Is the room cold? That might wake him up, and then he thinks he’s hearing something.

I would say there is something that is unsettling with him, maybe it’s discomfort as well

Maybe he’s just a light sleeper? Do either of you snore? That could wake him? Or possums?

It is not uncommon for kids to wake in the early hours of the morning if they are cold. Does he have enough bedding to keep him warm? And is he wearing warm enough sleepwear? The nights are getting much colder now so it might just be that.

i am glad to see that you have kept us up-dated. thanks for that and glad that you solved your issue.

Thank you for all your advise… We change the sleeping arrangement… He still doesn’t like to sleep in his bedroom as the way the house was setup his room is sort of isolated from everybody else and no one else wants to take on that room… We choose Airbed as easy to pull/push under the bed than a mattress and it is comfty have fitted sheet and doona as a topper and a warm blanket. It has plenty of air no need to inflate, floor is carpetted as well… My 5yr old daughter is now sleeping in it and he sleeps in her bedroom(they don’t want to share the bed)… Seems to be working so far… Regarding possums and critters told the real estate and doesnt seems to care (very very noisy specially at night).. We had a snake (green tree python) incident inside the house not long ago and I guess that may be what bothers him and something he downloaded that he shouldn’t have a scary game that he now uninstalled… appreciate all your comment! Thanks

yeah airbeds are not very comfortable things though! can you swap it for his mattress? they also grip onto you pretty well so even trying to roll over is an effort and not to mention pretty noisy. he is probably a light sleeper and is being woken up by this noise

I would try giving him a warm glass of milk at night just before bedtime. Warm Milk has worked for my kids as it has a calming effect. Protein foods such as milk and milk products contain the sleep-inducing amino acid tryptophan. I agree with the others about asking him if there is any issues that worry him. These things play on people mind when they become a bit alert after deep sleep. If you talk about the possums and bats before bedtime… even a passing comment just might be enough to make him worry. Also watch what he is eating before bedtime there are plenty of foods that can give you a restless night hence waking up early. Spicy food is one of these…
Give the milk a go. Best of luck.

If he has been sleeping on the airbed for awhile could it need the air pressure adjusted.

Does he have any worries he may be thinking about? If he’s checking doors etc he could be worried… Even if it’s about random stuff at school. Could possibly be keeping him up?

Call your local council or realestate agent to have the animals removed. They carry all manner of animal lice, fleas etc.
It is most likely the critters waking him and his imagination is doing the rest. Snuggle him into bed with you.

This time of year when the weather is cooling off, that’s a common time to wake. If he’s sleeping on an airbed, you might find he’s getting a draft being down lower than you, and that could be waking him.

If he doesn’t already, try getting him to sleep with socks on. It might sound silly, but it seems to work with my children as it’s often cold feet that wakes them (works for me too when the weather is cooler).