Night waking and anxiety

[sueeltringham]

DS used to sleep very well, mostlly anway. However, since Christmas he has been waking up to five times at night and not going to sleep until very late, either, often into the early hours. During these 'awake' periods he seems to be suffering pretty extreme anxiety where he is irrational and very demanding (partly because he just shouts from his bed). We mostly calm him with pressure and holding, but sometimes this can take a long time to settle him and is having it's toll on us. We had thought that the anxiety was linked to his wobbly teeth, but now I don't think so. I have also gone back to working 3 days a week shortly after the problem started, which doesn't help. In the daytime he has a good routine, seems happy both at home and school and the only sign of anxiety seems to be that at bedtime he is talking monologue pretty much incessantly. It's looking like our previously good sleeper has become hyperactive and I've read that this can happen. I don't know whether to go to GP, try to contact CAMHS, or try something else. So, I would welcome everyone's ideas.

 

Sue

[Enid]

[don`t have any answers but can relate to your problem as my DS who has been behaving very differently over the last few months has now started to wake up in a panic between midnight ish to 3 ish, he shouts and screams and crys, the other night I gave him some cough medicene and told him it was to help him sleep and whether it was coincidence or not he did! have tried it again tonight, will let you know, I have a meeting with CAHMS on friday and am hoping they will help, he is at the moment having a 4-6 week assessment, with CAHMS, where he goes 4 days a week, 9-3, and school on friday, to see if they can help to get to the bottom of what has changed his behaviour so much,

Hope you get some sleep, off for a glass of red! find that helps!!

 

Enid

 

 

I

[sueeltringham]

Thanks for the reply, Enid!

Been up to him twice already. Afraid I was quite stern and told him I didn't want any nonsense. Not a peep at the moment, so hope it works. We've tried reading, singing, and 'giving him a dream' (his request) to calm him, but sometimes nothing works. Changes are worrying and difficult to get to the bottom of! BTW, we have tried Piriton as it has a mild sedative effect. We have used it on occasion and it worked! I don't want to be using it every night unless advised by a doctor. My son seems quite hyperactive at the moment, where he used to be very placid and passive. Hope you get to the bottom of your probs,

 

Sue

[JsMum]

Hi have you tried a weighted blanket, we have one and it has defo made a difference, J has melatonin too, this is excellent, I found other medicines such as hysamines actually caused hyperactivity and didnt work very well.

 

Has he watched anything that may of distrubed him, has there been any difficulties with bullying at school?

 

J has a lot of difficulties been left at night, I sit with him until he is quieter, and then leave the room and return if he esculates to feeling upset, at night for a lot of people with Anxiety this is when it can be most evident, when the body is less active and things are slowing down, so may be some help with getting him talk about his feelings during the day, will help.

 

was there any changes at christmas time with in your home enviroment, or school?

 

we are still working throw difficulties and its hard work because lack of sleep starts to disrupt the day time too, is this beginning to happen yet?

 

JsMum

[jb1964]

Thanks for the reply, Enid!

Been up to him twice already. Afraid I was quite stern and told him I didn't want any nonsense. Not a peep at the moment, so hope it works. We've tried reading, singing, and 'giving him a dream' (his request) to calm him, but sometimes nothing works. Changes are worrying and difficult to get to the bottom of! BTW, we have tried Piriton as it has a mild sedative effect. We have used it on occasion and it worked! I don't want to be using it every night unless advised by a doctor. My son seems quite hyperactive at the moment, where he used to be very placid and passive. Hope you get to the bottom of your probs,

 

Sue

 

Hi Sue - can't off any advice sorry as our daughter has never been a good sleeper and it's the worst time of the day for her anxieties to come out - when she's got nothing to do things go over and over in her head.

 

But wondered about the Piriton thing - when my daughter was little she had continuous ear problems/infections etc and as well as prescribed antibiotics she was given an antihistamine medicine - can't remember which one - but at the next audiology appt the lady mentioned my daughter being extremely hyper in a strange sort of way - after noting the medicine - she looked it up and said it can in very rare cases have the total opposite effect that some antihistamine medications have (which is normally making you drowsy) and cause agitated hyperactivity - she told me to discard it and prescribed a different one - can't remember the name of either offhand but it wasn't Piriton. Just a thought - obviously it isn't the norm to happen but it did have this rare side effect.

 

Take care,

Jb

[JsMum]

JB was it fenigan?

 

JsMum

[sueeltringham]

Hi Jsmum,

 

Thanks for the ideas. Have wondered about a weighted blanket. Will def look into it.

Bullying at school/ other things that happen at school I really have no idea as he won't talk about school (but unlikely). School report no change, but in the same sentence report that he's continually asking stupid questions which is a sign of anxiety in him. We have contacted the communication team and flagged this as a concern at school (he's statemented). We're not aware of him watching anything as he watches very little tv, and then only stuff like cBeebies. I don't think it's linked to Piriton or anything as he's had that maybe only half a dozen times (hubby is a pharmacist, so tends to not medicate!).

