Expert: Karel Sleis Date: 5/12/2008 Subject: Sleeping problem
Question My son is 10yrs old, he goes to bed between 8.30 to 9pm and he often get up about 3 or 4 times a night. I wonder if there is any problem or how to help him sleep through the night.
Thanks
Answer Try the following 3 hours before bedtime stay away from coke, pepsi,ginger ale, caramel colored soda, chocolate,exercise, sugar and caffeine. 30 minutes before bedtime take a hot bath, and put hands under the water in the tub, latest research is that the warmth in the hands sends signals to the brain to tell the body to relax and get ready for sleep, l5 minutes before bedtime let him drink a glass of warm milk. Milk when heated contains tryptophan a natural amino acid sleep inducer to promote sleep. Also make sure he goes to sleep and wakes up the same time each day, regardless of how much or little sleep he got the night before. When he awakens at night make sure he does not get up and play the computer, if he twist and turns more than 20 minutes let him go into a different room and read a storybook , the minute he dozes put him back in the bed, this retrains the brain into thinking that the bedroom is for good sleep only. If you see no improvement and his daytime waking hours are affected with sleepiness from getting up consider a sleep study but for now i would simply try these tips. go to sleepnet.com click on disorders childrens insomnia or pediatric disorders, feel free to email again karel
