Question: I
have a 3-year-old and a 10-month-old who are both poor sleepers. They
wake me up numerous times during the night, for a bottle, to come
into my bed, etc. Between the 2 of them, I am woken up 5 to 7 times
a night. It seems like every time I drift off two sleep, one of them
starts crying. I was never a great sleeper to begin with, but I am
beginning to feel run down, sick, and I just plain can't function
anymore. Any tips on how to improve my health & functioning until
this difficult stage passes? (any special foods, vitamins, relaxation
techniques, etc.?) Kaila
Answer: Dear Kaila,
There are many natural remedies
and techniques that can help a person relax and sleep better but you
will keep having problems if you are woken up many times during the
night.
A three year old should be able
to sleep through the night without problems and a regular sleep routine
is important to accomplish this. The less sleep a child gets the more
likely it is that he or she will have problems staying asleep at night.
It is important to be consistent about getting kids to nap during
the day and to go to bed at a reasonable hour every night.
Another thing to keep in mind
is that your older child may be waking up at night if he or she notices
that the baby is being fed and receiving attention.
As for natural remedies, melatonin
is a nutritional supplements that supports proper sleep cycles. The
herb valerian is commonly used as a tea to promote sleep.
