Question: My daugher is 2 1/2 years old, ever since I can remember having her she has always had problems sleeping at night. She sleeps through the day perfectly! She would always wake up after 2 hours of just going to sleep.
Over the last couple of months she has been recently moving her legs A LOT, she’s reaching for my hand and scratching my palms as comfort.Her pediatrician has been telling me she probably has ADD or ADHD and I refuse to believe that. I’ve even tried giving her melatonin after two hours she’s right back up!Out of her whole life she’s maybe slept through the night maybe 6 or 7 times. I can tell she wants to go to sleep and can’t. I haven’t had a good night’s sleep since she was been born and am at wits end. PLEASE HELP!

Answer: Thank you for writing in. Your description of your daughter moving her legs a lot makes me think of the sleep disorder Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS). It is a condition that involves discomfort in the legs during time when the body is sedentary, which is often very disruptive of sleep. It can onset at any age, so I would suggest reading up on Restless Legs Syndrome and consulting a sleep or neurological specialist who has experience with the condition if you think the characteristics match your daughter.Feel free to update this page with your experience using the comments link below.

Thanks for your question and good luck,
Kevin