Kids Have Nightmares Is There A Similarity To Night Terrors

Nightmares occur often in young kids, but there is no similarity between a nightmare and a night terror. Though they both cause sudden disruptions in sleep, night terrors are not only less common, but are also more severe than nightmares. Exactly how or why nightmares and night terrors occur is not known. However, excessive tiredness, lack of sleep, irregular sleeping patterns, stress and anxiety, all play a part according to experts, in letting both nightmares and night terrors occur.

Nightmares are common and can occur at any age, while night terrors on the other hand are more common in children than adults. They tend to run in the family and usually start before the age of 10. Commonly kids between the ages of 2 – 6 have night terrors.

What Are Nightmares?

Nightmares are scary, frightening dreams most kids have from time to time. They occur during REM or rapid eye movement sleep, which is the third phase of sleep in which dreams usually take place. Most nightmares happen usually between 4 a.m. and 6 a.m. They are often scary enough to awaken a child and usually makes going back to sleep difficult, as they tend to remain in the memory.

There is no known clinical or mental cause for the nightmares. But they usually tend to occur when a child is in a stressful or fearful situation, such as hearing parents argue, parents divorcing or watching scary movies. Occasional bad dreams are normal after about 6 months of age. One out of 4 children has a nightmare more than once a week.

Nightmares often relate to developmental stages in a child, toddlers and young children tend to dream about monsters, school going kids tend to dream about failure and not doing well in school, while older kids tend to dream abut death or dangerous situations. Most kids have trouble going back to sleep after a nightmare.

Nightmare Symptoms

• Having recurring frightening dreams
• Feel threatened by the theme of the dreams
• Detailed memories of the dream that are hard to forget
• Usually occur in the latter half of the sleep period

How To Deal With Nightmares In Young Children

It is important to comfort, reassure, and cuddle a child after a nightmare. It also helps if parents talk with their kids about their bad dreams. Some other tips include;

• Avoid kids watching frightening movies and television shows close to bed time.
• Leave the bedroom door open. Never close the door on a fearful child, as it will make him/her more scared.
• Give your child a security blanket or comfort toy.
• Let your child go back to sleep in his/her own bed.
• Do not spend time searching for “the big bad monster."
• Before your child goes to sleep, talk about happy or fun things.

If the nightmares become worse or happen more often and fear takes over perform daily activities, consult your doctor.

What Are Night Terrors?

Night terrors are quite unlike nightmares. They tend to take place during slow wave or deep sleep i.e. within two to three hours of a child going to bed, usually between 1 a.m. and 3 a.m. Although they are not harmful, night terrors cause intense fear in kids. It is a partial awaking from sleep characterized by screaming, kicking, sleep walking, thrashing, mumbling or panic. The sleeping child appears to be awake, sitting up with his/her eyes open, but is actually still asleep. Night terror episodes end with the child going back into a deep slumber and usually not remembering what happened the next day. Night terrors are considered normal until age 6.

Symptoms

The following are common characteristics of a night terror:

• Your child is frightened but cannot be awakened or comforted.
• Your child's eyes are open but he/she is not aware of your presence.
• The episode lasts from 10 to 30 minutes.
• Your child often does not remember the episode in the morning.
• You child is scared, screaming and breathing rapidly with a fast heartbeat.

How to deal with night terrors in young children

• Try and help your child return to normal sleep, by attempting to sooth him/her. Do not try to awaken your child.
• Hold your child if it seems to help him/her feel better.
• Protect your child against injury, by keeping a close watch on them as they are experiencing their night terror. A child can fall down a stairway, run into a wall, or break a window.
• Try to prevent night terrors. A night terror can be triggered if your child is over tired. Make sure your child goes to bed at a regular time, and gets enough sleep.

While night terrors are not harmful, they can resemble other conditions or lead to problems for the child. If your child is drooling, jerking, or stiffening, experiences night terrors longer than 30 minutes, or during the second half of the night, or does something dangerous during an episode, it is important that you speak to your doctor as soon as you can.

Nightmares and night terrors do not happen as much as children get older. Often they stop completely when your child becomes a teenager. Nightmares and night terrors in children are not caused by mental or physical illness. They tend to happen after a stressful physical or emotional event. If night mares or night terrors persist for a long period speak to your doctor or consult a therapist.