A typical nightmare
Nightmares, a type of dream, are very common in young children and are normally part of a child’s development. They are possibly our brain’s way of dealing with events and thoughts occurring during the day. They occur more frequently in the 2nd half of a person’s night time sleep, in a sleep stage called "Rapid Eye Movement (REM) Sleep". Young children usually have more REM sleep than adults.
Nightmares are usually infrequent, and are not normally anything to worry about. Typically, a child will wake up, be anxious or frightened, fully alert, and can remember the dream very well. The dream normally involves the child or someone they know well. The child may find it difficult to go back to sleep.
When help is needed
If your child is experiencing recurring nightmares and/or it is affecting his/her sleep then seek medical advice.
Can anything be done?
To prevent nightmares make sure the child is not exposed to television programmes, books or events that might cause distress, particularly before bedtime.
Sometimes it helps to write down, draw pictures or talk about nightmares to an adult the child trusts. Some children keep dream diaries. This may help to sort out the child’s emotions and thoughts about the dreams or reasons for their occurrence. If you want to discuss the nightmares with the child then try to do this during the day, and not during the night or when the child is about to sleep.
It may help to act out the scene from the dream, but change the ending to make it a happy one. If the dream is about a monster, spider, or scary person or creature then it may help to "chase" it out of the room, or out the house, using something the child is interested in. For example "fairy dust", a pet dog or a family member the child trusts. Dream catchers are also sometimes effective if the child believes that it will work. It is important for the child to realise that they are in control of their dreams.
Another technique that can occasionally work is for the child to be told to open their eyes while the nightmare is occuring, again showing that the individual is in control. If the child remembers what they are told during the dream and they manage to open their eyes, then they will then end the dream by waking.
It is imprtant to reassure the child if they are upset so that they know they are not alone. However, avoid too much intervention, such as taking the child out of bed, getting a drink etc. Holding their hand/ giving a hug should usually be enough. The more disruption there is, the harder it may be to go back to sleep.
If the child is having persistent, distressing nightmares, then it may be appropriate to have counselling. Some children might be having nightmares due to a traumatic event, such as a house fire, bullying, some kind of abuse or change in home circumstances. If this is the case then the underlying problem needs to be looked at.
Medication is rarely used.