Is My Son Having Nightmares?

Look into the possibility of night terrors - here's a good link:

http://pediatrics.about.com/cs/sleep/a/night_terrors.htm

My nephew had these when he was younger. Very scary! I hope this helps; good luck!

He may be having nightmares or night terrors. My son had night terrors. The symptoms of n. T. are: still being asleep while exhibiting terrified behavior, halucinations, sleep walking. The best thing to do is to not wake them up, but to hold them and calm them until they get over it. T.V. is probably a good thing, since it works. They eventually outgrow them.

Hi,

It could be just the age/teething etc. but a holistic Dr. told me once that kids can have night terrors at night due to a pinworm infection. It's a simple test at the Dr.'s and might be worth a try.

It may be something that you want to talk to your Dr. about to be sure, but when my son, now 10, was 2 he had night terrors and we pretty much went through the same thing. He would scream and throw himself around, and we couldn't hold him or anything. It's very hard and for the most part he has grown out of it. My advice would be patience. While we couldn't hold him during those times, we would sit by him and talk to him and rub his back to try to calm him down and wake him up. Once he woke up and was calm, he was much easier to get back to sleep. Hope this helps.

My daughter went through the same thing off and on for about a year. Her pediatrician called it "night terrors". She said that most of the time the children are still asleep when it happens, even though they appear to be awake. My daughter would cry for less than five minutes and then go back to asleep. I would not pick her up, but I would always go in to check on her to make sure she was okay. Maybe that is what your son has.

My now 3 year old son used to do this between 18 months and 2 years. My mom calls them night-terrors, and apparently my brothers used to do it to when they were little. I read somewhere that they seem to have a connection with growth spurts. Anyhow, it looked really scary to my husband and I, but we were comforted to realize that our son had absolutely no memory of them in the morning. It turned out to be more frightening for us than it did for him. We found it was best not to try to wake him. We'd stay close by to make sure he didn't get hurt, or in case he needed us if he woke up. And eventually, he just grew out of it. Here's a link to more information about night terrors: http://pediatrics.about.com/cs/sleep/a/night_terrors.htm

Both my sons seemed to start having night mares at this age. It was very different for both, but they were consolable. I wonder if what you're dealing with is night terrors, since he's so hard to console. I haven't had any experience with those. As far as how long it continues, my first had issues for about 6 months, if I remember right, and the second had them for something like 3 nights and then very rarely.

My daughter is 20 months and has been doing the same thing. We have to go find the cat and that distracts her and she goes back to bed. I believe that it is nightmares. You are doing the right thing

My daughter at about that same age went thru this as well. I was told "Oh its just night terrors." Like it was something totally normal. It freaked me out! With our daughter we did about the same thing...hold her till she calmed down; but it was like she was asleep. I was never able to figure out what triggered it but she eventually after a few months grew out of it. Good luck, I'm sure you are doing whats best for him.

It probably is nightmares. Unfortunately. But the best way to cope with them is comfort and routine. With children the biggest things that brings on nightmares are change and normal fears.

If a distraction technique seems to be working you may want to try to put a radio in his room that has a timer on it. You could set it to a station with kids music, or put kids music in it, and set it to turn off after a certain amount of time. You could go in and turn on the music when you get him up and he would relate that music to you comforting him. After a while you would maybe just need to go in and turn on the music but not need to get him up. It may work to distract him just as well as the tv, without needing to have him out of bed. Just an idea to make it easier.

Hi J.,

We experienced the same thing with our daughter when she was about your son's age. She would wake us up with screaming and crying. Her eyes were wide open but we later found out that she was sleeping. Her doctor said they were night terrors brought on by being over-tired. He was right, everytime our daughter stayed up too late or missed a nap she would wake up at night around the same time crying and screaming. After we calmed her down she would go right back to sleep and have no recollection of the events the next day. Our daughter is 6 years old now and she has mostly outgrown the night terrors. Now she just talks in her sleep and occasionally sleep walks.

Wow! That brings back memories. My daughter used to do that, and it was just WEIRD/Scary. (She's 8 now, and she hasn't had a "night terror" in years.)

I have a book called "your childs health" (it's a great calming influence in my life because I can look these things up), and there is a section called "Night Terrors", right after nightmares

Basically, it says your child seems frightened, is thrashing about, may even sit up, have eyes open, scream, say crazy things, run, - doesn't seem very consoled by your presence. Lasts from 10 -30 minutes, they don't remember it in the morning. Child is 1 - 8 years old. It usually happens within 2 hours of them going to sleep. And, being overtired seems to trigger it.

