«I'm so scared that I can no longer fall asleep»

«Why don't you ask Sarah?»

My name is Elina and I'm seven years old. My big sister Tilla told me that vampire bats always fly around the house at night. I'm now terrified of going to sleep at night. They might come into my room and bite me. My parents just laugh and say that's rubbish.
Elina, 7 years old

Dear Elina
Your big sister has really scared you! That's not nice of her. But I suspect she had no idea what she was causing. She probably just wanted to annoy or scare you and didn't realise that she was causing you a lot of worry.

But please believe me: There are many types of bats. The smallest is called the pygmy bat and is only as big as a box of matches. It is as light as a sugus. There are also other bats. All species that live in Switzerland are harmless to humans. They mainly eat insects such as mosquitoes.

The so-called vampire bats actually exist. They live in certain areas of America and feed on the blood of animals. However, they do not attack humans, but are afraid of them. So it can't be that such a bat flies around here because it doesn't occur in Europe.

Distraction before falling asleep

So if your sister told you this, she either didn't know about these animals - or she just wanted to have a joke with you. I think you could go to your parents and tell them that you don't find these kinds of jokes funny at all. They should talk to your sister and make it clear to her that it wasn't okay.

But now we still have the problem that you can't fall asleep well at night. I think it would help if your parents and sister apologised to you because they just laughed about it instead of taking your anxiety seriously.

Why don't you have a story told that is exciting but not scary or creepy?

And secondly, I recommend distracting yourself with something nice when you're falling asleep. Maybe you can listen to some soft music? Why not leave a small light on or leave the door ajar? Many children are allowed to leave a small sleep light on overnight - one that is not too bright, but gives you a sense of security if you have not yet fallen asleep or should wake up during the night.

In order to sink into the land of dreams, it helps many children to be told a bedtime story by mum or dad in the evening. It makes sense for this to be a nice story that is exciting but not scary or creepy. And some would rather tell a bit more about their day. It is often only in the evening that there is finally some time and peace for this.

Autogenic training

Would you like to ask your mum or dad if they would massage you with an oil before you go to sleep? It's enough if they gently rub your back with lavender oil, for example. This is very calming and will help you to fall asleep.

I find the Captain Nemo stories by Ulrike Petermann particularly helpful when a child can't get to sleep at night. Or fantasy journeys, which can be found in various books or online. These stories usually incorporate elements of autogenic training - a relaxation method. These are things like: «You are very calm. Your arms and legs are getting heavy. Your body is all warm», to name just a few. They work so well that children can fall asleep better and also find more inner peace in everyday life. Why don't you ask your parents if you could try something like this?

Good luck and good night!