What are Night Terrors?

Night Terrors are NOT nightmares. In fact they occur at a completely different stage of sleep. Nightmares are dreams and occur at a stage of sleep called REM (rapid eye movement) which usually near the end of our night sleep, while night terrors occur in a very deep stage of sleep (called stage 4) where sleepwalking also occurs.

Someone observing a child experiencing a night terror may witness one or more of the following:

• The individual sitting up
• Eyes may be wide open
• Calling or shouting out/ talking
• Screaming
• Thrashing around
• Pushing the parent away
• The child will not normally be aware of it when waking in the morning (but there are exceptions)
• Sweating/ rapid breathing and heart rate may occur

The person often appears frightened, but in fact most people do not realise that anything is happening while they are experiencing it. It is often more frightening for the parent/ carer to witness.

Night terrors often occur for a few nights at the same time each night but there is not always a clear pattern.

What causes night terrors?

Night terrors are thought to be caused by over-arousal of the CNS (central nervous system). It often occurs in individuals ages 4-12, (occasionally it can be seen in babies and toddlers although this is very rare), due to the fact that the nervous system is still developing. There is often a genetic link.

It is thought that factors such as overtiredness, anxiety (such as being away from home) and sometimes changes to medication can lead to night terrors, but there is not always a clear cause.

Do they need to be treated?

This depends on the nature of the night terror and why it is occurring. If there are underlying problems such as the ones outlined above then these factors may need to be addressed, not necessarily to cure the night terrors but issues such as these may also affect other aspects of the child’s life.

If the night terrors are affecting the family by keeping siblings or parents awake repeatedly then this may be a good enough reason to tackle them.

Another issue to consider is safety. If the child hurts his/ herself by thrashing around then the issue should also be addressed.

If you are unsure whether the child is experiencing a night terror or not then seek medical advice as the symptoms could indicate another problem.

What can be done to treat or prevent Night Terrors?

It is important to make sure the child is getting enough sleep and has a good sleep routine in place. If you need help with this, please speak to your health visitor, doctor or contact us.

Make sure your child is not feeling anxious or stressed about anything that could be triggering the night terrors.

If they are happening for several nights in a row, it helps to note the times that they are occurring. If they occur at the same time of night (which they often do) then you can wake the child up 15 minutes before you expect the event to happen, and then let them go back off to sleep. This can sometimes break the pattern (you may need to wake them for several nights to do this).

Medication is rarely appropriate. Speak to your doctor if the night terrors persist and if they are having a detrimental effect on the child’s or family’s quality of life.

It is important to try not to wake the child while experiencing a night terror as this will often cause confusion and distress. It is also very difficult to wake someone having a night terror as they are in a deep stage of sleep (Stores and Wiggs, 2001).

Reference

Stores, G. and Wiggs, L. (2001) Sleep Disturbance in Children and Adolescents with disorders of development: its significance and Management. Published by Mac Keith Press. London.