Shutting off/slowing down the mind

[mcnay1]

I realize that this is the basis of ADHD, so it just might not be possible. But, I thought I would throw it out there. Does anyone have any tips on helping a child slow down his mind, particularly when trying to go to sleep (or when sleeping)?

My son, just now 7, has actually told me that he wakes up in the middle of the night because he just starts thinking...cant keep his mind from working. I think we all have those nights (even those of us without ADHD), but his seem to be every night and I think that is what is waking him up. He tells me that he has bad dreams (which could be a separate issue) and that is what wakes him up. With the help of melatonin and guanfacine, he is much better at actually getting to sleep, but he just cannot stay asleep.

I just wonder if there are any coping mechanisms for this that others have discovered. Thanks so much!

[ccom5100]

How long has he been taking the guanfacine? I know that when my ds first starting taking it, he had very vivid dreams, some of which were nightmares, and couldn't get back to sleep. Those side effects did wear off after a while.

[anonymouslyadd]

I could never slow my mind down when I was a kid. The ADD brain can't regulate itself. This includes thoughts and emotions. I actually think it's harder for a kid with ADD, because their brain is way behind.

[CheekyMonkey]

The only thing that works for me is a strict bedtime routine so that my mind goes on "auto" and I know sleep will be soon, and reading before bed. This gets my mind thinking about a specific story and kind of like daydreaming instead of jumping all around.

[tudorose]

epson salt bath (don't let the child drink the water)

We used "quiet time" which was 30 minutes of reading before bed to settle down.

I'm not sure that it worked but the kids like reading now so I guess it wasn't all wasted effort.

[mcnay1]

THank you all!

CCom - He has been on Guanfacine for about a year now. The tenex is is supposed to quiet his mind and calm him down, so I thought... I could be wrong about that.

We do have a pretty strict bedtime routine which does help A LOT!!! He reads until he falls asleep which Im happy for. Im just afraid that even when he is asleep, his mind doenst slow down at all and this is why he is waking up in the middle of the night. He rarely sleeps through the night and ends up in our bed (perhaps by habit at this point). Last night, even when he came to our bed, I dont think he slept more than a couple of naps and was up at 6:00.

We can live with it as he's not destructive or a wanderer (knock on wood) I just want to try to help him as much as I can.

Thanks again...

[happytexas]

If you are not using time-release melatonin you could give that a try. Another option is behavior management that can teach/train him to do something specific that focus him enough to relax and sleep.

My ds doesn't normally wake at night, but he somethings has difficulty getting to sleep even with the melatonin so I keep a CD player in his room with Wai Lana's childrens' wake-up/go to sleep CD in it. When I was pregnant with my second I listened to a hypnobirthing CD when I went to bed (insomnia is a problem for me when pregnant) and that sucker knocked me out . So, a relaxation/meditation CD to play if he wakes at night may help focus and quiet his mind.

I'm not one who usually has good/fun dreams so I focus on something else as soon as I get up to forget them. My dh has a tendency to have those dream within a dream within a dream, dreams and found some information on learning to control his dreams to some extent and recognize when he is dreaming so he can wake himself if necessary. For my dd (not ADHD), I just remind her to dream about unicorns, bubbles, rainbows, and cupcakes .

[Bluerose]

Playing some soothing bedtime music may help. It might take a few night to get used to, but waking up and hearing the familiar music might be enough to calm the mind and give comfort enough to go back to sleep.

[BohoButterfly]

I agree that gentle music would help, but id like to suggest the kind that has special sounds in it to stimulate beta waves in the brain- sounds a little scary, but its not!
The sounds basically just encourage the brain to relax to a slower state. Whenever i listen to mine, which i got from the adroid market for my phone, i stay asleep all night- which is amazing as i tend to wake up two to three times a night.
Im sure you would be able to get these on cds, too.
Mine plays gentle music, as well as waves and crickets and the like.
Im on my phone atm, otherwise id google and paste some things for you! I might do that in the morning when im at uni.
Sorry if i havent explained this very well! Its a bit late here in aus.

xxBB

[LynneC]

I'll agree that a noise machine might help. I bought one about 6 months ago for our son and it plays water sounds or rainforest sounds, etc.

It does seem to keep him asleep and out of our bed, for the most part. (he's 10 now)
I think it helps to keep his mind from zoning in on scary stuff when he wakes in the middle of the night...

[CheekyMonkey]

My little sister (also ADHD) could only fall asleep if the vacuum cleaner was on, when she was a baby.

[mcnay1]

Thank you all so much! Im going to check out the timed release melatonin. Where do you all who use it buy it? I will also check out the sound machine/soothing music. He does listen to music while going to sleep and reading. I dont have a problem switching the cd to more soothing when he is actually asleep. I've put in soft classical music before but he insists on gentle singing. I've been ok with that, but wonder if the voices are are too stimulating for him. But, im really intrigued with the time released melatonin. He came to our bed about 4:00 am this morning and since he was up at 6:00, my guess is that he really didnt go back to sleep after his 4:00 am waking. Thanks again, y'all!

[mcnay1]

That's funny, CheekyMonkey! The only thing that made this child sleep in the middle of the day was a car ride.

[happytexas]

Originally Posted by mcnay1

Thank you all so much! Im going to check out the timed release melatonin. Where do you all who use it buy it?

I order time-release melatonin on amazon.

[Ms. Mango]

We had to switch to time release melatonin because DS kept waking up in the middle of the night. There's a Vitamin Shoppe not too far from us that carries it. Maybe a natural/health food store near you would stock it.

White noise/music is a good idea; can you find a machine or clock radio that has a sleep feature that gradually reduces the volume?