I'm sure you'll want to read more, but the gist is keep them safe, ride it out, you're not crazy, (the reason they don't really respond to you like normal is because they are still asleep). If it gets really bad try writing down when it's happening a couple of nights in a row. Then, wake them up about 15 minutes before it usually happens. (You would have to be desperate to try this!) Anyhow, that disrupts the pattern somehow and works. And of course it says call your doctor if you think stress is a factor, or if your still worried.

Sorry for going on and on - this is my first response and I thought OOH! I know that one. I love my YCH book thought, just reading about it made it all seem much more handlable. I hope that helps!

Sounds more like night terrors, each child is different in how you would deal with it, one of mine was easy enough all you had to do was pick him up and leave the room dark it would take a few minutes but he would calm down and then go to sleep, my DD would get really angry if I picked her up, so I would put her down and tell her "fine you don't want mommy to hold you I won't" she would get even more agitated, so I would say " Oh you do want me to hold you then you have to stop" and with in a few minutes she would calm done and go right to bed, My only other child to have them got them around 5 years old and I couldn't figure out what to do with him he wouldn't really be awake but he would talk and just cry so hard, after about a month of this I got a little fed up I must admit and said "THAT' ENOUGH GO TO SLEEP NOW" and he did, instantly, I did that every night for a week and he would just go right to sleep, it was so odd! If your son is not really awake during the episodes then odds are that this is what he has, every child is different and it takes a lot of patience to get through it, but it doesn't last forever.

Just to share a little physiology with you on this one. Anywhere from 15 months - 30 months, a child will go through a dramatic growth spurt. More dramatic than any other time in their young toddler life. When this happens, the blood volume increases, thus increasing the cerebral spinal fluid that bathes the brain and guess what happens when you increase the spinal fluid around the brain....more synamptic activity...i.e. dreams, lots of dreams, lots of clear, vivid, colorful dramatic dreams.

you may remember your last trimester as some moms experience horrible nightmares themselves, as this is happening to them as well, thus the horrid nightmares. it's the same for your toddler, so be patient, this too will pass. Take steps to be able to get to them quickly to soothe these traumatic times, as they will be shortlived and you will once again, have your baby sleep time back again. Good Luck and Good Health.

Hi J.

It sounds like your son is having night terrors. My son had this at the same age of your son. Have you described them to your dr? There is not a whole lot you can do while they are "in" the terror. The best thing is just to keep them safe-my son would thrash so hard that I had to hold him to protect him from hitting his head. They do not remember anything the next morning so do not be concerned about lasting emotional affects on your son.

We started to look for patterns in his waking hrs. What we found for our son (and it became very predictable) is that the terrors occured within a 4 hour span after going to sleep and occured on days that he was very active and did not get a lot of down time. I know you said your son is a good napper but is he very active otherwise during the day? Is he constantly being stimulated in one way or the other? We found some relaxing time incorporated into the day helped.

I hope this helps you-I do not remember how long the night terrors lasted but he is 13 now and no lasting affects! Look up night terrors online and the symptoms and you can see if this is what fits your son's night issues. He will outgrow them-but it is very scary to watch at first. Once we knew what it was it was much easier to handle.

K.

I am empathize with what you are going thru. My son occasionally has what my family dr calls "night terrors". My little one just turned 2 in December and he still has them every once in a while. The reason he thrashes around when you pick him up is because he isnt still asleep. I have to make sure my little one knows that its me. I used to just go in and pick him right up and the thrashing was horrible it scared me that I thought I would drop him. After I talked to my dr he said I have to make sure he is awake first and to make sure he comes to me. Its hard letting him get thru this on his own but it does only take a second or two of honey its mommy come here honey. And he comes to me I soothe and snuggle him and then he goes back to sleep and usually doesnt wake again. If I can help you with this anymore please email me. I really feel for you it is very hard for me know that my little man is terrified. Just remember there is probably nothing in his room that is causing this to happen. It just happens.

Good luck to you.
=) J.

It sounds like Night Terrors. I would suggest you do some research on them on line, there are other things you can do to help them calm down. My son would have them occassionally and everything you described is how he acted. Hope that helps!

Sounds like he's experiencing night terrors, which are almost more frightening for you, because he doesn't remember them when he wakes up! My youngest went through this for a few months, but then it passed. The only thing I was able to do was try to talk or sing soothingly, hold him if he'd let me, and wait for it to pass. Good luck and good sleep for you both!