 

He has suffered quite severe anxiety attacks previously, but in the daytime. The night time ones are a new thing. We were referred to CAMHS last year because of the increase in severity of his day time attacks, but the appointments were useless. Basically they told us WE had to sort out our son's probs and become his 'counsellors' and therapists!!!!!! I'm wondering if we maybe need more medical help, i.e. medication? In the past it's taken me months to work out what 's been causing the anxiety and it looks like anxiety is one of our main problems at the moment! I'm hoping that the coming 2 weeks off school might help, we'll see!

 

Sue

[jb1964]

JB was it fenigan?

 

JsMum

 

Hi JsMum,

 

Just went through the alphabet trying to remember the name and I think it was called 'Dimotane' - not sure of the spelling.

 

Take care,

Jb

[rainbow queen]

i had this with my son.........and i went along with it for many years thinking this must be just how it is..............

 

then it was getting to the stage where my son wasnt staying in his room ....and i had to sit outside his bedroom for 2 hours or more....just to keep him from running round the house late on.........and also in a effort to try to make him relise it was bedtime.

 

then when he did go to sleep-i would go bed but would be woken up over and over in the night-with my son in a state-i was told they were night terrors-but i do think it was like you said anxiety-he was unable to tell me why he was crying ect......and then he would attack me for going in his bedroom......you couldnt calm him down ect-or get to the botttom of what the problem was.....so i was left just standing about half the night.....

 

until recently when we went back to camhs-i told them -and they gave us the melatonin...........as we really couldnt take much more...........it was also making him more worse in the day .

hes been on it a few weeks now -and the improvement is massive-he even is glad he has them as he relises it helps him.....(before-this he was begging me for help -actually saying he needs help to sleep).

its good to see him having a peacefull sleep....and not in a awfull state half the night.....

rq xxx

 

p.s -i know though that some people on here have tryed it and it didnt work for there children....so i guess it just depends-i only need to give one capsule-but it states you can take up to 2 on the bottle.

[cmuir]

Hi

 

Difficult to say why since Christmas your son seems to be anxious at bedtime and waking frequently during night.

 

You were saying that your son has a bedtime routine which is good. Only thing I can think of is (which you're perhaps already doing):

 

- ensuring your son does participate in any activities which are likely to overstimulate him eg playing on Wii, etc

- have 'winding down' time with him

- don't offer a drink just prior to bedtime

 

Having said all of that, despite me being advised 'no tv' (because tv can overstimulate the brain) that's exactly what we do - R wasn't interested in stories (I do still try to read stories, but more often than now get them thrown at me!). TV was only way we found we could get R into his room and in bed where he generally lies back and relaxes. We're obviously careful about what he does watch. It's no ideal in some people's minds, but it works for us.

 

R has been on melatonin for 8 months and it works wonders. Whilst it doesn't keep him asleep (it's not a sedative), it gets him off to sleep at a much more reasonable time than normal (around 1.00am!). Admittedly, R still awakens during the night but he's quite happy to be couddled back to sleep.

 

I bought a few sensory room type of gadgets which I think also help to create a calming ambience:

 

- laser cosmos (a projector which projects stars and clouds onto the ceiling - I think it's amazing despite being a little pricey at around 100).

http://www.lasercosmos.co.uk/

 

- larger plasma ball

http://www.sciencemuseumstore.com/mall/pro...eumStore/200039

 

- glow light (brilliant - this is a combined torch as well as a light which gives off a glow, so it's not too bright, it's also chargeable)

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Spiderman-3-Go-Glo...5102&sr=8-3

 

One thing that I also noticed with R was that when we lived in previous house (2 levels), he seemed to feel detached/isolated when he was aware I was downstairs in that he was always shouting and demanding I sit with him (even during daytime when he was playing with toys). We moved house to a bungalow (bungalow specifically chosen for that reason) mainly because R didn't have a decent garden space to run around where we were and because neighbours both adults and kids bullied him. I've noticed a big change in that because we're all on the same level he generally seems much more settled. I'm not for a minute suggesting everyone moves house, but if you live in a 2 level house maybe even getting walkie talkies or a baby monitor would help to alleviate feelings of detachment/isolation.

 

Other things to look out for may be changes in light/shadows/etc - I've invested in blackout curtains for R's room!

 

Best wishes.

 

Caroline.

Edited April 3, 2008 by cmuir

[Enid]

Hi JsMum,

 

Just went through the alphabet trying to remember the name and I think it was called 'Dimotane' - not sure of the spelling.

 

Take care,

Jb

Phenergan or something like that! is a travel sick tablet which can also be used as a seditave, my sister gave some to her son who is always sick on car journeys and he slept all the way.

 

Enid

[av16]

Phenergan or something like that! is a travel sick tablet which can also be used as a seditave, my sister gave some to her son who is always sick on car journeys and he slept all the way.

 

Enid

We gave DS Phenergan once when we were about to board a plane - hoped it would have a calming effect. Unfortunately it did completely the reverse. He was so hyper, screaming etc. that when we landed everyone cheered. We didn't fly again for nearly 5 years.

He suffered with night terrors, up to the age of nearly 6 he was up practically every night. He now suffers them much less frequently - he's nearly 11 now. Maybe it's something they grow out of. He finds listening to music helps him get to sleep.

Hope it improves for you all.

AV