Moms, I need help before I lose my effing mind!!! My son has been up since 230 am!!! Still awake !!! I have given him melatonin. We have even tried kids Unisom, and NOTHING WORKS!!! It is EVERY NIGHT, and this momma is out of options, and before you say it, I have done activities to burn energy. We play outside; we nap and don’t nap!!! Nothing works … this is an every night thing. He will wake up usually around 3 am like clockwork and be awake till about 5!
15 Likes
Try coffee are a lil soda
2 Likes
If open to meds, Guanfacine may help.
It could be the medication. This was a problem for us. We tried to be understanding because it wasn’t the child’s fault. Not sleeping can make the symptoms way worse. Contact the Dr and explain what is happening.
My son takes clonidine and melatonin at night
Do you give him sugar … my son has ADHD to he has a hard time sleeping to …
Kid proof his room and make him stay in it. He will get bored soon enough.
6 Likes
Our pediatrician has my son on hydroxyzine and melatonin. The melatonin helps him fall asleep and the hydroxyzine helps him stay asleep. It’s technical an allergy med but can also me used to calm and relax the nerves in the body. We tried a bunch of stuff before hand and this combo finally did the trick.
My son had to take melatonin and benedryl
We use a weighted blanket with our youngest and it’s been a game changer
4 Likes
Talk to your dr and try to eliminate screen time and sugar content daily… Prayers im also in this situation with my youngest and waiting for school testing and then we go from there . good luck
My daughter is ADHD, she is Not a sleeper, never has been (shes 7) and still has never slept through the night, but her doctor gave her medication that does help her sleep longer… if that’s an option… now she is asleep by about 8ish and sleeps to around 5 am, and will usually stay in her room and play until we wake up around 8 or so…Talk to your doctor…
Had to go to pediatrician and get her on chlondine she would stay up all night til 8 am sleep til 12pm and do it all over again
This is one of the manic symptoms that will not resolve with well-intentioned activity suggestions or otc/herbal supplements. You should talk to a doctor about medication options that you might be comfortable with. Melatonin, sleep aids, even caffeine have side effects if used long-term. If he is diagnosed as ADHD, there are chemical imbalances in his brain that can be brought back into balance with the right treatments. It’s not just about being “energetic” or “spirited”. A doctor can help you figure out the best plan for ongoing treatment
9 Likes
Nothing worked with my wee boy melatonin didn’t work his pediatrician put him on a sleep sedative some nights it knocks him out all night the odd night he will wake just for a drink x
Give him quiet toys and books he can stay in his bed and play. That’s what I do with my kiddos
My daughter is the exact same, she wakes up after 3 hours and up the rest of the day. I have tried a weighted blanket, and playing to burn out the energy. My doctor said it is insomnia.
My daughter would wake up around those times & I also gave her melatonin I actually had to stop giving her the melatonin & start keeping her up around 11:30 12 than put her to bed & now she sleeps all night
My son has adhd and autism and takes melatonin at night to help along with his daily medication! I find a daily routine helps tea bath n then he chills for an hour before bed to give his head a rest and he sleeps ok then X
Ask your doctor about lowering or taking off the a stims. If they went sleeping enough they’re taking too much
Best meds for my two sons is catapress tablets. My eldest 14 has 1 tablet about an hour before bed and my yougest 11 is on 2 tablets at night best thing ever.
Wishing you all the best 
Is he medicated for his adhd, my son also has adhd amd takes a stimulant if taken to late in the morning, say if we sleep in he will have a hard time sleeping. My son take trazsdone and melatonin to sleep or he will be up for days on end
My 7 year old has adhd he dosent sleep much either he just sits in bed twiddling his thumbs. What helps him is his special blanket and he has a sensory light. We use to play music for him but had to stop a while ago due to it keeping his little brother up
Buy lavender or rosemary shampoo and conditioner from suave
Try use lavender oils or lotion 
massage on forehead and back!
There is a product called Natural Calm and they have gummies. It’s magnesium, which promotes sleep.
My friend used caffeinated water… it has the opposite effect on the adhd kids… talk to your doctor about it.
My Pediatrician put my sons on a very low dose of Clonidine. Both had ADD. I would give it to them about an hour before bedtime. It worked like a charm. They are both adults now, but both took it until well into their teenage years. I also felt like I was losing my mind until she prescribed this. It was a life saver because neither one of them slept.
