My daugher: The sleepwalker

[freakygirl]

Since the dr switched Kimber from Adderall to Concerta she has taken up sleep walking. I find her in odd places.. asleep.
She isn't rested when she gets up in the morning. Her sleeping has gone to shit. Up most of the night.. when she does get to sleep finally it's not restful sleep. She tosses and turns all night. And has gone back to wetting the bed on occasion (I think this is because once she does get to sleep she has a hard time waking up).

Because of her sleepwalking and my fear of her getting hurt.. I've tied a bell to her doorknob so I can hear the door open at night. I don't rest real well because I'm afraid I won't hear the bell.. and she will go outside or fall down the solid oak staircase.

Any suggestions on what I should do? I'm calling the dr on Tuesday.. to see if we can get her back on Adderall. But until then I need sleep.

 

[Cleopatra]

Depending how old, and how tall she is, maybe you could install baby gates at the top of the stairs? And padlock them?

I walked in my sleep a lot when I was younger, but only to take a shower and get back into bed completely wet. How I slept through that, I'll never know.

 

[Pyper]

As a child, I used to sleepwalk after reading a mystery novel before going to bed. No joke! Usually, I ended up destroying my possessions or carrying on conversations with my baffled parents.

I think it's unlikely she will hurt herself by falling down the stairs or something like that- I used to walk up and down our stairs and had total coordination even while asleep. Somehow our bodies still know what to do.

My only advice is to try to prevent her from leaving her room, or do subtle things to prevent her from getting up. Lock her door, or bar it with a chair, or tie her down gently if that doesn't bother her. In her sleepwalking state, she will probably abandon any escape attempts pretty quickly.

 

[freakygirl]

She's 7½.. and tiny...The size of an average 5 year old.

Baby gate would work.. on her bedroom door but not at the top of the steps. (no way to attach it up there

 

[freakygirl]

Another fear I have.. is what happens if there is a fire. I need to know that she can get out if she needs to.

UGH.. Maybe I'll sleep in her bed with her.

 

[Mistress]

MY cousin had a spell of sleepwalking years ago, and one time in the dead of winter he walked outside and ended up locking himself out, my grandfather found him asleep and standing up on the stairs outside of his house. It was weird. I have slept walked a few times but not often,
I wish I could help you babe, but maybe having her sleep downstairs on the couch, or as you sugested sleeping in her room would be best just incase.

 

[k¡tty]

Do you happen to still have a baby monitor? Placing it by her bed and your own would allow you some comfort in knowing you'd hear the bell, if not her herself.

 

[trainee_sub]

My daughter the sleep walker

If she walks between a certain time say 0930 and 10 then try getting to her first and gently waking her in bed ask her a question she has to answer like does she need the toilet, get her to sit up then tuck her back into bed talkig gently to her all the time. She won't wake fully just enough to break the sleep pattern you may need to do it over several nights it took about five nights for it towork with my eldest son he was about the same age, but two weeks with my youngest. I hope this works for you it can work for children with nightmares to.

 

[Gilly Bean]

With the baby gate idea, get one that works on pressure, and put up about 5-10 inches from the ground. That will raise it up over the level she could get over easily, and still not raise it enough for her to get under it. Besides that, she'd have to be awake to get under it, likely.


As mentioned before, most sleepwalkers know consciously where they are going, they just are not actually aware of it.

I used to do it once in a while, but my parents said they would actually watch me, and I was able to navigate aroud things like tables, and knew where doors were. I wasn't just bumping into the wall and trying to find my way around.

Until going in to the doctor, I would try as many soothing things before bed as you can. Bath, then snuggling up with a book, cuddle time in a dimly lit room, rocking chair, that sort of thing.

Lavender is supposed to help, but honestly, with my hyper active one, it does nothing.

Also, and I don't know that this works, try limiting food coloring and perservatives from her diet for a few days. My husbands parents did this on him when he was a child, and they still swear to this day that he went from being super hyper active, to being a normal mellow child, and that they could see the difference in him if he snuck a snack he wasn't supposed to have.

There's a name for the diet, and some peditricians will recommend it, but not many. Many are just eager to hand out the pills, and be done with thier part.