Nightmares and Night Terrors – How to Identify and Treat

Nightmares and Night TerrorsIf you have a child who has nightmares or night terrors, you know how stressful, exhausting and scary they can be. The first struggle many parents face is figuring out which they are dealing with – nightmares or night terrors. Here’s what you need to know about both and how you can address them.

Nightmares

  • Most commonly occur with children who are 2+ year old
  • Occur during REM sleep – typically second half of the night
  • Your child wakes up from the nightmare, seeks your comfort, and can tell you details of the dream.

Night Terrors

  • Most commonly occur with children who are 2+ year old
  • Occur during non-REM sleep – typically the first couple hours of the night
  • Your child is not truly awake. Their eyes may be open, but when you come in the room it’s as if they don’t see you or realize you are there.

Triggers. Both nightmares and night terrors can have triggers. For example, watching a show or movie that scares your child can certainly trigger nightmares. An example of a trigger for night terrors would be the anticipation of a big life change (move to a new home, new baby, etc.) or upcoming events (Halloween, Christmas, etc.). The most common trigger for both of these, however, is carrying sleep debt or being overtired.

Tip for handling night terrors. If your child is having a night terror, the best thing you can do is let it run its course. You want to make sure your child doesn’t hurt themselves so there may be a scenario where you have to intervene, but ideally you just keep an eye on them and at the end of the night terror they most often go back to sleep as quickly and suddenly as they woke. Waiting the night terror out can be sooo hard to do, but if you wake them from a night terror, the chance of another night terror occurring that same night increases significantly.

Treatment. If your child is suffering from regular nightmares or night terrors, you should let your pediatrician know so you can rule out any underlying medical issue. The good news is that for the majority of children, the most effective treatment for both nightmares and night terrors is the same. More sleep! Focus on having a consistent and relaxing bedtime routine and put your child to sleep earlier. Sometimes 30 minutes of additional sleep is all it takes to nip nightmares or night terrors in the hiney.

Leave a Comment