Help please--Teenage insomnia

I have a 16 year old son who ALWAYS has a hard time falling asleep and if he does he wakes up in a couple of in hours.  He'll finally fall asleep around midnite, or later, then sleep soundly until he wakes up.  As you can imagine during school, it is a problem.

He is athletic, plays football during the school year, lifts weights, swims, works around the house, etc, so not enough exercise is not the problem.

I ask if he is worried about something and occasionally he is (test, girlfriend, etc), but most days he is not worried or anxious.  He just can't go to sleep on time to get up for school or other things before about 10 am.  Even when he has stayed up the night before, he can't go to sleep at a decent hour.

He has good friends.  They hang out at our house most of the time so I know he isn't taking drugs, or drinking.  And he knows he will lose his car if he does.

Have any of you experienced teenage insomnia?  What did you do?  Please help.  My son is getting so tired of not sleeping and being well rested.

Has he tried all the conventional things for insomnia? I'd say the quickest fixes would be cutting out caffeine after late-afternoon, having a set time to go to bed, and not doing things that are too mentally stimulating just before then (internet, scary movies/books). Exercise just before supper can help. It can help to write down everything you're thinking of so it's off your mind, but earlier in the evening so you don't end up worrying about it in bed. A going-to-bed routine can help: at a certain time, start calming down, maybe have a bath or drink some chamomile tea, and then go to bed once your mind is clearer.

Sometimes being a teenager is just a bit angsty. My sister suffered from teenage insomnia for about two years, but hasn't had any problem sleeping as an adult. So if all else fails, at least it doesn't last forever.

Does anyone in your family on either side have odd sleep patterns? What you've described above is similar to how I still sleep. My natural sleep pattern is not conducive to early rising because I can't fall asleep easily at night and I often can't stay asleep. My father had a similar pattern and my son has it too.

It does help to stay in a regular routine. Stay away from caffeinate beverages after 2:00 PM, not eating sugary snacks.

A bedtime snack of cheddar cheese can help. I read it somewhere and it really does work, sometimes. Chamomile tea helps induce sleepiness.

The only other person in our family that I know of who has a similar problem is my 13 year old niece (my son's cousin).  In fact most of us are early risers.

He tries to have a bedtime routine of taking a bath, eating a snack (we'll try the cheese), then watching the Simpsons, or Friends.

Maybe, I'll have him not watch TV right before bed, but read something.

Thanks for your ideas.

Original Post by lisajayne36:

Have any of you experienced teenage insomnia?  What did you do?  Please help.  My son is getting so tired of not sleeping and being well rested.

Hello-

I am 21 and have had insomnia for my entire life. I was on various forms of sleeping meds for about 7 years which I slowly weened myself off at christmas time. I was fine for a few months and then couldn't sleep again. My doctor referred me to a neurologist to who recommended I take these steps:

1. Turn away all clocks so that I cannot see them 

2. Leave my cell phone outside my bed room 

3. Get up close to the same time everyday, at a reasonable hour, so for me on school/work days I get up around 8 am the other days I can sleep later, 'til about 10:30 am. 

4. Turn off all external stimuli i.e. music (my preferred choice), tv, etc.

5. Masturbate right before going to sleep - and yes that is really what he suggested and you are probably having the same reaction I did >:-O "Really? Is this guys actually telling me to masturbate???" - it actually works better than sleeping pills because there is no morning hangover.

Hope this helps, once the freak-out factor has worn off. 

Alli

"And the day came when the risk it took to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom" 

Age 15 to 18 I had terrible insomnia.

Mostly because I was extremely paranoid. I constantly had images of the living dead haunting me everynight. I would literally sit in my bed with the light on until my eyes could no long stay open.

Sometimes I was so terrified I would stay up until the sun came out before I went to sleep.

It was really bizarre and I felt like the ghosts I thought of were extremely real.

It was super embarrassing and I never told anyone.

at age 19 I moved in with my boyfriend and have not been able to sleep with any lights on ever since. I can't sleep unless it is pitch black which is totally opposite from what it used to entail.

I had alot of night time rituals.

Like , I used to promise the ghosts everynight that if they did not haunt me I would let them haunt me in the future.

Like I said, I was terrified.

Wait, you're saying he WILL fall asleep around midnight and sleep all through the night?

That sounds really normal to me. I always go to bed around then when I have school. That's like 7 hours of sleep.

i have had insomnia as well. everyone has given good advice and to add to it and reitterate...

1. bedroom should be perfectly dark, with no electronics as others have mentioned.

2. it must be COOl.

3. try a fan or maybe a sound machine to block out noise.

4. He must not  engage in any stimulating activities even if its reading a book

5. IT is definately helpful to have a routine and stick to it, however if he is not tired he shudnt go to bed until he feels sleepy

I would be damn happy to be able to fall asleep at midnight. I don't think he has insomnia. I think he is the average athletic male scholar with a little excess energy. I've had insomnia most of my life and here are some ways I sleep better.

I find that eating turkey and or bananas 30 minutes before attempting to sleep works quite well.

And erm.. Masturbating works exceptionally well.

Ok  the taking of a bath, eating turkey, cheese, a banana, reading, etc, I can mention to him.  The other thing he will have to discover on his own.

Thank you, everyone.  It's good to hear he is not alone.

Original Post by lisajayne36:

Ok  the taking of a bath, eating turkey, cheese, a banana, reading, etc, I can mention to him.  The other thing he will have to discover on his own.

Thank you, everyone.  It's good to hear he is not alone.

LOL I'm not sure I would have been able to mention that to my son though either!!! But no, he is definately NOT alone!!! Glad we could help :-)

Alli

"And the day came when the risk it took to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom."