What is night terror in small children and what can be done?

Answer 1

This web site is VERY informitive....

http://www.healthatoz.com/healthatoz/Atoz/common/standard/transform.jsp?requestURI=/healthatoz/Atoz/ency/night_terrors.jsp

Here's a couple quotes from this site...
Night terrors occur most commonly in children between the ages of four and 12 but can also occur at all ages. Affected individuals usually suffer these episodes within a few hours after going to sleep. They appear to bolt up suddenly, and wake up screaming, sweating and panicked. The episode may last anywhere from five to 20 minutes. During this time, the individual is actually asleep, although the eyes may open. Quite often, nothing can be done to comfort the affected person. Very often, the person has no memory of the episode upon waking the next day.

Night terrors are differentiated from nightmares in that they have been shown to occur during Stage 4 of sleep, or in REM sleep, while nightmares can occur anytime throughout the sleep cycle.

Suffering from night terrors seems to run in families. Extreme tension or stress can increase the incidence of the episodes.
Episodes sometimes occur after an accident involving head injury. Other factors thought to contribute to episodic night terrors, but not actually cause them, include:


-medications


-excessive tiredness at bedtime


-eating a heavy meal prior to bedtime

The goal should be to help the affected person go back into a calm state of sleep. The lights should be turned on, and soothing comments should be directed at the person, avoiding brusque gestures such as shaking the person or shouting to startle them out of the episode. Any form of stress should be avoided.
Individuals affected by night terrors should be evaluated by a physician if they are really severe and occur frequently.

Answer 2

A night terror is a really bad nightmare, basically. You will know if your child has one because she will wake up SCREAMING, usually a short time after falling asleep, and she will be really hard to soothe.

Hold your child and reassure her that she's safe and ok. Maybe turn the lights on low so that she can see that she's in a familiar environment. When my daughter has had night terrors, I've let her sleep the rest of the night in our bed (but we co-sleep about half the time, anyway, so it was nothing unusual).

Basically, I think to myself, "What would make me feel better if I were small and helpless and scared," and I try to do that for my daughter. Put yourself in her shoes, and do whatever comes naturally.

Answer 3

Night terror is the worst kind of night time dreams. Its so real that you can hurt your self in the struggle. I had them as a child until I was a early teen. There is nothing worse than that. Pray like crazy, put a bible under the child's bed and at the door into the room it helps. My six years old has them also and that seems to help so very much. My prayers will be with your child and your family.

Answer 4

Night terrors are a worse version of a nightmare - usually involves child waking up very upset or screaming or panicing etc.

Deal the same way you would a nightmare - try to decipher what it is that's causing the fear in their dreams and deal with that plus lots of consoling and support.

Answer 5

I read on babynews that night terrors are a symptom of lack of good sleep. Maybe try to increase the daytime nap when it's not so scary?? Good luck that's got to be tough.

Answer 6

Most probably this is a nightmare. Little children have fears of abandonment or monsters. Perhaps the child would benifit from seeing child psychologist.

Answer 7

It's an extremely intense nightmare. I have them myself, and I know how frightened I am when I wake. I can't imagine how awful it is for a little one who isn't going to understand that it isn't real.

My son has them, too. I don't think there's anything you can do for them, except to regulate what they're seeing on TV. Make sure they aren't overstimulated when they go to bed. When he wakes up from one, it can take hours to calm him back down. Unfortunately, you just have to ride it out. Sometimes softly singing works, sometimes popping in his favorite videos, sometimes a sippy cup. Eventually he'll go back to sleep.

Answer 8

My son has these sometimes. It's like a terrible nightmare, sometimes he "wakes up" screaming and crying. He is totally inconsolable- I can't wake him up enough to calm him down for a few minutes. I just hold him and talk gently to him until he settles down.

Hope this helps.

Answer 9

When my son had them I could not even touch himit made it worse... We would just move things away from him so he couldn't get hurt they usually didn't last too long (longest was 20 min) but when it was over he didn't even seem to remember (he was 2) but he out grew them in about 6 months

Answer 10

a nightmare

just reassure them

put a night light in the room - my son has one and its a magic light that means no monsters can go in his room