The following is a visitor-submitted question or story. For more, you can submit your own sleep story here, or browse the collection of experiences and questions other visitors have shared here.

My 7-year-old son won't sleep alone?

My 7-year-old son will not sleep alone. He goes to bed ok and falls asleep but wakes up 2-3 times in the night and comes and wakes me up to tell me he can't sleep. When I return him to his bed he falls back to sleep quickly, but then wakes again and so it goes on. I have tried everything I can think of, taking away things he enjoys, rewards for sleeping all night alone, but nothing works. Please, please help.




Comments for
My 7-year-old son won't sleep alone?

Click here to add your own comments

Feb 27, 2011
sleepign disorders
by: nikki

well my son is 7 and he has adhd but recently been waking up either crying or screaming in nite and its got me to scared to sleep at nite.but when let him sleep with me hes fine its so weird so i know wat ur goin through!

Sep 07, 2011
my son sounds just like yours
by: jvb

I also have a 7 year old son who wakes all through the night but sleeps ok if he is with me. He is a very restless sleeper though and always kicking and trying to shove his legs under me. He has always been a terrible sleeper. Has anyone found anything that has helped your children with their sleep? I would love to hear any ideas from anyone!!

Sep 20, 2011
Another 7-year-old who won't go to sleep.
by: Anonymous

I thought we would never get our son out of our bed. But we did when he was ~3-4 years old. My dad gave him a little TV, which got him to lie in his room but not to sleep. I used to put the sleep timer on for him, but he just got up and turned it back on. Finally I had to be the meany and demand that the TV stayed off. He wailed for one evening for about an hour. My husband and I thought we couldn't bare it but at one point I realized how rediculous it was and silently chuckled. Then my husband relaxed a little. It was quite amazing how easy he went down after that.

Then we had a baby girl. I was focused in on the baby and my husband was putting our boy to bed. Now he has a new terrible habit of wanting every light on. I tell him he needs to have the room dark but he just gets up and turns the lights back on. Even if I go check on him at 1 am and turn the blaring hall light off, he immediately gets up and turns it back on. He is hard to wake for school. I'm convinced he is not getting sufficient rest. I fear his circadian rhythms are screwed up by all this light.

I'm thinking about trying melatonin. It is over the counter but not recommended for kids under 10. I read something on babycenter.com about how much to give them. I will try it first on myself of course.

....And I will have to be the meany again and take the lightbulbs out I guess.

Nov 15, 2011
Son and Mom with No Sleep NEW
by: Bryans Mommy

My son is 5 and is being tested for adhd. He is constantly waking up through out the night. I started giving him melatonin but it only got him tired to want to go to sleep. He was still waking up through out the night and waking me up. So his doctor prescribed clonidine but he still wakes up through out the night. Please help. My son needs sleep so he can function in school, I need sleep too. Can't remember what an 8hr sleep was like.

Nov 27, 2011
daughter wakes won't sleep NEW
by: Anonymous

My daughter is 7 years old takes about an hour to go to sleep with me in the room screams if i leave then during the night she wakes and screams if i don't sleep with her. 3 year old sleeps great

Click here to add your own comments

Join in and write your own page! It's easy to do. How?
Simply click here to return to Sleep Questions and Answers




Enjoy this page? Please help us pay it forward to others who would find it valuable by Liking, Sharing, Tweeting, Stumbling, and/or Voting below.


Like This Page? Share It!


Site Sponsors

Our sponsorship policy


RespShop.com
Lowest CPAP Prices. World Wide shipping. 866-939-3754.

A Note On Visitor-Submitted Questions:

Publishing sleep stories and questions from our visitors is meant to create a forum for open and proactive dialogue about an extremely important portion of our lives (one that occupies 1/3 of it and affects the other 2/3). It is not meant to substitute a trip to the doctor or the advice of a specialist. It's good to talk; it is not good to avoid consulting someone who's profession it is to help you with this kind of stuff.

If you are in any way concerned about your sleep health, don't wait for an answer on here, and don't necessarily rely on them. See a sleep specialist in your area as soon as possible.

More Questions:

Ask | Answer

Sleep Resources

Ready to take your sleep game to the next level?

Track Your Own Sleep With Zeo Zeo - Personal Sleep Coach
Pro-grade personal sleep data
Essentials of Sleep Knowledge: A Free Book By William Dement Dr. Dement's Essentials
Free for joining our newsletter
Sleep Paralysis Treatment Book SP: A Dreamer's Guide
A breakthrough new e-book

Who We Are

Stanford Sleep & Dreams

Welcome! This site is continuously being created by students of Dr. William C. Dement's Sleep And Dreams course at Stanford University.

Hover your mouse over this area for more about this site and its mission.

Or, you can learn more about the team behind EYSD here.


Please Note:

The information found on this page and throughout this site is intended for general information purposes only. While it may prove useful and empowering, it is NOT intended as a substitute for the expertise and judgments of healthcare practitioners.

For more info, see our
Terms of Use.