11 year old boy tired at night but early school start

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kids had the same issue and I found there was really nothing to be done. I did drive them some days vs riding the bus (buying an extra 20min sleep) but could not do so every day.

This is the problem with such early school start times…fortunately our high school starts much later so the middle school misery was fleeting

+1

Yep-Exact same here.

[Anonymous]

I have a night owl boy who has to be out the door at 7 for HS. It’s a problem that doesn’t end anytime soon.

My slightly mean solution is to wake him up earlier than necessary so he has time to drink tea and lounge and wake up less abruptly (this helps him), and to not let him sleep past 11 on weekends. Also, being tired is ok. A lot of people are tired. One of my kids used to get anxious and stressed about being tired / not being able to go to sleep and that isn’t helpful.

[Anonymous]

Try audiobooks.

It worked for my kid, who couldn't sleep because she would start thinking about a lot of things.

It changed falling asleep from something boring to something mildly enjoyable.

[Anonymous]

Those sun alarm clocks work. You have to work on the timing because it starts simulating sunrise earlier vs the alarm time. But by the alarm time it is very bright in the room.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kids had the same issue and I found there was really nothing to be done. I did drive them some days vs riding the bus (buying an extra 20min sleep) but could not do so every day.

This is the problem with such early school start times…fortunately our high school starts much later so the middle school misery was fleeting

+1

Yep-Exact same here.

Yep. Same story with us except it is early at all through middle and high school. 7:30 start times means my kids have to wake up at 6 or 6:15. They fall asleep somewhere between 10-11

[Anonymous]

Bedtime is when my 11yo finally has time to process the day. All the anxieties and worries come out. There’s a lot of new things to deal with since he started MS.

I give him a Calm gummy (magnesium), which helps him relax, and spend 10-15 minutes sitting at the end of the bed listening to him vent about his day. We do “rose, thorn, bud”. It doesn’t work every time, but most nights he’s able to let go and fall asleep once he gets everything out. Ritual is important.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Try audiobooks.

It worked for my kid, who couldn't sleep because she would start thinking about a lot of things.

It changed falling asleep from something boring to something mildly enjoyable.

Audiobooks have worked for us, but only ones that my kid has listened to. Otherwise, she'll stay up to find out what happens! So, we'll listen to a book in the car, and then we'll put it in the bedtime rotation.