Tai wrote:
> 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?
I was responding to the poster who commented on worrying turning into a
vicious cycle. But he does have concern about it. He will complain that he
was up all night last night, which is clearly not literally true since he
was asleep in the am. But it can take a *really* long time for him to get
there.
> 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.
>
That is what he does ... though sometimes he gets wrapped up enough in the
game to get excited and kick the wall or make louder than usual shooting
noises.
>>
>>
>>
>>> 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.
In this case, I think they are interesting enough to keep him busy and
from
sleep.
> 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?
The times we tried allowing him to read, he will simply read and read. It
does not allow his mind to still.
> 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?
>
Many days he does sleep in. Many days he gets up because he is hungry or
has
to go to the bathroom. Some mornings his sister makes too much noise
getting
up and wakes him up. We basically NEVER wake him up.
> 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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