1 Like
Maletonion and clonidine helps my son.
Have him checked for sleep apnea.
I got my daughter a furreal per that doubles as sound machine. She says it helps. No tablet or TV 2 hours before bedtime helps too.
I have struggled with ADHD and so does my daughter. Melatonin does not work for us. But L-theanine works for both of us. Along with a structured sleep routine. We both go to bed much later than most people. But this is what works for us.
1 Like
tryed open windows let fresh air in…let them get up hearly in the morning…
Reading is one of the few things I’ve seen help.
My sons doctor put him on magnesium
My son had ADHD, didn’t sleep through the night until he was 7 (and then only occassionally). He could be awake all night if he wanted, but I taught him to stay in his room and stay quiet, no leaving his bedroom until Mom (me) got up. Some nights were rough. Don’t be too quick to jump to all the medication suggestions on here, consult with your dr.
Try a chiropractor it worked wonders for my little
Contact a sleep specialist and have a sleep study done.
1 Like
If this has been occurring since birth (and not a side effect of his ADHD meds), ask your pediatrician about a sleep study. Often sleep disorders will present with ADHD symptoms.
3 Likes
Best thing I ever did for my kiddo who has adhd was therapy!! He can now manage his feelings without meds. Its so important for our kids to understand the feelings they have. Since my kiddo has been under control emotionally his sleep has improved 100%
If you’re letting them go to sleep at 5 that’s why he’s awake at that time I have two boys who are ADHD tried the same thing but I forced him to stay awake until at least 8 p.m. so you may have no choice but to figure out some way of keeping them up until 8 p.m. and you might be lucky like I was to get it to where they slept until 6 a.m.
1 Like
I’m a support worker and o have used melatonin at work, you need to be realllyyyyyyy relaxed for it to work. Maybe try a bubble bath with LED candles and then a bedtime story while they kick in 
My son did that. His doctor said it was due to lack of schedule. Do daily walks and lavender baths. Spray the air 30min before sleeping
Melatonin and Benadryl have the opposite effect on my child neither help him sleep at all they both actually wire him up even more.
2 Likes
I wouldn’t let him go to sleep at 5pm sounds like hes sleeping the right amount of hours just not normal sleeping hours. Adjust his schedule.
1 Like
Just talk to his doctor.
Have you talked to his doctor? Perhaps they could prescribe something. If your son is taking rx, he may need a medication change.
Schedules are very important with adhd. Routine wake up time, same meal times and the same bedtime routine every night. Like dinner, playtime, bath time, bedtime story and then tuck in bed. It takes awhile but if you can get him on the same routine, I guarantee not only will his sleep improve but so will he’s behavior and everything else
2 Likes
Rule out other diagnoses- sleep apnea- mood disorders-especially with early awakenings- and look into sleep hygiene and CBT-i- cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia. There is a CBT-i coach app that is free that is a good program.
This might sound weird but have you tried a can of coke, my nephew is ADHD and he had a coke one day and it calmed him down. He wasn’t allowed pop of any kind when he was younger,
My daughter finds that things that would have a sleepy effect on a non adhd brain have the opposite effect on her. I would take to the dr about it.
Find a good psychiatrist. My daughter is 8 and never slept even as a newborn. Melatonin and the prescription type benadryl had adverse reactions to her. Melatonin had her up for almost 2 days straight. My daughter has been on a prescription sleep medication since September and even though its only 4 to 5 hours of sleep it has made a huge difference in her behavior! She was diagnosed with behavioral insomnia. She is also ADHD.
1 Like
Melatonin was what our doc recommended for my daughter. Liquid kind, under the tongue. High protein diet, routines.
my son’s doctor put him on Clonidine to make him fall asleep and stay asleep and it’s worked wonders
I have 3 kids with it. We have a very strict schedule mainly cause 1 is autistic but. Starting at 5pm we eat dinner by 6pm warm baths for 20-30 minutes rub down with baby bedtime lotion and we give 20-30ml of liquid sleep aid (yes we talked to their dr this was our last hope for sleep) 730 to 8pm story time and if they are still awake we will youtube children’s sleepy time music and pick the one with blue sky and yellow stars is their favorite then listen to that and cuddle until they fall asleep sometimes 10 minutes and on rough days an hour and a half but they are usually asleep no later than 9:30 and wake up between 5am when I do and 730am. It took us 9 days of doing this to get the routine going and now they tell me when I’m running late doing something.
