Nigtmares & Night Terrors
Night Terrors, Sleep Talking and Sleepwalking
Night Terrors, sleep talking and sleepwalking are relatively rare sleep phenomenon known
as parasomnias. They tend to occur in families and are more common in boys than girls.
Most children outgrow parasomnias by adolescence.
In children prone to parasomnias, they occur more frequently when they are stressed or:
Not getting enough sleep
Have an irregular sleep schedule
Have fever or illness
Taking some medication
Sleep with a full bladder
Sleeping in a different environment
In a noisy sleep environment
Parasomnias occur during slow wave deep sleep. This sleep stage is most frequent in
the early part (first third) of the evening. Although a child having a night terror,
sleep talking episode or sleep walking may appear awake, they are actually asleep.
During a parasomnia, the child may have their eyes open. They typically appear
confused and often will mumble or give inappropriate answers to questions.
Occasionally, the child may appear agitated, clumsy and act in bizarre ways.
Sleep walkers can injure themselves or leave the house during an episode. The
sleeping environment should be made as safe as possible to avoid accidental injury.
Floors should not be cluttered, objects should not be left on the stairs, and
hallways should be lit. By tying bells to the child's bedroom door, you can be
alerted to the sleep walking incident.
Then child who is found sleepwalking should be led back to bed. Talk quietly and
calmly to your child. Generally, nothing is gained trying to awaken a sleepwalking
child, but nothing bad will happen if she does awaken.
If she spontaneously awakens after the sleepwalking episode (which older children
and adolescents often do), avoid teasing. Sleepwalkers are not aware of their
behavior and will not remember sleepwalking the next morning. Don't mention it in
then morning, unless asked by the child.
Children with nightly or frequent sleepwalking may benefit from a treatment called
scheduled awakening. The technique involves fully awakening your child 30-45 minutes
before the time sleepwalking usually occurs. This seems to interrupt the sleep
cycles and decrease the chances of sleepwalking.
Relaxation techniques, including relaxation tapes at bedtime may also help prevent
sleepwalking.
Rarely, medication is needed to interrupt frequent parasomnias.
Nightmares
Nightmares are frightening dreams that can wake a child and leave them feeling upset
and in need of comfort and support. The child remembers the dream upon waking.
Because young children are unable to recognize that a dream is not reality, they may
believe something scary is still happening. Nightmares are a very common, if not
universal, childhood experience. For a few children, nightmares are serious,
frequent and interfere with restful sleep.
The content/themes of nightmares change with development. Because of toddlers'
normal developmental concerns about abandonment, their nightmares typically involve
being lost or something happening to their parents. As a child matures, their
nightmares frequently incorporate monsters and scary things related to daytime
experiences (e.g. scary movie, traumatic events).
Thing to do to minimize nightmares:
Avoid scary things before bedtime
Help your child deal with stressors
Make sure your child is getting adequate sleep
Things to do if your child has a nightmare:
Reassure and comfort
Provide a security object (e.g. blanket)
PLeave a light on. Use the dimmest setting possible
Discuss it the next day
Use imagination (e.g. dream catcher, draw a picture of nightmare and throw it away)