soon after that and become wide awake again so rarely go to
sleep before 11 pm or midnight. Are you missing your son's 'best' bedtime
by
being too early or late to catch it?
If he doesn't have to be up by a specific time in the morning for school
can
you let him sleep on in the morning on the days you don't have to be out
early? You're homeschooling, I think, and anyway it's the northern summer
school-break now even if you aren't?
I'd look at changing his bedtime routine as well, to see if that made a
difference. If he has a quiet one now then make it more energetic or vice
versa. Read the official bedtime story earlier in the evening and have a
noisy game of cards or a board game instead. If he usually has a quick
shower in the evening try a long splashy bath with a full flotilla of
boats
and imaginative sea battles in the bathtub. If his bedtime story is
usually
read in his bed, move to the living room or mum and dad's bed for a change
of scene.
At seven I don't think I'd recommend a daytime nap unless the child had
been
ill and I know my son wouldn't be able to settle for one during the day,
anyway.
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