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Home › Articles › Sleep Issues › Night Terrors

Night Terrors

When Kids Go Bump in the Night

By Teri Cooper Brown

Pages:  1  2  3  4  5  

"When the child begins to have this terror, parents should never try to restrain the child," Dr. Irdeb says. In fact, he says that parents should not interfere in any way. "It is hard to just watch, but it is very important to refrain from any interaction with the child. The parents must wait it out." He stresses they should stay close enough to prevent the child from injuring himself, but stay out of the child's line of fire or path of movement.

Nightmare or Night Terror?

Both nightmares and night terrors may begin with a terrifying scream, but otherwise have little in common. Unlike the child's unresponsive behavior during night terror, a fearful scream after a nightmare is usually followed by an urgent request: "Mom! Come here! I had a bad dream!" When Mom or Dad arrives, the child is still in bed, but is wide awake. She vividly remembers the bad dream, often wants to talk about it and feels better after sharing the details.

At first, her actions are nervous, shaky and excited or scared, but after her parents' hugs, kisses and perhaps a glass of warm milk, she begins to settle down. She may ask one of her parents to sleep with her or may ask to sleep in their bedroom, but will almost always go back to sleep if the parent is firm and reassuring.

The following chart is a good checklist to determine whether your child is having a bad nightmare or is suffering from night terrors:

Night Terrors