Night Terror in Children
Once children enter the toddler years, it is often difficult to get them to go to sleep. This is especially true if children have night terrors after they go to sleep. This condition can be especially troubling to children and their parents, and will usually affect the sleeping environment of the entire household.
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Fact
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Night terrors are apparent in children who are between 3 and 12 years old. Approximately 1 to 6 percent of children have night terrors regularly.
Identification
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Symptoms of night terrors in children include frightened crying, higher heart or breathing rate than normal, sitting up in bed, kicking, screaming and perspiration while sleeping.
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Misconceptions
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Most people think that nightmares and night terrors are the same condition, but this is not the case. Night terrors are distinguished by symptoms of intense and fearful crying. It also is difficult to wake the child during an episode.
Warnings
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Children suffering from night terrors usually experience them as a result of stress they are feeling. If night terrors are frequent, a physician should be consulted.
Prevention
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There are no ways to prevent night terrors, though in rare cases some psychiatrists will treat children experiencing intense and frequent night terrors with antidepressants.
Considerations
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Do not shout at your child or shake him. This will make things worse. Wait the night terror out, and speak calmly to the child. (Resource 1)
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