Night Terrors: Sleep Disorders in Preschoolers
Article By Angela Kerevarah
What do you do when you find your son or daughter is getting up after being tucked into bed, screaming, yelling, and running around the house?
What is this?
A nightmare?
You try to wake her up but it’s difficult.
She looks awake and she’s agitated and frightened. Once you wake her up she has no memory of the event but is terrified.
Was it a scary dream?
No, she says, she has no recollection of what she was even dreaming about.
These sleeping events are called Night Terrors.
They are most commonly seen in children who are between 3 and 5 years old. They are both scary for the parent and the child. But believe it or not they are harmless. Most children grow out of them. Two to 3% of all children will experience episodes of night terrors. By the time they reach school age, most of these children will have outgrown these generally harmless events
Night Terrors are Very Different than Nightmares
Night Terrors occur within a couple of hours of falling sleep. This is the non REM (rapid eye movement) stage of sleep. During this phase of sleeping the sleep is not deep but the child is quiet and the body is settling down. For reasons currently unknown, the child awakens frightened and starts moving around screaming, flailing arms possibly, and her eyes are wide open. Once she wakes up she has no memory of what scared her. In fact, there was no real event or item that scared her. The child appears to be awake but she is not. As she is so scared she is also asleep. Generally these episodes last from 10 minutes to an hour. Children fall back asleep after the terror has passed. They do feel real fear even though they can’t put their finger on what caused this extreme reaction.
What Causes Night Terrors?
Night terrors have their roots in a number of causes. Stress plays a big role in bringing about this sleeping disorder. Being overtired and not getting sufficient sleep can bring on night terrors. Night terrors also can run in families, if you or your spouse experienced them during your childhood your child may have them too. Also children and families who have a history of bed wetting, sleep walking, night mares and/or talking in their sleep may be more predisposed to night terrors. Other causes of night terrors can be a reaction to medication, food and drink before bedtime, interruption of routine, and developmental challenges like separation anxiety, loss etc.
What can I do to Help My Child?
It’s helpful to know that although these events may be disturbing for you, night terrors themselves are not harmful to your child. But because a child may get out of bed and run around the room, doctors do advise parents to gently restrain a child experiencing night terrors. Otherwise, let the episode run its course. Shouting and shaking your child awake will just agitate her more. Remember to warn babysitters and other family members who may be present overnight so that they will understand what is happening and won’t overreact.
It’s helpful to know that although these events may be disturbing for you, night terrors themselves are not harmful to your child. But because a child may get out of bed and run around the room, doctors do advise parents to gently restrain a child experiencing night terrors. Otherwise, let the episode run its course. Shouting and shaking your child awake will just agitate her more. Remember to warn babysitters and other family members who may be present overnight so that they will understand what is happening and won’t overreact.
Other Signs of a Night Terror are:
Screaming or talking wildly
A blank stare
Mistaking objects or people in the room for dangers
Episodes that last 10 to 30 minutes (generally longer than typical nightmares)
Inability to remember the episode in the morning
Prompted Awakenings
Prompted awakenings 15 minutes before night terrors begin, for seven consecutive nights, has been successful in eliminating the episodes in 90 percent of children. The trick is to notice the length of time from when your child first falls asleep to the onset of a night terror, and then awaken your child 15 minutes before the episode typically occurs. Keep her fully awake and out of bed for five minutes. Keep a sleep journal for your child, noting what she has eaten before bed, any new activities in her life and the potential for them to be stressful TO her, include conversations with your child about how she is feeling and what may be bothering her.
Night Terrors are Generally Harmless
However parents should call their pediatrician if they notice any drooling, jerking or stiffening during the episode. This may be a symptom of a serious health problem.
About the Author:
Angela Kerevarah is a certified nurse midwife, mother of 2 grown children and soon to be grandmother. She is on the All About Moms Ask A Midwife expert panel.
Copyright © 2001 Angela Kerevarah, All Rights Reserved Reprinted with Permission