My 10-year-old son has a really hard time sleeping. We’ve tried melatonin, but it didn’t work. Any suggestions?

To help your son sleep, it’s important to work on his diet and lifestyle, both of which can overstimulate the nervous system. Diet:

-Avoid stimulants like refined sugars, caffeine (chocolate, dark soft drinks), aspartame, food colouring and chemical additives, all of which can affect sleep quality.

-He should eat at least two portions of fruit and four portions of vegetables every day for the vitamins and minerals they provide.

-He also needs small amounts of protein regularly throughout the day, not only to stabilize his energy, but also because protein helps in the production of neurotransmitters for the nervous system.

Lifestyle:

-It’s important that he keep active to burn off any excess energy he might have, but he should stop exercising at least two hours before bed. Ideally, he should play sports right after school or an early supper (around 5 p.m.).

-Limit the use of electronic devices to an hour a day, and ban it completely three hours before bedtime.

-Reading a book (the old-fashioned paper kind) has a relaxing effect on the brain and can help with sleep problems. Natural products’ effects on sleep and nervous energy are cumulative, as most have a balancing effect on neurotransmitters. You’ll start seeing results after a few weeks.

Melatonin doesn’t have a balancing effect and serves only to replace the body’s natural production. I therefore recommend that your son take A.Vogel Passion Flower.

This plant has a calming effect that provides fast results, while helping to restore balance in the neurotransmitters. Eventually, he’ll need to use it less and less often. You can give him one dose in the morning if he’s stressed out, nervous or hyperactive, and one dose at bedtime.

However, if his only problem is his inability to sleep well, give it to him only before bedtime. The dosage for children 4 and up is stated on the package.