I'm not an expert, but both of my sons went through periods where they would wake up at night with nightmares. They did grow out of them, but they have come back from time to time. It seems the hardest part they have is waking themselves up. I used to turn on the lights and walk around with them and then they could calm down and would go right back to sleep. Also, if they were stresseed more during the day, like holidays with family and there sleep schedule was off, things seemed to be worse.

Good luck .. . and know that this too should pass.

J.,

My son had the same thing happen when he was about the same age. They are called night terrors. They are basically still in a deep sleep which is why he is unconsolable. It did not last very long for my son and my ped said it was basically not a big deal and that it is not a nightmare.

My first thought was to make sure he does not have an ear infection. My daughter would get like that when her ears were infected. Sometimes she had no other symptoms. It's so frustrating when they cannot tell you what is wrong. Gas pains? Teething? Who knows. I bet it won't last long. Most things don't. Hang in there.

It sounds like night tremors...neither of my kids had it..but a friends child did. it sounds just like what she described. not sure what causes it or anything.but her pedia. called in night tremors. im sure you can find a lot of info online.

These are called night terrors. My son had them at about the same age. I never tried turning on the TV because it was so obvious to me that he wasn't really even awake. We just took him into another room and waited it out. I've heard of these before but never really researched it. I'm sure if you go to a medical web site or pediatric web site you could search it. Our son grew out of it in a couple months. Good Luck!

I don't know too much about this, but when we were kids my younger sister used to have "night terrors". They're different from nightmares (meaning much, much worse) and I think they affect kids at about that age or so. I'm not sure, but I do know they grow out of them. Maybe that is something you could research.

My daughter had several instances (12 months to 22 months or so) of what we called night terrors...after doing some research. They happened on days she was way overstimulated, or short on sleep...which sometimes happens on the same day, if you have a big event or outing planned, and they miss a nap, etc. In researching, we tried some suggestions of other parents, including dressing her in cooler pajamas to prevent the episodes, and putting cool water on her feet to bring her out of it. It was very frightening, a couple of hours after she fell asleep, she would thrash and scream, with her eyes open and wouldn't be calmed by anything we did. Her pupils were really dilated, and it would take about 5-10 minutes to calm her down, at which time she went right back to sleep. You may want to research night terrors for some additional help, if this sounds like what your son is experiencing...different children can have different triggers. I hope you find something that works...it can be so unnerving!

i have epilepsy and my seizures only happen at night at a certain time. Listening to music or getting up and watching t.v., anything physical gets me back to the condition of going back to sleep. My epilepsy started at 2 months old and aunts started at 40 yrs old. there is no proper age that something like epilepsy could start. I dont want toscare but it is possiblility. Go get an appt with your pediatrician and have her/him refer you to a neurologists that works with kids. go from there okay. keep me updated.

It sounds like he may be having night terrors, 3 of my six kids have had them (it's really weird because it has been every-other one.) I have learned two of the things that have triggered them, like not going to bed on time and T.V. or movies right before bed were the two main ones. Scary movies (if they saw something the older ones were watching) ALWAYS triggered them during a certain age. The good thing is that they pretty much grew out of them by age 4. The frequency started to decrease when we noticed some triggers and they got over age 2.5.

What I learned is that their eyes are open, but their brain is only seeing what is in the dream. Touch was sometimes a very good thing, but not holding tightly. They can hear, and always responded positively to my voice. Sometimes they could even talk to me. I had to stay very calm and let them know I was there. Soothing words and just letting them know that I was there, staying with them and I wasn't going to go anywhere. I would just continuously whisper in their ear that they could go to sleep and I would stay here and watch them, protect them, and not go anywhere.
I am impressed that you are able to get them to calm down at all, even with T.V. I remember the first time it happened to us, our first child was about 18mo, we freaked out. Turned on every light in the house and tried to wake her up. Her eyes were open, but sometimes she would "look at" me, and scream. I didn't realize then, that she really was still asleep. I thought she was possessed or something. I remember trying to get her to drink from her sippy cup and turning on the TV. nothing worked. I finally put her down on the couch and just watched her scream while I cried. After that I heard someone talking about night terrors and realized what we had dealt with. I then did some reading and was much better prepared the next time around.
much blessings for you, it's hard, but do-able.
B.

It might be night terrors. You should talk to your pediatrician about it. If it is night terrors you have to wake your child up all the way. He will appear to be awake while he's upset, but he isn't really awake. That may be why the TV works; it may wake him up and help him reset himself.

