- Some symptoms of night terrors include sweating, confusion and an increased heart rate. Your child may also have no recollection of a bad dream or of what awoke her. Your child may also be difficult to wake up and may be inconsolable. Children who have night terrors usually have constant and repeated fears at night.
- Night terrors can happen to children of any age, but they are usually most common in children aged 2 to 6. They can also last anywhere from 10 to 20 minutes and happen during the fourth stage of sleep, when your child is in her deepest sleep (see Resources).
- Children who have sleep terrors can cause the entire family to suffer from a lack of sleep. Since the screams from a child suffering from night terrors are so intense, they usually beckon for the entire family to run to the room to see if the child is OK. While night terrors aren't dangerous, children can sleepwalk, bump into things and hurt themselves during a night terror if they get out of bed.
- Though some prescriptions medications are available for the treatment of night terrors in adults, medication is mostly not used to treat night terrors in children; however, benzodiazepine is used In severe cases. Creating a stress-free environment, having a standard bedtime routine and reassuring your child that there is nothing to fear can all help to reduce night terrors (see Resources).
- Night terrors are a common childhood occurrence. Like many sleep disorders, night terrors can run in families. An interruption in your child's sleep schedule can also cause night terrors. Problems at home or at school, changes in routine and lack of sleep can also contribute to an increase in night terrors.
