Night Terrors Occur in 2 Percent of Children - Parenting Tips

Night Terrors Occur in 2 Percent of Children

Kevin and Keri's first child, Tiffany, often awoke in the middle of the night complaining of a bad dream. After a hug and some assurance from her parents, Tiffany would quickly fall back to sleep. However, when their second child, Logan, began waking during the night, things were different. Logan would sit straight up in bed screaming, but didn't seem to know his parents were in the room. Some nights, it would take up to a half-hour for the screaming to stop and for Logan to fall back to sleep. The following morning, Logan never remembered the episodes. Worried about their son, Kevin and

Keri spoke to Logan's pediatrician. She explained that their son's apparent bad dreams were actually night terrors, a condition that affects young children between the ages of 1 and 8, and recommend tips for dealing with Logan's night terrors.

Children often wake in the middle of the night from bad dreams. However, a child who awakens agitated and restless but cannot be awakened or comforted, suffers from night terrors. An inherited disorder, night terrors occur in two percent of children between the ages of one and eight.

A child experiencing night terrors typically:

Sits up or runs helplessly about while screaming or talking wildly.
Appears to be anxious, but does not indicate specific fears.
Has wide open eyes and is starring, but doesn't appear to see you.
Cannot remember the episode in the morning.

A night terror episode usually begins one to two hours after falling asleep and lasts anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes. Although disturbing for parents, night terrors are harmless and will end once the child calms and returns to a deep sleep. By the time a child reaches age 12, the problem will usually disappear.

Psychological stress does not cause night terrors. However, becoming overtired can trigger the problem. Parents can deal with night terrors by:

Helping the child switch from agitated sleep to calm sleep - Don't try to awaken your child, instead turn on the lights so there is less confusion from shadows. Help your child focus by speaking calmly and repetitively. Do not shake or shout. This will only cause more agitation and prolong the attack.
Protecting the child from injury - Gently guide your child back to bed to prevent falling down a stairway, running into a wall or breaking a window.
Preparing nighttime caregivers for episodes - Be sure to explain your child's night terrors to caregivers who will be with the child during sleeping hours so that they will know what to do if an episode occurs.

Parents can prevent their child from having night terrors by ensuring adequate sleep. Naptime or a one-hour "quiet-time" should be restored for preschoolers. Late bedtimes, which can trigger night terrors, should be avoided. And, if your child needs to be awakened in the morning, an earlier bedtime should be established.

Contact your child's physician if he/she experiences any drooling, jerking or stiffening, or if episodes last longer than 30 minutes or occur in the second half of the night.