Homeopathy Can Help Children with ADHD and Sleeping Issues
Children with ADHD and other emotional or anxiety led symptoms often have trouble getting to sleep. In fact, I often find that even the thought of going to bed sends many children into a frenzy.
When emotions are high and you feel exhausted it is really difficult to see whether there will ever be an end to it. When looking for homeopathic remedies to help you through a situation you need to consider other things that will help to change patterns, habits or routines.
There are many remedies listed for problems with the bedtime routine so you need to study the whole picture to find the best indicated remedy for your child. Some children dread the thought of bed and begin procrastinating when the bedtime routine begins, other children insist on having parents lie with them until they are asleep. By understanding what is happening, how the child is reacting, how they sleep, when they wake, whether they can play on their own all help you choose the right remedy.
When you consult with a homeopath they will look at the whole picture and consider the relationships between the family members before deciding on the right remedy. It is often useful to consider the perspective of an outsider to be able to see the whole picture.
Homeopathy is very specific about the hour that symptoms are worse so it is very important to understand that when we experience a change in emotions or a worsening of physical symptoms at a particular time, the acknowledgement and understanding of this will make it easier to find the right remedy.
I have put together some of the rubrics (emotional and physical points to be considered) with their associated remedies, these are the ones where there are less than ten remedies to consider. For more common symptoms such as fear at night there may be 300 remedies listed and so this information is not useful when looking to find a quick fix remedy.
You will need to choose three or four symptoms in order to find a remedy that fits them all.
Remedies that are useful for night time symptoms:
Evening Routine… Restlessness
Insomnia in the evening = Lycopodium
Worry fret and crying = Psorinum
Jumping on chairs and tables in the evening = Cina
Insomnia when exhausted = Coffea, gelsemium
Screaming in the evening = Chamomilla, cina, zinc
Going to Sleep
Child wants to be caressed = Chamomilla, kreosotum, pulsatilla
Fretful from bedtime to morning but next day lively = Psorinum
Bed feels to hard = Arnica
Will not sleep in the dark but will in light room = Phosphorus or stramonium
Twitching of limbs when falling asleep = Chamomilla
Insomnia from excitement = Ambra grisea, argentum nitricum, carcinosin, colchicum, hepar sulph, nux vomica, phosphorus, pulsatilla, sepia
During the night
Sleeplessness because of activity of thoughts = Argentum nitricum, arsenicum album, Calcaria carbonica, china, coffea, ignatia, sulphur
Crying during sleep = Natrum muriaticum
Watchful children … on the look out for every gesture = Phosphorus
Restless children during night = Aconite, arsenicum, kali carbonicum
Kicking in sleep = Belladonna, cina, natrum carbonica, phosphorus, sulphur,
Screaming from dreams = Aconite, tuberculinum
Screaming during sleep = Apis, Arnica, belladonna, lycopodium. psorinum, pulsatilla, sulphur, tuberculinum
Feet must constantly move = Zinc
Sleep talking = Ambra grisea, psorinum
Sleep walking = Kali bichromicum, luna
Bed Wetting
Bed wetting in adolescence = Lac caninum
In children = Aesculus hippocastanum, belladonna, carcinosin, causticum, china, cina, Equis, kreosotum, lycopodium, medorrhinum, natrum muriaticum, phosphorus, pulsatilla, sepia, silica, thuja,
Difficulty waking the child to go to the bathroom = Belladonna, china, kreosotum, thuja
Bed wetting occurs In first sleep = Causticum, cina, kreosotum, phosphoric acid, sepia
Dreams and night terrors = Aconite, antimonium tartaricum, calcaria carbonica, carbo veg , lycopodium,
More details of dreams:
Robbers = natrum muriaticum
Of mice = Colchicum
Of ghosts = Cocculus, sulphur,
Of future events = dull
At full moon. Natrum carbonicum
Giants = Belladonna
