This post is part of a series where our team of child mental health professionals answer real questions submitted by readers like you. Please take care when reading.

We recently received a question from a parent wondering if their child’s trouble sleeping was something to be worried about. Here’s what our team of child mental health professionals had to say:

“My 7-year-old daughter has difficulty falling asleep and wakes up in the middle of the night, saying she’s unable to sleep. Can you help me figure out what’s going on, and how I can help her?”

- L., Nairobi City

Thank you for reaching out.

From your question, I cannot tell if this is something new or longstanding for your daughter. We all wake up multiple times a night, including children. Some children don’t know how to self-soothe until they get back to sleep, and some can’t fall asleep because of underlying difficulties.

If this has been happening for a while, I would mention her sleep issues to her primary care provider so they can assess the situation. Longstanding sleep issues can have origins in different underlying problems

If it is completely new, has anything changed? A house? A room? Something about the family?

Change can worry young kids, and this worry can disturb sleep or cause them to want more reassurance - both can manifest in waking up to seek comfort.

Your daughter is also at an age where it is very common that fears about monsters or other scary things are worse at night. Does she get up and get your attention or crawl into your bed? While these things may help her calm down in the moment, they also can reinforce the pattern of waking up and seeking comfort.

In general, we recommend a brief interaction with the child at night, to reassure her if she is scared, and a very simple statement to return to sleep.

Additional Resources

• The Rabbit Who Wants to Fall Asleep on Amazon

• The Little Elephant Who Wants to Fall Asleep on Amazon

• “My 5-Year-Old Has Trouble Sleeping. Should I Worry?” [Blog]

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