Prue DeAraugo
RyanaNight Terrors
July 15th 2008 06:03
There is nothing worse than lying in your bed at night, just about to go off to sleep, when your child lets out a blood-curling scream. You lie there hoping it will stop soon but it just seems to go on and on.
It could be that your child is experiencing night terrors. Although it can seem quite scary to you as a parent, they are actually quite harmless. It is not clear what proportion of children experience night terrors, some experts say just 1-6%, others feel around 15% may suffer from them occasionally.
What are they?
Night Terrors are different from nightmares. Nightmares occur during the Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep, and a child will remember what scared him or her, even though they may not be able to articulate it.
Night terrors are not dreams; they do not occur during REM sleep, the child is often confused and is unable to tell their parents what has scared them. Children experience night terrors, from around 18 months of age (although it has been seen in children as young as nine months) to around six -seven years.
A child experiencing night terrors is not usually fully awake, even though they may have their eyes open or be sitting up in bed. If you try to comfort him or her, she may not know you are there or even push you away. An episode may last anywhere from a few minutes to 20 minutes.
Night Terrors will probably scare you more than they scare your child. A child can be screaming and thrashing around and then suddenly calm down and go back to sleep. Often a child will not even remember the incident the following morning.
Possible Causes
Nobody knows for sure what causes night terrors among children. Paediatricians suggest that it may run in families, so check to see if anyone else in the family has had night terrors or sleep walking issues. They can also be linked to a stressful event such as a problem at school, or not getting enough sleep. Some have experts believe they are linked to developmental stages such as toilet training, others have dismissed such a link.
What to Do
If your child experiences night terrors go to them but try not to wake them, if you do they may appear to be confused. Sit near them and make sure they are safe. If they happen at the same time every night, you can try to stop the cycle by waking your child 15 – 20 minutes before the event and take them to the toilet or give them a drink of water. This may help break the cycle.
Remember, as scary as these episodes seem to you, there is no link to psychological problems. Most children grow out of them.
It could be that your child is experiencing night terrors. Although it can seem quite scary to you as a parent, they are actually quite harmless. It is not clear what proportion of children experience night terrors, some experts say just 1-6%, others feel around 15% may suffer from them occasionally.
What are they?
Night Terrors are different from nightmares. Nightmares occur during the Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep, and a child will remember what scared him or her, even though they may not be able to articulate it.
Night terrors are not dreams; they do not occur during REM sleep, the child is often confused and is unable to tell their parents what has scared them. Children experience night terrors, from around 18 months of age (although it has been seen in children as young as nine months) to around six -seven years.
A child experiencing night terrors is not usually fully awake, even though they may have their eyes open or be sitting up in bed. If you try to comfort him or her, she may not know you are there or even push you away. An episode may last anywhere from a few minutes to 20 minutes.
Night Terrors will probably scare you more than they scare your child. A child can be screaming and thrashing around and then suddenly calm down and go back to sleep. Often a child will not even remember the incident the following morning.
Possible Causes
Nobody knows for sure what causes night terrors among children. Paediatricians suggest that it may run in families, so check to see if anyone else in the family has had night terrors or sleep walking issues. They can also be linked to a stressful event such as a problem at school, or not getting enough sleep. Some have experts believe they are linked to developmental stages such as toilet training, others have dismissed such a link.
What to Do
If your child experiences night terrors go to them but try not to wake them, if you do they may appear to be confused. Sit near them and make sure they are safe. If they happen at the same time every night, you can try to stop the cycle by waking your child 15 – 20 minutes before the event and take them to the toilet or give them a drink of water. This may help break the cycle.
Remember, as scary as these episodes seem to you, there is no link to psychological problems. Most children grow out of them.
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