Kids who sleep through the alarm

[Anonymous]

My 12 year old ds sleeps like a rock. He doesn't hear alarms, or voices, and I practically have to drag him halfway out of bed before he's conscious...every day of my life. He has always been this way, but he's too big to drag and I'm out of ideas. And no, unfortunately going to bed earlier doesn't help.

Does anyone else have a kid like this?
Any ideas?

[Anonymous]

Going to bed early he isn't getting enough sleep if you have to wake him up everyday and he isn't waking on his own or with an alarm

[Anonymous]

Spray him with a water bottle.

[Anonymous]

My 6 yr old is like this now. I don't know what to do. He goes into his room at 8 and lays in bed until 11:30-12 when he finally falls asleep. I know he's not getting enough sleep. I give him melatonin around 7:30 but it doesn't seem to have an impact. He has to get up at 7 and it's a battle everyday.

[Anonymous]

He needs to go to bed earlier consistently so he's getting enough sleep.

If that's not possible, consider having a parent wake him up. I'm going to list what I do for my hard sleeper.

5:30am - I wake up. Open his bedroom door, turn on the hall light. I take a shower.
6:00am - I finish dressing and getting ready, and call him.
6:05am - I let the dog out and call him.
6:10am - I go in his room and tell him it's time to get up, loudly. If he's non-responsive I turn his overhead light on and continue saying loudly it's time to get up. I may need to physically shake him to get him awake.
6:15am - I let the dog in, make sure DS is awake.
6:20am - I tell DS to get into the shower and get ready.

Typically, by opening his door and having the hall light on while I'm getting ready, he's easier to wake up. He's only this hard to wake up when he's not getting enough sleep. Even though he's 12 DS still needs between 9-10 hours a night, and sometimes it's impossible to get between sports and other activities.

[Anonymous]

Agree with the immediate PP that you need to establish good 'sleep hygiene'. look it up and you can learn more about it. Get a 'dawn simulator' clock like this one https://www.amazon.com/Philips-Wake-Up-Sunrise-Simulation-HF3500/dp/B00F0W1RIW/ref=sr_1_5?s=furniture&ie=UTF8&qid=1479939183&sr=1-5&keywords=sunrise+alarm+clock . Wake him, let him snooze for 6 more minutes and then, as a PP noted, get a spray bottle.

[Anonymous]

OP here. He gets 9 hours each night, and falls asleep within minutes. If he goes to bed earlier, he's just as hard to wake. If it's a crazy weekend night and he's up until midnight, it's actually easier to wake him up. If I let him sleep until he wakes up, he would sleep until noon like most 12 year olds. Obviously, that isn't an option most days.

I currently wake him up in cycles like several pp's have noted, but he should be able to wake himself. I won't be able to go to college with him and make sure he gets up.

A spray bottle just sounds cruel.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. He gets 9 hours each night, and falls asleep within minutes. If he goes to bed earlier, he's just as hard to wake. If it's a crazy weekend night and he's up until midnight, it's actually easier to wake him up. If I let him sleep until he wakes up, he would sleep until noon like most 12 year olds. Obviously, that isn't an option most days.

I currently wake him up in cycles like several pp's have noted, but he should be able to wake himself. I won't be able to go to college with him and make sure he gets up.

A spray bottle just sounds cruel.

Then why don't you get a sleep study?

[Anonymous]

9 hours may not be enough for him. 9 hours a night would leave my 12 year old in a sleep deficit. If I aim for 10 hours a night for him, after 5 or so days he's waking up easily, on his own. At 9 hours a night after 5 or so days he requires the national guard to come in and get him up.

If you can at all adjust your schedule, try and give him 10 hours a night of sleep for 5+ nights and see what happens. Make sure he doesn't have a phone or computer in his room so that you think he's sleeping when he's not.

[Anonymous]

A vibrating alarm has worked much better for my son. Of course about once a week he shuts it off and lays back down--I would say the only downside is the short cord. But it is definitely better than regular alarms.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. He gets 9 hours each night, and falls asleep within minutes. If he goes to bed earlier, he's just as hard to wake. If it's a crazy weekend night and he's up until midnight, it's actually easier to wake him up. If I let him sleep until he wakes up, he would sleep until noon like most 12 year olds. Obviously, that isn't an option most days.

I currently wake him up in cycles like several pp's have noted, but he should be able to wake himself. I won't be able to go to college with him and make sure he gets up.

A spray bottle just sounds cruel.

9 hours is not enough

[Anonymous]

My son has a vibrating alarm. Only thing that worked for him. Thing is though that even though it wakes him, I had to reinforce that you have to get out of bed when you wake up. That connection didn't come naturally.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. He gets 9 hours each night, and falls asleep within minutes. If he goes to bed earlier, he's just as hard to wake. If it's a crazy weekend night and he's up until midnight, it's actually easier to wake him up. If I let him sleep until he wakes up, he would sleep until noon like most 12 year olds. Obviously, that isn't an option most days.

I currently wake him up in cycles like several pp's have noted, but he should be able to wake himself. I won't be able to go to college with him and make sure he gets up.

A spray bottle just sounds cruel.

"If he's up until midnight"---this is your problem. Inconsistent sleep schedule. Be a parent and get your kid to bed between 9-10pm every single night. You know what's cruel? Being constantly sleep deprived because social activities make bedtime later.

[Anonymous]

Check narcolepsy or idiopathic hypersomnia

[Anonymous]

OP, if it's any consolation, my teen went through this and now actually gets up on his own and gets ready for school. He used to sleep through three alarms. Some teens are just like this.