How to Identify Night Terrors

Night terrors are a distinct neurological event, but researchers are uncertain of the cause and treatment. They differ from nightmares, bad dreams or bed-wetting sleep issues. They may be related to sleep walking, however. Identifying that your child has night terrors is a critical component in working to stop them.

Difficulty:

Moderate

Instructions

1. Note when your child wakes. Night terrors typically occur in the early stages of sleep, from 1 to 4 hours after your child has gone to bed. Theorists believe that they are caused by the child's brain moving into lighter sleep at a time when their body needs to continue to rest in deep sleep. This causes children to wake to a semi-alert state, but not enough to transition to light sleep. The night terror ensues. Nightmares are typically later in the child's sleep cycle, occurring in the early hours of the morning.

2. See if your child recognizes you. A child having a night terror will not recognize her parent. In fact, she may be calling out for her mommy in a heartrending way, while mommy stands directly in front of her attempting to soothe her. Because the child is not completely awake, her ability to recognize her room and family are minimal at best, despite the fact that her eyes may be wide open.

3. Observe whether your child is responsive. If your child responds positively to your voice and touch, it's likely a nightmare for which you can providing soothing reassurance. If your child screams and jumps away from you, it's more likely a night terror. Since your child isn't fully awake, any sensory input is likely to increase, rather than soothe, the magnitude of the night terror.

4. Check for a family pattern. While it's not clearly understood, there does seem to be a potential that night terrors are inherited. If your family has a history of night terrors or of sleep walking, then it's more likely that your child is amongst the small percent of children who experience night terrors.

5. Check in the morning. Children will have absolutely no memory of a night terror, whereas a nightmare may be something he will remember and discuss at breakfast. Don't make too large a fuss as it can be frightening for a child to hear of a dramatic sleeping event that he doesn't remember at all.

6. Check her age. Night terrors are uncommon over the age of 6. If your child is from 2 to 5, night terrors may be temporary. If your child is over 6 or over, it's worth a phone call to your pediatrician to check for other factors such as tonsillitis or adenoids causing sleep apnea--another potential cause of night terrors.

Tips & Warnings

• Be aware that some children who experience extreme night terrors may grow out of night terrors into sleep walking.

Resources

• How to manage a night terror