Sleep Anxiety In Kids Is Real. Here's What's Working In My House To Combat It.

"Her eyes fill. Her voice cracks. 'I can't do it,' she says. 'I just can't go to sleep.' She says it again. And again. Like maybe the third time will make it truer. Or easier. Or less terrifying. And I get it. I really do. Because sleep, for reasons science can explain and anxiety cannot, has recently become the hardest thing she does all day."

"I tell her the truth. That not being able to fall asleep is really hard. That it's frustrating. That it feels unfair to struggle with something your body is supposed to know how to do. I tell her I love sleep too, which feels cruel in the moment, like loving something that keeps rejecting you."

"Because here is what I know about my daughter: she doesn't like not being good at things. When a new math concept like fractions doesn't click right away, I can see it: a tightness in her jaw, tears beginning to form and the quick spiral from 'I don't get this yet' to 'What if I ne'"

A parent navigates their 9-year-old daughter's significant sleep anxiety, which has become her most difficult daily challenge. While the child's father uses low-dose melatonin, the parent believes the daughter can fall asleep independently, having witnessed her do so. The parent employs a patient approach: validating the child's genuine struggle, avoiding minimization, and providing emotional support through the process. The daughter's perfectionism and difficulty with tasks she cannot immediately master compounds her sleep anxiety. The parent recognizes that sleep struggles feel unfair and overwhelming to the child, requiring honest acknowledgment rather than dismissal or rushing toward solutions.

Read at Scary Mommy