Paging all Doctors.

[CaptainErotica]

 Okay, I have a serious predicament I'd like to get some opinions on. It involves my six year old son. My wife usually gwts home around five or six pm. Nine times out of ten my son, is whining and crying like a two year, or worse. He cries that he is hungry, but just sits at the table crying. He cries when the wife tells him to put away his books, cries when I look at him, and sometimes cries for no apparent reason. It is because he is tired. I mean so tired that he had purple bags under his eyes. Of course he insists he isn't tired. When he wakes up the next morning he doesn't remember acting that way.

  The kids are in bed by nine or ninethirty at the latest, and wake up around six. I understand that kids get tired, but everyday and to this extent? my other kids do not act this way. I am tryign to get him in to see  a doctor but in the meantime i was wondering if anyone had any ideas as to what is causing him to be so tired all the time.

[Swedish Steel]

Ok, I'm not even gonna guess, I'm not qualified. I wonder if there are many docs here?

[Elvi]

Parent speaking here......
You have a typical six year old who appears to be absolutely knackered, he is displaying the typical symptoms of irritability, hyper activity and irrational behaviour.

A six year old goes through a lot of changes, it is another of those 'boost' times both mentally and physically.
They need huge ammounts of sleep, in my opinion he is not getting enough if he is going to bed that late.

My 11 year old, apart from Friday evenings and sometimes Saturday, has a 'upstairs' time of 8 o'clock and a lights out at 9.00.
When she was your son's age she was fast asleep by 7 o'clock.

Of course not all children are the same, so this is just from experience, but I've found a couple of sites that may give a little help to you.....

http://www.kidshealth.org/parent/

http://www.sleepfoundation.org/site/c.huIXKjM0IxF/b.2464483/apps/nl/content3.asp?content_id={6B085256-7F37-4346-8605-8AD5E1F6B313}&notoc=1

http://www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk/questions/category/index.aspx?categoryId=62

[TheAlchemist]

Not a Doc, but I have heard of some cases which may have similar roots.

If he's tired, but supposedly getting 'enough' sleep, then sleep quality may be an issue. There's a condition (don't know the medical term) where a person 'almost-wakes-up' several times a night (as often as every few minutes in the worst cases). It's not going to full alertness, but it's enough to bump them out of the REM stage, which is when the actual rest and recharge happens. Usually the cause is a breathing problem, I think tonsils or something in the sinuses. Very sketchy, I know, but it's all I know about it.

Also, low iron levels in the blood can cause fatigue - does he eat enough meat, or get vitamin supplements?

[GothicFires]

being in bed does not mean that he is sleeping. you need to discover what he is doing after he gets in bed.

and what TheAlchemist is describing is called sleep apnea. Do you know if your son snores? that might be a sign of it. sleeping test is the only way to discover that (I think)

[Swedish Steel]

Not a Doc, but I have heard of some cases which may have similar roots.

If he's tired, but supposedly getting 'enough' sleep, then sleep quality may be an issue. There's a condition (don't know the medical term) where a person 'almost-wakes-up' several times a night (as often as every few minutes in the worst cases). It's not going to full alertness, but it's enough to bump them out of the REM stage, which is when the actual rest and recharge happens. Usually the cause is a breathing problem, I think tonsils or something in the sinuses. Very sketchy, I know, but it's all I know about it.

Also, low iron levels in the blood can cause fatigue - does he eat enough meat, or get vitamin supplements?

Sounds awfully young for that though. I had those breathing issues, sleep apnea, I kept snoring untill I stopped breathing all together, eventually had an operation for it. But you never know, it could be that or something else disrupting his sleep. I would put my money on Elvi though.

[CaptainErotica]

  Thanks for the help. I was thinking Sleep Apnea myself. He does have problems breathing when he's sleeping but not laways. I also was wondering about a lack of iron in his diet, especially since we havn't been eating a wel las we use to when I was in the service. Come to think of it he wasn't realyl having problems until after I got out. I would agree with you Elvi, but my older and younger duaghters go to bed and wake up at the same time, and do not act that way. I guess the only way to know for sure wil lbe to get him into a doctor. Unfortunately I won't be able to do so for at least another month.

[Swedish Steel]

Well, if you suspect lack of iron you should get vitamins with iron in them, couldn't hurt.

[Elvi]

Or lots of fresh fruit and vegetables, especially spinach and other greens, looking at all the kid's diets is never a bad thing.

Thing is though Rob, every child is different and he may just need more sleep, so don't start a panic and remember too much iron, especially in children, is bad for them as well......

[Swedish Steel]

Everything is bad for you if you overdo it. :) Even oxygen! :D

[RubySlippers]

I say give him a couple candy bars and some sugary soda that will het him up and going. Oops you wanted the opposite result you know a child that age should get 12 hours of sleep a day. Yes I think a nice nap when he gets home would help and putting him to bed earlier by an hour might help. I get nine hours a day and its very invigorating. Just my two-cents.

[alahendra]

Also it is possibly that the kid is suffering from clinical depression.  This is something not common in kids that young, but it exists. I am not a dr. of course, or a psychologist, but I know this from personal experience--depression runs in my family and I battle with it still from time to time.  Some of the behavior your child is exhibiting - constant crying and crying at the drop of a hat - are heartbreakingly familiar to me. I would not count that out as a possibility.  Good luck to you and hugs for you and your little one.

EDIT: I just saw the part where you said it got worse once you got out of the service; missed that before.  Another indicator to me.  It may be he is an extremely sensitive child (some people are so sensitive to their environments--too much input) and that he has tendencies toward depression...and this huge change in his life could have started it.