Question: My son is seven years old and continues to struggle to stay asleep through the night. Often times he complains that he had a bad dream, or he wakes to urinate and then can’t go back to sleep, sometimes he urinates in bed and then… again… has trouble falling back asleep.
Lately he is afraid to fall asleep because he has experienced sleep paralysis. It has been about 9 days since my son has remained in bed through the night without my husband or myself to aid him back to sleep or inviting him into our bedroom. He wakes about every hour and a half sometimes. It feels like we are trapped in a terrible cycle, and each night is getting worse. My husband and I are trying to deal with it patiently, but our patience is wearing thin and we are anxious to find a solution. There is a common thread, bad dreams, trips to the bathroom, wetting the bed, and sleep paralysis. Sometimes, he even shouts a word or two out and wakes himself. He can usually recall what it is he is dreaming about. I am at a loss, is it sleep apnea? Is it developmental? Is it stress from recently starting school again? Is he stressed because my husband and I keep arguing over him coming into our room?! It feels as though the bedtime routine at our house is a nightmare. I really want to understand what my son is going through, and help him (and myself) find a solution that works for all of us. Because right now, we are getting upset with him, and threatening to take things away from him if he doesn’t try to cooperate at night, and I feel that it is counterproductive. HELP!