Children and Nightmares: Dealing with These Monsters in the Night

Children of all ages have become inundated by the plethora of both, animated and live action shows and movies for years now. Age appropriate or not, the popularity of these shows and characters associated with them convey a sense of fascination and enjoyment that kids eat up. The unfortunate end result in all of this is the predictable response experienced by many children, which are nightmares. Because of these often traumatic events, parents are left with the dubious task of having to pick up the pieces exposed from the frayed minds of their child as a result of their nightmare.

Johnny Quest, Scooby Doo, Star Wars, Batman, villains and villainous characters in Disney animation and the Harry Potter and Twilight saga's represent just a small sampling of popular movies and TV shows that could have had a profound effect on a child's imagination wandering away from reality only to slip into the realm of make believe. Because children are exposed to an influx of these popular icons, nightmares are becoming more and more prevalent like increasing scare tactics employed in Disney's animated film entitled "Monster's Inc.".

Underneath the bed, in the closet, outside their bedroom window, once the lights go out, a whole different and unique world evolves right before a child's eyes. Tree branches, clowns, baby dolls and stuffed animals tend to take on a darker complexion and depict a more relevant representation of something the child witnessed earlier on TV, in a book or off the Internet. Stress, certain medications, fever and other ailments, major changes such as moving or the death of friend or loved one can also spur a dream, terror or nightmare.

The fact that everyone will experience dreams, night terrors and nightmares at one time or another, especially after age five and once REM(rapid eye movement-deep sleep) sleep has been attained brings about the cold hard reality that this mental phenomenon is inevitable. Fortunately, their are ways of combating the possible ill effects brought upon as a direct correlation of vivid images and emotional responses bringing about the undesirable effects of nightmares.

Establishing a sleep routine where you go to bed at roughly the same time each and every night while avoiding naps during the day have positive effects on reducing the possibility of having a nightmare. The avoidance of eating chocolate or anything containing cocoa prior to going to bed is another good practice to the avoidance of nightmares. Allowing your child to sleep with a favorite toy, blanket or other comfort item that might make your child feel more secure and safe. Leaving the bedroom door open or cracked while incorporating a night light into the night time decor can also help. Avoid allowing your child to be accustomed to a scary image prior to bed time, while instilling pleasing images can also be favorable in the reduction of nightmares. If your child illustrates any behavior of being frightened or scarred prior to bed, ensure your child that nightmares can't hurt them and they are not real. You may have to go through a routine where you perform a thorough inspection of their bedroom to reiterate that their is nothing that will scare them in the night.

If your child keeps experiencing nightmares, it may be a sign of something more serious and should involve seeing a doctor, counselor or psychologist. These persistent nightmares may be a result of an underlying, physical condition. Brain waves, muscle activity, sleep behavior and breathing (IE.sleep apnea) can all pose possible undesirable results leading to nightmares being experienced on a regular basis. Medications and other precautions can be administered after seeking professional advice.

As your child ages, the persistent pattern of experiencing nightmares should diminish. Just remember that what your child encounters prior to going to bed can influence what they experience while sleeping. Instilling happy thoughts and fond memories into their head before going to bed can only help.

Sweet dreams...