Night Terrors, Why, And What Should You Do
Many children experience
night terrors, but most grow out of them. They don't cause any long-term
psychological harm to your child.
The sleep terror seems
nightmare, but with more dramatic presentation. It's very alarming for parents,
but it's not related to deeper medical issues.
During a typical night,
sleep occurs in several stages. Each is associated with particular brain activity,
and it's during the rapid eye movement (REM) stage that most dreaming occurs.
Night terrors happen
during deep sleep. Unlike nightmares .
a night terror is not
technically a dream, but more like a sudden reaction of fear that happens
during the transition from one sleep phase to another.
Night terrors are common
in children aged between three and eight years. A child who experiences night
terrors may scream, shout and thrash around in extreme panic, and they may even
jump out of bed. Their eyes will be open but they're not fully awake.
Night terrors usually
occur about 2 or 3 hours after a child falls asleep, when sleep transitions
from the deepest stage of non-REM sleep to lighter REM sleep, a stage where
dreams occur. Usually this transition is a smooth one. But rarely, a child
becomes agitated and frightened — and that fear reaction is a night terror.
A child during the night might suddenly sit upright in bed and shout
out or scream in distress. The child's breathing and heartbeat might be faster,
he or she might, and act upset and scared. After a few minutes, or sometimes
longer, a child simply calms down and returns to sleep
Night terrors is common
in young children, but it can sometimes also affect adults.
There are many causes of
adult nightmares, but they’re often linked to stress, trauma or an existing
mental health condition. They can also occur after taking certain types of
medication, such as antidepressants.
Why the night terror
happen:-
- When your
child sleep deeply, when he suffer from tiredness
- Sudden sounds or excitement that
make your child wake up
What you should do:-
- Be calm and wait until they calm down.
-You shouldn't attempt to wake your
child when they're having an episode.
-After the episode has ended, wake your child and encourage them to use the toilet before
settling them back to bed.
- If the night terror episodes are frequent and occur at a specific time,
you should wake up your child 15 minutes
before the episode
In a small number of children who have frequent episodes of night
terrors, referral to a specialist service may be needed (Nightmares).
