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Many of my articles are borne out of whatever is going on in my life, and generally, because of my research, I have tips for you. In this post I am going to turn the tables on you, and give you a dilemma and ask for your creative tips!
My six-year-old daughter suffers from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). One of the hallmarks of this disorder is insomnia, often due to hyper-vigilance. It often takes my daughter two to three hours, on average, to fall asleep.
We’ve tried reading a story to her, but it only stimulates her, rather than settling her down. We’ve tried a brighter night light and giving her a flashlight to empower her. Both of these have helped some, but have not completely solved the issue. We’ve tried rubbing her back, but again, it serves as a stimulus rather than something calming. We’ve used aromatherapy to no avail.
It has been suggested that she sleep with us. I am not opposed to a family bed at all; I just don’t think it would work in her unique case for several reasons that I can’t disclose due to confidentiality issues.
So, where does that leave us? I’m not opposed to medication, but only as a last resort when it has been made clear to me that the situation cannot be resolved otherwise (and we are in weekly therapy) or that she is beginning to suffer the effects of sleep deprivation. Since we homeschool, she generally is able to sleep in and be regulated by her own body clock (unless one of her noisy early bird brothers wakes her up!).
So now it’s your turn – what would you do in a situation such as this? What has worked and why? What hasn’t worked and why?
Also, feel free to leave your own “Dilemma of the Week” that might be used to gain reader feedback in a future column.
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I used to struggle w/insomnia from PTSD. Here are the things that worked (and continue to work) for me:
(1) Vanilla scent in the bedroom.
I burn a vanilla-scented candle for ~ 30 minutes before bedtime. Of course, you would not want an unsupervised flame in a child’s room, but there are a variety of ways to get the scent into the room. The scent of vanilla calms the startle reflex in both people and animals.
(2) White noise.
I run an air purifier all night. The white noise drowns out the sounds that would otherwise trigger my startle reflex.
(3) Yoga & meditation.
I do 15 minutes of yoga and then 15 minutes of meditation before bedtime. This cuts down on both insomnia and nightmares.
(4) Thick comforters.
I keep the air cooler and then snuggle up under thick comforters, even in the summer months. The weight of the comforters help me to feel safe.
(5) Melatonin.
When all else fails, I take a small dose of melatonin. It is all-natural, inexpensive, and safe for children and adults.
I hope these pointers help. They have really helped me to overcome insomnia from PTSD.
- Faith
Marie,
Good morning!
We have a little boy who struggles with wakefulness due to PTSD and other issues. He sleeps on a portable massage table at the end of our bed. The end of our bed is tall enough, there is a level of privacy. That, and prescription medication is what finally did the trick. Melatonin is a good idea, it was not enough for him. The white noise idea Faith suggested, we use that too. The air cleaner is needed anyhow, because of asthma and allergies. We also installed a window air conditioner into our bedroom and keep it cold, to snuggle under the warm covers. We set the ceiling fan to high. The only trouble with that is if he loses his covers in the night, then he wants to climb into bed with us. At nearly 11 years, he’s too big. Maybe if we got a bigger bed…..
We’re hoping he’ll someday move into his own room!
Good luck, and hope you find a combination soon that will get you some much needed rest!
Thanks for the tips, Faith & sharing your personal story. We’ve tried lavender aromatherapy (soap before bedtime & a plug-in night light with pure lavender oil), but not vanilla. She does have a CD player in her room for stories and songs, but I hadn’t thought of the white noise. We do run her ceiling fan, but had stopped when she developed a cold last week and the weather changed (she has a medical condition that is triggered by viruses).
Thanks so much for the ideas!
Thanks for chiming in, Sunbonnet Sue! It’s comforting to know we’re not alone, but sad to know so many children struggle with PTSD at such young ages.
Marie, I was praying for your daughter last night, and then remembered something important that might help. We used a lotion on our boy when he was younger. Made by aveeno I believe, it had lavendar and vanilla scent both in it. It was marketed as a calming lotion for babies. If your girl cannot tolerate having her back rubbed, start with maybe just one of her fingers, an elbow or toe perhaps. Some part of her body that does not rev her up. Test around to see what works. Also ask her to take a turn applying lotion onto one of your fingers or something that is not threatening. Experiment around too with different massage motions, to find one she can tolerate. Just a thought!
I can’t tell you how much it means to know she is being lifted in prayer! Thanks *so* much, Sunbonnet Sue!
You’re welcome! We pass on what has been given to us, no?