Night Terrors

Just wondering if anyone has experience with this?

Joey has been waking up at night screaming and I'll go in and he is pointing at "something" and yelling NO! or GO AWAY! and he is really freaked out. He takes ages to calm down and doesn't seem to be really awake when I have him.

I read up in my book of knowledge (doesn't every mum have one of these! ) and it described exactly what Joey is doing, only thing is it said that it happens because of some trauma in the childs life!!? DH and I are trying to come up with a reason this might be happening but have no idea. It's quite scary really and I hate to think Joey is so upset about something in his life I can't fix!

Anyone elses child go through/is going through this? How long did it last? Any comments?

Thanks

Paris went through a period of that from about 19mths until just after Ayja was born, she'd be screaming and sometimes eyes open but never actually look awake, mostly whatever we did to try and calm her would do absolutely nothing, we took to just sitting with her on our knee for a few minutes, reassuring her it's ok, and suggesting we tuck her back down, at which point she'd forget and snuggle back into her bed. Other times once i was further in my pregnancy we'd just grab her and bring her into our bed, but that was more so i didn't have to keep gettingup than anything else.

maybe he doesnt want no2 to come along...

No! or go away! to the baby perhaps.

maybe its not the baby as such, more the feeling that he is not going to be first anymore. Maybe make him your little helper and give him a role - like nappy sorter or ask him to help with the babys room and which teddy bears etc...and give him lots of little rewards for doing it????

Here is some information on them from a kidhealth website run by the paediatric society of NZ. Jayden gets them frequently and this was quite helpful.


Key points to remember

    * nightmares are bad dreams that are usually related to worries your child may have. They usually go away after talking about these worries with your child
    * night terrors can be very frightening and usually happen one or two hours after falling asleep. Gently keep your child out of harm’s way until it passes. Keep the home environment safe
    * make sure there is no underlying medical condition such as sleep apnoea
    * it is important to make sure your child gets plenty of sleep, avoiding sleep deprivation. Keep a regular bedtime routine and keep fevers down



What is a nightmare?
Nightmares occur when your child is woken while having a bad dream. It is sometimes not easy to comfort your child because they might recall the content of the nightmare and be afraid to go back to sleep. Give your child a reassuring hug and then they will usually settle back to sleep quickly.

Nightmares can occur in children of any age and are most likely to happen during the later part of the sleep such as in the early morning. This is when REM (rapid eye movement) or dream sleep usually occurs. Nightmares can reflect worries that your child might be having during the day and it might be useful to talk about this with them.


What's the difference between nightmares and night terrors?
Night terrors occur when children are partially aroused from deep (stage 4) sleep. They are not quite awake yet not completely asleep. Throughout the night terror, your child’s “mind” remains asleep, whereas the “body” looks somehow awake and facial expressions are very emotional. Your child may scream and appear very frightened, usually not recognising the parents or carers. It will be difficult to reassure your child and they may try to run away or push away those trying to console.

Night terrors do not arise from REM (rapid eye movement) sleep and are therefore under the group of non-REM sleep disorders. Usually your child does not remember having the night terror the next morning.

Night terrors tend to occur in younger children and are usually outgrown by the end of primary school age. They are also different to nightmares because they usually take place in the early part of the night, usually one or two hours after the child falls asleep.

Like nightmares, there are usually no long-term psychological effects.


What to do?
Nightmares

With nightmares, it is usually enough to reassure your child and stay with them until they are comfortably off to sleep again. The next day, it usually helps to talk about the dream and ask about any worries or fears they may be experiencing.

Night terrors

With night terrors, your child will appear to be confused and not fully awake, so keeping them out of harm’s way is important. Make sure the home environment is safe as they may sometimes run around. Doors and windows should be locked and sleeping on the ground floor is encouraged.

During the episode, keep them away from danger by gently restraining them – your child will usually go straight to sleep after a few minutes. Parents / carers often report that the more they try to wake them the longer the episode lasts.

Back to Top
Can they be prevented?
Nightmares

Before bedtime, try to spend time with your child and ensure activities have a calming effect; for example, try reading a book with them. Try to avoid your child watching exciting videos, inappropriate television or commencing vigorous activity prior to bed.

Night terrors

It is important to make sure your child has a very regular bedtime and consistent routine. This will help to ensure that they get enough sleep. Fevers also make night terrors worse so it is important to try and keep the fever down when your child is sick (see fever fact sheet). If the night terror happens at the same time every night, it sometimes helps to wake your child (for example by gently nudging their shoulder until they stir) 15 minutes before this time, letting them drift off to sleep again. This can be very effective – usually after four or five nights of this you can stop the partial waking and see if the night terrors have stopped.

I dont think it always have to do with trauma as such. Heard a few cases from friends and McKayla had it a few times (but that I think was due to moving overseas and it wasnt her first move in her short life either)

Best thing to do I found is to try and hold them in such a way that they cant hurt you or themselves and just to talk gently and softly until they either go back to sleep or start to wake up.