Treatment-For

Night Terrors

January 10th, 2006

Night Terrors

Child Night Terrors

Night terrors are not the same as nightmares and the two need different approaches from the parent. The best way to handle a night terror is not the same as the way most of us would deal with a child having a nightmare.

We all have dreams and a nightmare is really just a dream with unpleasant or scary content. Children seem to dream more than adults and as result they seem to have more nightmares. Children may also be less able to understand the difference between the dream state and reality - causing them to become distressed by the experience of the nightmare.

Night terrors are more than simply a bad dream. A night terror is a form of altered sleep, sometimes called a parasomnia. It is very rare for adults to experience night terrors.

With a nightmare

• the child will nearly always wake up and be distressed
• you can comfort a child after a nightmare
• the child can often remember some of the content of the nightmare
• the nightmare usually happens later in the night
• the nightmare happens during the light stages sleep
• if your child has had a nightmare then they may be afraid of going back to sleep.

With a night terror

• the child will not wake up - even if their eyes are open, they are not awake and cannot recognise you or communicate with you
• avoid trying to wake your child as they will become very confused and often frightened
• the night terror happens earlier in the night during deep sleep
• night terrors happen earlier in the night - usually in the first four hours of sleep
• the content of a night terror is usually completely forgotten.
• the altered state during a night terror is not unlike that seen during sleepwalking and the two conditions can co-exist
• night terrors that last longer than 30 minutes should be assessed by a doctor in case medication is required
• night terrors with associated jerking movements may indicate a form of epilepsy and should be assessed by a doctor
• night terrors are often more frequent when the child is overly tired - getting into a good and regular sleep routine can be very helpful

Children usually settle back into deep sleep quickly after a night terror - stay with them for ten minutes or so to make sure that they are safe in bed and comfortable.

Neither nightmares nor night terrors are harmful for the child and are simply a reflection of the childs active and developing mind.