Help. My almost 7yo son goes to sleep at 8pm (falls asleep around 8.30,9) every night. He sleeps until 4.30 (5am if I’m lucky!!)
I’m tired.
He’s not doing so well at school and I think it’s because he’s tired. I’ve now banned TV in the morning, and no toys. He’s not hungry until 8am usually. And doesn’t go to the toilet until just before breakfast.
I’ve tried putting him to bed earlier, putting him to bed later, giving a lighter dinner, settling back to sleep (never worked!!)
So what do I do ?! This early rising thing is destroying us both.
At the moment he has to stay in bed until after 6am. All I can here is moving, restlessness and I’m just so over it!!!
5 Replies
I’d discuss with your GP as a starting point. Time to rule out underlying conditions that may not be presenting as you might expect.
I’ve got a post nasal drip, it wakes me up very very early when it isn’t controlled. I didn’t even realise I had it because it was my norm.
It wasn’t until a GP picked up my tonsils were red all the time etc and some questions were asked that we started to find some solutions.
I’m not by any means saying your son has the same thing, just saying sometimes there are underlying causes.
I hadn’t actaully considered this. Thank you !! He did have reoccurring tonsillitis and ear infections when he was younger.
I’ve got a GP appt booked, so I’ll discuss it. Thanks heaps
Is he getting cold? That is the coldest time of the day. He is old enough to entertain himself so I would just leave him be until you wake up.
I would consider an earlier bedtime especially considering he isn't falling asleep for up to an hour. I'd also make sure his bedroom is dark and is as boring as possible to avoid distractions and things he can use to keep himself awake. I would also be doing no tv for 30 minutes before bedtime as it is highly stimulating therefore it will take longer for his brain to switch off. You may need to bring the bedtime forward gradually for it to work eg. 5 minutes every couple of nights. Kids that dont fall asleep until later are less likely to have good sleep and it can often result in early waking.
Seriously would love to know the answer to this. 3/4 of my kids love to start their day at 5am or earlier. It drives me insane. Then because they are all up they end up waking the other at around the same time. I’m yet to find anything that works, maybe it’s just that they are early risers