Hiding from danger = Lycopodium
Hair falling out = Magnesia carbonica
Losing way to house = Magnesia carbonica
Of monsters = Aconite, aloe, belladonna, calcaria carbonica, carcinosin, hydrogen, phosphorus, stramonium
Waking from dreams = Belladonna, silica, sulphur, cina, lycopodium, natrum muriaticum,
Sleeplessness
Insomnia due to anxiety or fear = Aconite, arsenicum, chamomilla, cocculus, bryonia (3-4am), carcinosin, phosphorus, pulsatilla, staphysagria,
Insomnia in own bed = Aconite, belladonna, coffea, ignatia, nux vomica, opium, pulsatilla,
Insomnia in dark room = Calcaria carbonica, pulsatilla, staphysagria, sulphur
Restless sleep in children = Aconite, arsenicum, belladonna, bryonia, Chamomilla, cina, coffea, ignatia, lachesis, rheum palmatum, staphysagria, zinc,
Eating during the night
Constant desire to eat or nurse = Calcaria phosphorica
Waking
Difficulty waking in the morning = Alumina, calcaria carbonica, calc-p, causticum, lycopodium, nitric acid, nux vomica, phosphoric acid, stramonium, thuja,
Waking every 2 hours = Natrum muriaticum
Waking every 3 hours = Natrum muriaticum or pulsatilla
From Dreams = Ambra grisea
Screaming on waking = Borax
Wakes at daybreak = Lycopodium
Wakes hungry = Aethusa, Lycopodium, phosphorus
Wakes at 5am needing a bowel movement = Aloe, sulphur
Wakes at 6am = Aloe, Argentum nitricum,
Useful Remedies for Sleep Issues with Children
Belladonna
- Moans and tosses about during sleep
- Restless, jerks while asleep, sleeplessness with drowsiness
- Frightful dreams of quarrels, robbers
- Sleeps with hand under head
- Heavy sleep with hot skin
Aconite
- Nightmares and anxious dreams
- Fear, fright, anxiety
- Restless and tossing about
Arsenicum Album
- Disturbed, anxious, restless sleep
- Violent starting with twitching and trembling of limbs when asleep
- Worries at 2am
Borax
- Compulsive movement of hands whilst sleeping
- Cannot sleep because of heat in the head
- Sleeplessness at night
Calcaria Carbonica
- Insomnia due to worry
- Night terrors/nightmares, dreams of monsters
- Starts at every noise
- Frequent waking during the night
- Head sweats during the night
- Teeth grinding at night
- Wakes in a good mood and usually early
Causticum
- Frequent movement of arms and legs during sleep
- Yawns and stretches very drowsy
- Slightest noise awakes
- Laughs and cries during sleep
Chamomilla
- Weeping and wailing during sleep,
- Anxious and frightened of dreams
China Officinalis
- Drowsiness and heavy sleep or sleeplessness
- Fear of dreams remain
Cina
- Sleeps on abdomen
- Screams or talks in sleep
- Night terrors. Wakes frightened
- Grits or grinds teeth
Lycopodium
- Fears of being alone in the dark
- Fears of ghosts, robbers or monsters
- On waking becomes cross and scolds his mother.
- Laughs or weeps in sleep
Psorinum
- Always hungry, must have something to eat during the night
Pulsatilla
- Sleeps with hands by head
- Wide awake in the evening.
- First sleep restless
- Talks, whines or screams during the night
- Desires company and hates to be left alone
- Insecurity
- Needs to be rocked or caressed to fall to sleep
- Children procrastinate bedtime by wanting a drink, going to the loo, wanting to talk, needing another story.
Sulphur
- Great amounts of energy at bedtime
- Sleep un-refreshing or awake early with lots of energy
- Awakes with starts or screams
- Cannot sleep between 1am and 5am
- Sleeps on the left side or their abdomen
- Become warm dorm sleep and stick feet out of covers
Tuberculinum
- Insomnia
- Nocturnal hallucinations
- Child wakes screaming with restlessness.
- Distressing dreams, awakes in horror
- Hard to fall asleep, restlessness physical and to calm the mind
- Teeth grinding whilst asleep
- Wakes slowly in the morning and if pushed will react with a temper
Phosphorus
- Children do not want to sleep alone and often make a fuss until the parent lies down with them.
- Fear of the dark and have to have a light on.
- Often will sneak into their parents room during the night.
- Restless sleep, sleep walking or talking.
- Nightmares or terrors
- Sleep on their right side or their tummy.
- Often awake in the morning full of energy and hungry.
