Natural Sleep Aids for Children with Insomnia

Insomnia is an extremely common disorder in children, most often affecting children with autism, attention deficit disorder, and emotional disturbances. Stress and simple habits can also play a major role in childhood insomnia.

Fortunately, there are several sleep aids believed to be safe and effective for treating insomnia in children. While these are generally considered safe and have been backed by clinical studies, always talk to your child's doctor before adding any new supplement or medication to your child's treatment plan.

Valerian

A root containing a number of sedative volatile oils, valerian is one of the best-known and most effective treatments for insomnia in both adults and children. Unlike pharmaceutical drugs, valerian actually increases the amount of time spent in REM sleep, leading most insomniacs to feel more rested and refreshed after sleep.

Valerian's safety in children has been vouched for by at least two peer-reviewed studies. One study of nearly 1000 children showed that valerian worked to eliminate insomnia in children 6-12, with no adverse side effects. Another study of five learning-impaired children showed a remarkable improvement in sleep patterns after the children were given valerian.

For children, valerian can be given safely as a tea or extract. Valerian tea is naturally bitter, so some parents may choose to ice and sweeten it, or mix it with hot chocolate, to make it easier for the child to drink. Alcohol-free extracts produced by the company Herbs for Kids are also an easy, effective method for administering the herb. However, valerian remains unstudied in children under three and should be avoided by infants and toddlers.

Chamomile

Fortunately children under three who suffer from insomnia, chamomile is a safer alternative to valerian and has been established to be safe for use in young children. Chamomile is so useful and safe, even in very young children, that it is often administered to babies who are teething or suffering from colic. See this article regarding chamomile and teething for more information.

Never shown to cause any severe side effects and generally recognized as safe by the FDA, chamomile may be an ideal option for treating insomnia in children, especially young children. Although anecdotal reports from my clients have indicated that it is not quite as strong as valerian, it may be more suited for children who have milder cases of insomnia, are very young, or are small in size.

Chamomile has a naturally sweet, apple-like flavor and any children will drink it directly as a tea, either iced or hot. Several parents have told me that their child accepted chamomile more readily when it was mixed with apple juice, so I now frequently recommend that. Kid-friendly extracts containing no alcohol are also available at most health food stores.

Melatonin

For children with autism, anxiety disorders, or chronic nightmares, melatonin may be the safest natural solution for insomnia. Melatonin has been widely studied in children and there are over two dozen established studies vouching for both its safety and effectiveness. Melatonin appears to be particularly effective when insomnia is caused by mental deficits or illnesses in children.

One interesting study showed that both children and adults with autism are more likely to be deficient in melatonin, which may suggest that melatonin not only has the potential to alleviate insomnia in children, but also to help with other struggles pertaining to autism spectrum disorders.

Several studies have also demonstrated that children who take melatonin before bed sleep longer and deeper, and report having fewer nightmares. For unknown reasons, melatonin does not seem to work as uniformly in children as other alternative treatments.

Melatonin appears to be very well-tolerated by children of all ages, but has not been thoroughly studied yet in infants. Most pediatricians recommend against the use of any sedative in children under 1 year of age.

Insomnia in children can be a difficult disease to overcome, and is stressful to both children and parents. Fortunately, for those who wish to avoid pharmaceutical drugs for the treatment of this extremely common disorder, safe, effective, natural alternatives exist.

Sources Used:

Effect of valerian on sleep difficulties in children with intellectual deficits: randomised trial.Phytomedicine, Volume 9, Issue 4 , Pages 273 - 279;

A combination of valerian and lemon balm is effective in the treatment of restlessness and dyssomnia in children. Phytomedicine, Volume 13, Issue 6, Pages 383 - 387;

Abnormal melatonin synthesis in autism spectrum disorder. Mol Psychiatry. Volume 13, Issue 1. Pages 90 - 98;

Melatonin for treatment of sleep disorders in children with developmental disabilities. Journal of Childhood Neurology. Volume 16. Pages 581 - 584;

Melatonin for chronic sleep onset insomnia in children: a randomized placebo-controlled trial. Journal of Childhood Neurology. Volume 16. Pages 86 -92.