My son is the same but he is 15.Up all night sleep all day
My son has ADHD and odd and we go thru unsion behaver health and we had the same u are going Thur we trued everything and we stared going to unsion and his Dr put him on coladine 0.1 and when he stared that he stared to sleep
And he has been on that for 3 years plus all the other meds he is on helps him with his ADHD and odd at home and in school
And now he is 8 no more sleeping problem and calmer
My god son also has awful ADHD she’s been using the dr reals for kids bath salt stuff it’s got lavender and melatonin she said it really made a difference
Coffee. Works opposite for ADD kids.
I’m Adhd and if I take melatonin it hypes me up. I could clean my house and yours. Caffeine calms me down.
1 Like
My daughter went through episodes like this but she didn’t have any ADHD or ADD or anything at all! I went to her pediatrician with literally a mental breakdown and she had nothing for me but a “her time clock has kicked in” she offered prescribed melatonin which I tried and didn’t work. Once she hit 3 and like 2months it was like magic! Everything fell into place and the girl started sleeping normally. Thank god for an amazing husband who would help me so much or else I probably wouldn’t be here. I pray you find something for your little one and fast cause sleep is not only essential it’s everything!
Tea time. About 7PM have him drink tea. It has a calming effect. Reg tea or cama mill
My son was the same. The doctor gave us a medicine to help him sleep. I forget the name, but its also used for blood pressure. Hes now 13, no issues falling asleep. But I lost my mind for lots of years!
1 Like
Weighted blanket helps my son settle in an go to sleep and stay asleep! It took a few weeks but It seems to help alot! Best of luck
When my son was on ADHD meds (many years ago), the doctor gave him Pamelor to help with his sleeping.
I will say that I wish someone would have told me more about ADHD medications before they put him on them, because the way some of them affected him were awful (Concerta & Vyvanse). We had a much better experience with Intuniv. I hope you & him get some relief soon
1 Like
My son was adhd so i would also try a in house therapy swing it is the rhythmic motion that will help unwind him. I agree with the reducing the meds sometimes they make them crazy and out of control. Sometimes it helps to let them sleep in a closed space. Box, closet, under bed, swaddle. You dont say how old he is.
My son has it and after tons of doctors therapies and medications he is now on Vyvanse and fluoxetine and it’s been the best combination ever. Kids with ADHD/ADD usually have high anxiety. He would fight going to sleep and I’d have to lay with him for hours or sleep with him when he was little. He was diagnosed at age 5 and will be 15 soon. It has been extremely difficult, but I feel we are in a good place now with medications and school.
My daughter use to be the same… I started giving her baths with bedtime baby bath and lotion… laid down on couch with favorite movie and she slept… she had adhd and anxiety with asthma to boot.
How old is he? You have to be so careful with ADHD meds. Some doctors will put pill after pill on kids without actuality getting to the root cause. I don’t know how bad his ADHD is but you might actually try taking him off that and revamping his diet.
Coffee often has the opposite affect on people with ADHD so try some before bedtime.
3 Likes
Sounds odd but my son has a caffeinated beverage two hours before bed. Then a melatonin when he goes to bed. No sleeping issues and we are on our 3rd (and hopefully final) ADHD med.
2 Likes
My son has major issues with sleeping. There is a sleeping component in his medicine. But when he still has trouble. Emergen ZZZZZZ sleep and it works really well better than melatonin.
My son has ADHD and we had to get him on a sleeping med along with ADHD meds. Talk to the dr
Try benadryl at night it helped my son at night as he had ADHD.
I have ADHD and I drink coffee before bed and it knocks me out
2 Likes
I would have him checked for autism. I used to work with special kids and I noticed most of them have issues sleeping.
Check his diet. Maybe red dye. No caffine or chocolate. Maybe try all natural diet. No sugar.Sure it will be hard on you. Prayers
No flour no red dyes
Melatonin it’s all natural
It’s time for a doctor it’s insomnia
His body may not be producing enough melatonin
My daughter had the same issue, her doctor put her on a low dose of Clonidine. Talk to your child’s doctor, my daughter’s a teen now and is not the same kid she was when she was younger. She’s been weaned completely off all meds as she got older and was able to get more control of herself. It’s heart breaking watching your child struggle with something they have no control of and most adults don’t/ won’t understand that they cannot control themselves. Lots of counseling for both the child and parent will go a long way. I thank God every day for the doctors and counselors that came into our lives and made my daughter the happy, healthy girl she was meant to be.
