Children's Sleep Disorders and Nightmares

There are many different types of sleep disorders in children. Night terrors and nightmares are the two different sleep disorders. They have different symptoms and treatment for each condition.

Significance

Night terrors are a sudden awakening from the phase of sleep called slow wave sleep with a scream or feelings of terror. They occur in about 5 percent of children and can begin at 9 months old. They occur during the deep, non-dreaming phase of sleep. A child in this state may bolt out of bed, scream and have his eyes wide open but is not really awake. Children are not aware of anyone's presence in the room. Nightmares are dreams that occur during REM (rapid eye movement) phase of sleep. A child may awaken with her heart pounding full of fear but remember the dream and be really awake. This often begins when a child is 9 months old.

Symptoms

Symptoms of night terrors happen in the first third of the night. The child does not remember or respond when you touch or shake him. Often he has total or partial memory that the incident occurred. The incident can last from a few minutes to a half hour in which the child flails about, tosses and turns or screams before it ends. Symptoms of a nightmare are: The child wakes up from a nightmare with intense fear and a pounding heart. She may scream but remember the dream or part of it. The child is alert, and there is little confusion or amnesia. Sometimes children have trouble falling back to sleep, and they breathe rapidly.

Warning

What types of things can you do for children or toddlers with night terrors or nightmares? When a child has night terrors, it is suggested that you don't attempt to awaken or restrain him. This can lead to more violent behavior. He is really asleep, so he will not recognize your attempt to help him. Do not speak to him or attempt to startle him awake; this only makes matters worse. Often the child will calm down in 15 to 20 minutes and fall into a normal sleep. When your child has a nightmare, she will wake up and you can give her a big hug or comfort her by reading her a story. Perhaps a cup of hot cocoa or milk and cookies might help. You can talk with your child and let him know it's just a dream. You should search the room for the hidden monsters to show the child he has nothing to fear.

Prevention/Solution

There are definite actions to prevent the chance of night terrors occurring for your child. Try to make sure that the child has enough sleep; being overtired has been proven to cause night terrors in children. You can extend nap time or let the child sleep later in the morning. Stress is another factor. Try to decrease stress in the child's life, let him sleep with a night light, and don't tell ghost stories at night. Avoid TV one hour before bedtime. It's good to have some time before bed to relax, read a story, play and cuddle with the family. Sometimes you can awaken the child a few hours after she is asleep to disrupt the night terror syndrome.

Consideratons

An occasional nightmare is normal, but you should consult a specialist if they are frequent and you see changes in the child's personality and health. He may need some type of treatment for the problems. In the case of extreme night terrors, sometimes a doctor will prescribe tranquilizers to help or refer you to a sleep disorder treatment center or doctor specializing in this. There are normal episodes in children and are not a sign of psychological problems. A physical can help rule out any physical problem, so consult a doctor when symptoms get out of control.