Sleeping issues | ADHD Information

daffodil:  You mention magnesium supplements...what kind and how much do you give your son?  I would like to try this with my son who has a hard time going to sleep.   Thanks.

Mars

I usually give my son a warm bath with lavender essential oil drops which I add to the water. Bfore bedtime I give him milk in which I add 20 drops of valerian root extract. My son is getting better at falling asleep early (that's 8:30pm). The only bad thing is that he wakes up at about 5:30am. He does not bother anybody in my house, he stays awake playing quietly and talking to his toys in bed, but the fact that it is still too early concerns me a lot, according to his school schedule he should be waking up at about 6:45am. Anyway,I think he sleeps enough hours.

We also use the warm bath and the calming the house down about an hour before bedtime. We also read to our DS for about an 1/2 each night. We were reading Harry Potter, which he enjoyed. However we are finding that is to exciting for him not at bedtime but throughout the next day. On nights he is really wound up I have let him have a radio in on playing very soft music. That normally will calm him down. We also have a rewards system in place which has been effective.

Mars, it's a Calcium/Magnesium/Zinc combination. The one I have is from Nature's Bounty, I just got it at the grocery store. I don't think the brand matters. The directions say take 1-3 tablets for an adult. My son is 10 and weighs 100 lbs and I was giving him 2. It also says not to give within 2 hours of a medication because it may interfere with the absorption. 2 before bed seems to work well for him.

My daughter who isn't ADHD but who also will wake during the night is 11 and weighs 90 lbs and the night before last I just gave her one tablet before bed and she slept well.

On the Alternative Message Board there's a whole thread about Magnesium. It's pretty interesting.

I hope it works out for you!
My daughter liked to stay up to 2AM ever since birth. We tried melatonin, but it did not work for her. We used the marble system to get her in her room on time (9PM) and keep her there (this was a big relief) and she would fall asleep around midnight most of the time. When we started Concerta, she started going to sleep around 10PM. She took a break from the concerta during part of the summer and was on guanfacine which also calms her and helps her get to sleep. She is now on both (I won't go into that here). When friends are over, the excitement keeps her up, but that is only on fridays or saturdays.  vickie39002.6250925926I forgot about the magnesium supplement that I've been giving in the evening. It also has a calming effect.I've been giving my son a cup of milk before bed just this last week and he's slept through the night each night. He wasn't as bad as what you describe, though. He would go right to sleep pretty much, but would sleep fitfully, waking several times a night. Also a warm bath in the evening is helpful to relax him.

How many or you have a hard time getting your child to sleep? My son can stay up all night and still be wide awake at 6-7 am(and later). Our problem is that he does things when we are sleeping that worries us.  The doctor said we could give him Benadryl, some nights it does help, but others it was like we fed him a piece of candy. The doctor said we could try melatonin.  My husband had tried that once for his insomnia with no results. Do any of your children take sleeping meds to help them? Or what seems to work at your house to get them to bed?

 

Michelle