Children and Night Terrors

Having a child who suffers from night terrors can be frightening and frustrating for a parent. Some would say that night terrors are simply nightmares, but there is a significant difference. So how do we as parents tell the difference and what do we do during an episode of night terrors? First let's learn a little bit about what night terrors are.

Nightmares occur during REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, or dreaming sleep. These are usually in the form of a long and frightful dream, sometimes from something the child watched or experienced. Night terrors on the other hand occur during a deep non-REM sleep. These night terrors usually happen a couple hours after the child goes to bed and is most common in children from the ages 3-5. Night terrors can last anywhere from a few minutes, up to an hour and are not dangerous to the child.

During a night terror the child's eyes may be open, but they are not awake. They may also scream loudly flail about or get out of bed and run around the room, in which case it is perfectly safe to gently restrain the child so they don't harm themselves. After the night terror has passed though and the child wakes, they will have no recollection of what happened other than a strong sense of fear. Children who suffer from night terrors usually only experience them once a night, and after the night terror has passed will spend the rest of the night peacefully.

Night terrors usually occur at the same time every night usually within the first few hours of falling asleep. You can attempt to prevent these occurrences from happening. Wake your child about 30 minutes before the night terror sets in, have them get out of bed and stay awake, talk with them for about 5 to 10 minutes before letting them go back to sleep.

If you walk in on a night terror episode, unless the child needs to be restrained, simply let the episode run it's course. If you try to wake your child you will only agitate them and make the night terror worse. While the episode might be frightening for you, remember that it is generally not dangerous to your child.

The reasons why children have night terrors can vary. Anything from fatigue and psychological stress can cause these incidents. They can even be hereditary, if one of the parents suffered from night terrors as a child. Be aware of the things that may distress your child and try to minimize these factors. Also make sure your child is getting plenty of rest.

Be sure that you warn anyone who takes care of your child during the night, such as babysitters or relatives, so that they can understand what is happening and don't over react or do anything that might make the episode worse. Night terrors usually disappear by the time the child is of school age and if not, simply bring up the topic to your child's doctor as it may be a precursor for something else.