My daughter didn’t sleep until she was about 3 1/2 years old. I didn’t try to make her sleep. If her body needed it, she’d sleep. I just trained her to stay in bed and play quietly until she fell back to sleep or it was time to get up.
2 Likes
Talk to your pediatrician
Whitney Moran-Gagnier
I’m right there with ya
Try seeing if you can be referred to a pediatric neurologist. Or see if his pediatrician will prescribe something. My son fought sleep and his neurologist prescribed him Clonodine to help get him to sleep. It has worked amazingly.
1 Like
Melatonin made my children hyper! We decided to use it once to get the children to sleep earlier for flight. These children were running circles around us. Like bouncing off the walls for 12 hours straight! I will never use it again. It took me 2 weeks to get their sleeping schedule back on track. I wish you luck mama. Sending positive and hopefully sleepy vibes your way.
Its the meds he is on. He won’t be able to sleep he will be awake all night. I know because I had a brain injury and the doctor said I had the same systems as someone with adhd so he put me on the meds one of them was meth…date. I had a heart attack 11 years later the heart doctor told my doctor to take me off the meth pill…so I no longer take it and I can sleep with no problem whatsoever when I was on the pills I could not sleep…I could not get to sleep and then I could not stay asleep. Also I was so mad all the time… I was mad at everything and everyone all the time it was awful. They are the worst medication ever…I hope you can get him off of the meth. He will have a better life without the meth pills…also they made me slow and dumb.
1 Like
How old is he? My son had such severe ADHD he had to take clonidine to put him into REM sleep after a sleep study showed, he was unable to do it naturally or even OTC sleeping medicine. ( all monitored by doctors of course)
2 Likes
CLONIDINE. my girl is the same stop taking naps at one and still barely slept at night. She started clonidine at 5 and has been great for her. Finally sleeps 8-10 Hrs a night at age 8.
My son is 13 and he’s adhd add odd ect well my son doesn’t sleep much but he is on sleeping medican he takes serquil for sleep that’s what his doctor put him on to help him sleep if we didn’t he wouldn’t never sleep ever he would stays up for weeks with no sleep I would speak to the doctor and ask them what else you can do mama
I have adhd. I didn’t sleep well as a kid and as an adult I still don’t. I can take a sleep aid and some nights it’s no good. Good luck. Hope you find something that helps.
Don’t give him caffeine or sugar late in the day. He won’t be hyperactive and will be able to sleep. Im 40 and have to practice this on myself.
Oh I feel this in my soul. My adhder hasn’t slept more than 4 hours a night since the day I brought her home from the hospital 
we’ve tried melatonin and other meds but she would still be up all hours of the night. She has outgrown it now at 15 and has really been able to control her sleep patterns since about 13. She says the routine is the key. A nightly ritual is what helped her. Same time every night starting a 7 pm she starts her shower then picks up her room, she makes her sleepy time tea and watches her 1 hour of YouTube or videos and lights out. At first it took about a month to 8 weeks to really get her mind to cooperate. When she was small we had rules as to what she could play with while everyone else was sleeping and we just had to let her be her. Its not her fault she can’t sleep so we didn’t punish her. We have done some type of evening routine since 1st grade and sometimes it worked perfectly but there was still nights she didn’t sleep.
I was told to give benedral hour before bed once it stopped working had to get a new prescription that seemed to work for awhile. There were times I had to stay in there and just make sure he was completely still not sure even allow fingers to move until he fell asleep
As someone who struggles with ADHD and tried to go through life without meds, please advocate for him and get some meds. Itll start affecting his grades, his personal relationships and even work habits. So many people are anti meds but mine have saved me. And thank god Im able to sleep. I used to lay there for hours shaking my legs and feet. And never felt fully rested. It was miserable
4 Likes
When my grand son had problems Dr had him take benadryl.you may want to check with dr
Ya definitely a dr. If i was as a mother gunna lose it i would go to urgent care. But deft make dr appointment asap!!
1 Like
Look into Chinese medicine x