It sounds like the beginnings of night terrors, as they become their own being and developing their "self" they proccess information through their dreams...It seems as though the tv helps, I also wonder if a music box might help too....The night terrors are very normal and as they mature so does their dreaming....

J.,

What you might be dealing with is night terrors. My husband and I actually both had them as toddlers/young children, and then our son, now 8, did as a toddler as well; they lasted a couple of months, and were fairly infrequent. From what our pediatrician said, there's not a genetic link, so we're just crossing our fingers that our other two won't have them (but the link at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Night_terror says differently). Check out the article at wikipedia for info.

Just know (if this is what it is), that it is relatively short term and scarier for you than it is him since he likely doesn't remember it. We were told and read that the best thing you can do is just make sure that he is safe (not trying to walk around) and not to restrain him or try to hold him, as that prolongs the episode. I know, it's awful because all you want to do is show your child that you are there and they are safe! Since he's 17 months old, you likely have a doctor's visit coming up; be sure to direct your concerns to him/her for guidance. Good luck!

D.

Hi J.,
My daughter had the same experience when she was about your son's age. (She's 3 1/2 now) She's our only child so far and it scared me to death. Same things happened with her, she would wake up (well I thought she was awake)not respond to my voice,stiffenup,screaming, crying, and after which felt like an eternity she would calm down and go back to sleep. I was worried it was a medical problem so I asked her doctor,she said that a lot a children experience night terrors (different from nightmares)and that they eventually outgrow them. Like I said my daughter is 3 1/2 now and I she hasn't had an experience like that again in almost 2 years. she does occasionally (not very often though)have nightmares but not a severe as when she was younger and she does actually wake up. I comfort her in those instances, give her a drink of water and she goes back to sleep. I have attached article I found and the website I found it on below. I hope it helps..

www.kidshealth.org/parent/medical/sleep/terrors

Most parents have comforted their child after the occasional nightmare. But if your child has ever experienced what's known as a night terror (or sleep terror), his or her fear was likely inconsolable — no matter what you tried.

A night terror is a sleep disruption that seems similar to a nightmare, but with a far more dramatic presentation. Though night terrors can be alarming for parents who witness them, they're not typically cause for concern or a sign of a deeper medical issue.

What Are Night Terrors?
During a typical night, sleep occurs in several stages. Each is associated with particular brain activity, and the rapid eye movement (REM) stage is the stage when most dreaming occurs.

Night terrors happen during deep non-REM sleep. Unlike nightmares (which occur during REM sleep), a night terror is not technically a dream, but more like a sudden reaction of fear that happens during the transition from one sleep phase to another.

Night terrors typically occur about 2 or 3 hours after a child falls asleep, when sleep transitions from the deepest stage of non-REM sleep to lighter REM sleep, a stage where dreams occur. Usually this transition is a smooth one. But rarely, a child becomes agitated and frightened — and that fear reaction is a night terror.

During a night terror, a child might suddenly sit upright in bed and shout out or scream in distress. The child's breathing and heartbeat might be faster, he or she might sweat, thrash around, and act upset and scared. After a few minutes, or sometimes longer, a child simply calms down and returns to sleep.

Unlike nightmares, which kids often remember, kids won't have any memory of a night terror the next day because they were in deep sleep when it happened — and there are no mental images to recall.

What Causes Night Terrors?
Night terrors are caused by over-arousal of the central nervous system (CNS) during sleep. This may happen because the CNS (which regulates sleep and waking brain activity) is still maturing. Some kids may inherit a tendency for this over-arousal — about 80% who have night terrors have a family member who also experienced them or sleepwalking (a similar type of sleep disturbance).

Night terrors have been noted in kids who are:

overtired or ill, stressed or fatigued
taking a new medication
sleeping in a new environment or away from home
Night terrors are relatively rare — they happen in only 3–6% of kids, while almost every child will have a nightmare occasionally. Night terrors usually occur between the ages of 4 and 12, but have been reported in kids as young as 18 months. They seem to be a little more common among boys.

A child might have a single night terror or several before they cease altogether. Most of the time, night terrors simply disappear on their own as the nervous system matures.

Coping With Night Terrors
Night terrors can be very upsetting for parents, who might feel helpless at not being able to comfort or soothe their child. The best way to handle a night terror is to wait it out patiently and make sure the child doesn't get hurt by thrashing around. Kids usually will settle down and return to sleep on their own in a few minutes.

It's best not to try to wake kids during a night terror. Attempts usually don't work, and kids who do wake are likely to be disoriented and confused, and may take longer to settle down and go back to sleep.

