11 Yr. Old Not Sleeping...

Is she on any prescription medications? Nightmares may be a side effect. Is she getting bullied at school or on-line (my space, facebook...)? I would say she is not faking it if she is writhing around in her sleep. Since this has been going on for so long I would consult the doctor if these can't be explained by meds or bullying. If she is on meds I would ask the doctor to change the meds and see what happens. There are no studies of medications on children (only adults) and side effects can be different for children. good luck!

Hi C. - I'm sorry to hear your daughter is having problems like that.

I've heard that vivid dreams can be caused by a lot of different things like stress, hormonal changes and even things like blood sugar levels.

Her doctor might have ideas for you. A naturopathic doctor would probably help with this as well.

My daughter, also 11, also has trouble sleeping. She cannot seem to turn off, and then she wakes up in the middle of the night after only sleeping a fw hours. her behavior has gotten worse. I actually am trying to get her into counseling and play phone tag to setup the time we can get in. We do have other issues but lately I have noticed a big change in her sleep and plan to bring this up. This is a really good idea to look into, rather than just giving her sleep meds. You need to find the underlying cause, especially if she is having nightmares and vivid dreams. She could be worried bout something but does not think about it during wakeful hours. My daughter swears lately that someone is going to bust our front window and break in. If a car parks outside, she freaks out and it really gets bad if someone sits in the car for a few minutes.

I give my eleven year old daughter minerals at night with calcium they help relax the body. WE use Bodywise supplements called PM's. She only gets one.I also make sure she is not having any caffeine because that really keeps her awake no chocolate, pop or sugar after 4 pm in our house.. Your body needs b vitamins and methionine( in egg whites) to make melatonin which makes you sleep deep. I have had sever nightmares for years and it turned out they can from having mercury and arsenic toxicity. I no longer have them since I removed all my fillings and did special nutrients to get rid of them.You can have a hair analysis done on your daughter just to see what she is eliminating. Genova diagnostics does them you can call and ask for a doc in your area. Good luck.

C.,
there are different things that you need to consider. Does she have a computer in her room that keeps her up? a cell phone? any video games that she can mute and play while everyone is sleeping? Those things would be the only reason to make suspect she is lying or even playing with you.
What are the night mares about? are they due to what she watches on tv, or the movies? If so, then limit what she watches on tv and the movies she goes to see. My oldest (11yrs now) used to have nightmares due to what he watched on tv when he was small.
If not, then have your house blessed, have a minister or pastor come to the house to anoint it and bless it.
My children all talk in their sleep, specially the girl. She is very animate about her dreams. But they never stay up that late.
Don't give up, pray over her room, over her bed, her pillows, blankets etc. Anoint her head board with oil and keep on praying.
I'll keep you all in my prayers.

Lack of sleep itself can become part of the problem; it becomes a pattern over time that the body has trouble readjusting.

As a person whose sleep is absolutely wrecked by exposures to scents and many synthetic gasses that are part of the chemical soup we breathe today, I wonder whether you could simplify her possible toxic exposures and see if that helps. If you use fabric softeners, air fresheners, many commercial cleaners, and scented toiletries, you might try eliminating as many as possible for a few weeks and see if that helps.

I'd definitely get some medical and/or naturopathic help on this. Your daughter's need for quality sleep is extremely important at her age.

I agree with the advice to eliminate as many chemicals as possible from your house. 10,800 synthetic chemicals are used in personal care and household products. Some of these synthetic chemicals come from petroleum. Europe has banned 1000 of them due to known toxicity. USA has banned only 9. (www.teensturninggreen.com) Second, seek out a certified natural health professional (like Tonja Wells in N Richland Hills, www.yourherbalhealthsolutions.com). Soemone like Ms. Wells can recommend mineral and herbal supplements. Perhaps your daughter is low on potassium or calcium. Perhaps her body is having trouble manufacturing melatonin because the nutrients needed are missing from her food. Also, if she is drinking diet drinks or eating or drinking anything with aspartame in it, that is very, very bad. See www.sweetpoison.com and www.drbenkim.com

I would suggest taking her to her Dr. and also taking her to a councilor. I had real bad nightmares when I was young and I wish my parents would have gotten me help back then. There are some I still remember. Don't put it off. Some of mine where from what I had seen on TV. and others where because of other things that where going on in my life.

Good luck and God Bless you all!!

could she have racing thoughts? I think this is what it is called...it's something related to mood disorders, of course I hope this is not what she has but it may be a good idea to rule this out. Good luck!