Middle Boy is having more and more trouble falling asleep at night.
Tonight was tough. His body and mind fight sleep with all that they have. He truly can't calm down unless every door is closed and lights are on in the room. Every noise jolts him out of bed with his fists clenched.
Every night I try to help him otherwise I don't get much sleep. I talk to him about how he is safe and he can trust me to protect him. We talk about how God loves him and protects him.
Tonight I asked him if he knows why he can't sleep. He told me that he has to be on alert in case something happens and he is afraid he won't wake up in the morning. He is also fearful that I won't be there.
He asked me to just talk to him and pray, because my "soothing voice" helps him go to sleep. I talked to him about everything I could think of that was peaceful and prayed. I had my hand on his back while I was talking to try to calm him. BIG MISTAKE. When he fell asleep and I removed my hand he shot up on alert.
I tried to hug him...another mistake...he felt trapped and started to hyperventilate, because he thought he couldn't breathe.
Once he calmed down and we started the process again I prayed and talked. I recited verses. He didn't want me to sing...justifiably so. He fell back asleep after about 15 minutes, but as I was getting up to leave I made another noise that woke him and put him on alert again.
By this time I was SO FRUSTRATED with MYSELF. He told me he needed to grab something. He went to the kitchen and ate five small cups of applesauce. Must have been a comfort technique.
He went back to bed and I talked to him. This time I had to repeat myself, because I was completely out of things to talk about. It is tough to do a middle of the night impromtu monologue. He finally relaxed and is now sleeping.
Prayers for healing and peaceful sleep. Prayers for the feeling of safety.
Tonight was tough. His body and mind fight sleep with all that they have. He truly can't calm down unless every door is closed and lights are on in the room. Every noise jolts him out of bed with his fists clenched.
Every night I try to help him otherwise I don't get much sleep. I talk to him about how he is safe and he can trust me to protect him. We talk about how God loves him and protects him.
Tonight I asked him if he knows why he can't sleep. He told me that he has to be on alert in case something happens and he is afraid he won't wake up in the morning. He is also fearful that I won't be there.
He asked me to just talk to him and pray, because my "soothing voice" helps him go to sleep. I talked to him about everything I could think of that was peaceful and prayed. I had my hand on his back while I was talking to try to calm him. BIG MISTAKE. When he fell asleep and I removed my hand he shot up on alert.
I tried to hug him...another mistake...he felt trapped and started to hyperventilate, because he thought he couldn't breathe.
Once he calmed down and we started the process again I prayed and talked. I recited verses. He didn't want me to sing...justifiably so. He fell back asleep after about 15 minutes, but as I was getting up to leave I made another noise that woke him and put him on alert again.
By this time I was SO FRUSTRATED with MYSELF. He told me he needed to grab something. He went to the kitchen and ate five small cups of applesauce. Must have been a comfort technique.
He went back to bed and I talked to him. This time I had to repeat myself, because I was completely out of things to talk about. It is tough to do a middle of the night impromtu monologue. He finally relaxed and is now sleeping.
Prayers for healing and peaceful sleep. Prayers for the feeling of safety.
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