There's no treatment for sleep terrors, but you can help prevent them. Try to:

reduce your child's stress
establish and stick to a bedtime routine that's simple and relaxing
make sure your child gets enough rest
prevent your child from becoming overtired by staying up too late
Understanding night terrors can reduce your worry — and help you get a good night's sleep yourself. But if sleep terrors happen repeatedly, talk to your doctor about whether a referral to a sleep specialist is needed.

Reviewed by: D'Arcy Lyness, PhD
Date reviewed: March 2007

Hi J. - I would have to agree with the other posts that it sounds like your son is having night terrors. They are not the same as nightmares. Night terrors occur during phase 3 or 4 of the sleep cycle - called "deep sleep" phase. Nightmares happen during the REM cycle and include vivid scary or uncomfortable images, etc. Night terrors are more closely related to sleep walking than to nightmares. It is very rare for a child to remember having a night terror.

The good news is that kids don't usually have very many so this cluster may be your only experience with them. If they continue, consider it a red flag to consult with your doctor about the situation.

One reason they happen is in response to stress or overstimulation. I wondered if I was doing something wrong during the day to give my son night terrors, but then I thought about all the things and experiences that their little brains are having to process all day! The only thing I changed was that I became more aware of allowing my son some quiet playtime everyday. That's where I would just let him play on his own for however long he was interested - under my watchful eye of course. No TV or music, etc., just time to explore and play with toys.

Hope that helps you!!

It might be night terrors. Ask him if he remembers them in the morning. (if he can comunicate that to you) if not then that is probably what it is and he will out grow it in time. Night terrors are scaryer for the observer than the child because the child wont remember them. I would suggest just jumping the gun on the TV if that calms him down turn it on when he wakes up screaming instead of trying to calm him yorself.

My son has been going through this periodically since he was 10 months. Sometimes it's in the middle of the night, sometimes it's when he wakes up in the morning or from a nap. I talked to my pediatrician and he said it is a stage a lot of kids go through and you just have to ride it out. It does go away eventually. He did say that it could be night terrors, but that if he is truly awake, then probably isn't. In that case, it is more likely is he had a bad dream or some noise or touch in the night startled him awake. My son is truly awake because initially he will reach up for me, and snuggle, and then if I do something he doesn't like, the screaming, arched back stuff begins. Also, for my son it seems to happen mostly when he is about to cut a tooth. So, I guess I would tell you that you might want to talk to your pediatrician to set your mind at ease, and he can give you advice on what to do if it is night terrors. Hope this helps.

Talk to your Dr. about "Night Terrors" or look it up on the internet. My daughter was doing strange things and was not responding to us asking what was wrong and very hiterical and looking so terrified at night when she would come out suddenly. She would cry and look like something horrible was happening and was confused about what comfort she wanted and then it would stop immediately and she would have no idea what just happened. Our Dr. said it was a night terror and many things were involved like stress, I never thought an 8 or 9 year old would be stressed. there is realy nothing you can do except ride it out and not let it upset you while it's happening.

It sounds like night terrors to me. My son has them a couple of times a month. Does he seem upset during the day? If it was a nightmare, you would probably see some proof of that with his behavior. After one of my son's night terrors he doesn't even remember it happened. My doctor says these episodes are pretty common for kids under five. I would ask your pediatrician about it. It will probably relieve some of your anxiety if you get a professional opinion.

hey J. its C. you probably dont know me well im 18 and i live in wyoming. But i may have some advice for you. when i was lil and i would have nightmares i would listen to music when i was slepping it would put me to sleep and if that did not owrk i liked to sleep with my mom she made me feel safe and no danger could get to me. if you choose to put some music on have it be calming and happy like the christian worship songs or nature sounds that would relax you. and i would have a stuffed puppy that i always slept with that my daddy gave me so that could work to but the biggest one that work is when my mom held me tight and i slept next to her when ever i had a nightmare. well thats all i have i hope it helps

Hi J.,
Sounds like you have already gotten lots of advise. My son went through the same thing at that age. It was scary for us. But it is a fearful thing and I don't think that letting them cry it out is the right response. They need the comfort and to know that you are there for them. The TV was the only thing that worked for us too. I think part of it was that it took the TV for him to actually wake up and get out of it. It seemed like they lasted awhile- but it was only a period of time and it has been over a year or so since he has had them- so it will most likely end. I know the sleepless nights are hard- but comfort him and give him love and security.