Night Terrors-- Help!!

Mayo Clinic's website - mayoclinic.com has a very good article out at the moment on babies/toddlers/sleep disorders.
You may find the help you need there.

Hi E.

My nephew has had these at 1 yr.
The Dr. suggested childrens Benadryl, for 2 weeks at night. This develops a strong sleep pattern. It has worked so far.
Good Luck
Mags

I'm a 30 y.o. mom, I have two kids 8 and 5. My advice first would be to get him a night light or leave a light on for him,
(but not to bright)Don't close his bedroom door. If he watches T.V. monitor what he is watching sometimes that has alot to do with having nightmares. I personally would not let him sleep in your room,that eventually becomes a bad habit. You could also let him listen to soft music as he sleeps. I also believe in the power of prayer. Pray over his room with him and tell him God's angels are protecting him. Here is a prayer I say with my children: Dear Father whom I cannot see, smile down from heaven on little me. Let angels through the darkness spread their holy wings around my bed. And keep me safe,because I am my loving Shepard's little lamb. Good Luck,I'm sure he will get better with time,prayer,& patience.

Hi E.: I found some info and pasted in below with links. You mentioned that you moved recently. I think that your son is experiencing some stress from the move, new routines, new people, etc. and the night terrors are a symptom of that. I don't think sleeping in your room is a good idea. Sleep deprivation can contribute to the terrors--plus, honestly, everyone I know who has even let their child sleep in their room eventually has to go through the stress and anxiety of re-training the child to sleep in their own room and bed... You are just setting yourself up other bedtime problems later on.

If you husband is traveling for work, that might also contribute to his stress. Not that you can dictate work travel, but at least you can expect the effect it could have on your son's sleep.

I would suggest that you develop a daily routine and stick to it as much as possible, to help foster a predictable environment for him. This might help relax him.

Good luck! -Karen

http://yourtotalhealth.ivillage.com/nightmares-night-terr...
The frequency of nightmares and night terrors decreases in most children as they age. Because nightmares rarely indicate an underlying disorder in children, most respond well to reassurance and support. Children are rarely treated with medication.

To reassure children, parents or guardians may want to:
- Minimize the child’s exposure to frightening images, such as violence on television and in video games
- Read, talk and relax with children
- Ensure that bedtime is safe and comfortable for children
- Help the child imagine a happy ending to nightmares if they occur frequently

Patients experiencing night terrors should never be awoken because they are not rational and may lash out at the person awakening them.

http://www.healthyplace.com/Communities/Anxiety/night_ter...
No one really knows for certain why night terrors occur, but it has been determined that they can be manifested in several ways:
- eating too heavy of a meal before bedtime
- being over tired at bedtime; sleep deprivation
- certain medications (Medications that affect the central nervous system and brain)
- stressful life events

Night terrors have been reportedly occurring in approximately five percent of children between the ages of three and five. If you are concerned about someone you know experiencing night terrors, there are some things you can do to help make it less dangerous for the individual:
- remove anything they could come in contact with that could cause harm to them physically
- do not tell them they are only dreaming or yell at them, it is more disturbing than helpful
- do not try to be forceful or make physical contact, you may hurt yourself or the individual
- speak in a reassuring voice and be there for them at the end for comfort
- keep in mind they do not know what they are doing

The best thing you can do, no matter how disturbing the situation is to witness, is not to overreact. This will create nothing positive out of this already stressful event. If you notice this is becoming a nightly ritual with you child, it may be a good idea to contact their health care provider. That way anything more significant can be ruled out or addressed and dealt with properly.

When to Seek Medical Care
Sleep disruption is parents’ most frequent concern during the first years of a child’s life. Half of all children develop a disrupted sleep pattern serious enough to warrant physician assistance.

http://children.webmd.com/guide/night-terrors
In children younger than 3½ years, peak frequency of night terrors is at least 1 episode per week. Among older children, peak frequency of night terrors is 1-2 episodes per month.
If your child seems to be experiencing night terrors, an evaluation by the child’s pediatrician may be useful. During this evaluation, the pediatrician may also be able to exclude other possible disorders that might cause night terrors.

Hello, When my daughter was having night terrors every night, around the age of 2, my doctor had told me to briefly wake her up 2 hours after she fell asleep and to do this for 3 or 4 nights in a row. By doing this it changes the sleep cycle. When I would wake her she would fall right back asleep so it's not like she was up for long, maybe a minute. I did it and it worked for us. A call to the doctor/nurse never hurts for some advice. Best of luck!

My son had them at that age and I have two nephews (a son per sister) that each had them at that age and the only thing that all three of us were told is to sit near him, don't pick him up (as hard as it is) let it run its course and most of the time he will fall back asleep and will never know that it happened. Don't try to make him wake up it could make it worse and I usually sat near his bed and did talk to him a LITTLE bit. But I stayed near him in case he did wake up and then I would be there... I figured I was already awake I might as well make sure he stayed safe. Unfortuantely there isn't much you can do to make them not happen or preven them. They are more prevelent in boys and everything I have ever experienced, nothing will prevent them from happening... they just do. But, take heart, they usually out grow them but about age 3, sometimes sooner.

My daughter has experienced these since she was 6 mo old (shes now almost 3) and they are so scary! She had another round a few months ago and her dr said to put her to bed earlier because she needed more sleep. Everything I read said not to wake them and let it run their couse. They have no idea what is happening because they aren't awake. With all that said, I don't think sleeping in your room will help:)

our son suffered from them around the same age - for 6 months. We put lavender balm on his temples and chest as well as played nature music in his room - it seemed to really decrease the number of episodes. The more we touched or tried talking to him the worse it got (during an episode) but I soon learned there was a point to where if I could get him up and walked him to the kitchen and got him a snack he was able to wake out of it fine.

I had nightterrors for a good 25 years. From my understanding, they are always a response to a trauma. Working through the trauma and seeing if there are any daytime triggers that can be worked through were the only things I knew that helped. I would get a moment of anxiety that was unique to the nights I had terrors. I would stop what I was doing and aknowledge and work through the feeling. With a child, you may or may not see a disturbance in behavior that you can let him address in play or give him lots of support at that time.
When the child is in the terror, he is caught between 2 sleep stages and not aware of your efforts. You may even become another obstacle in the terror. He will most likely have little to no recollection of the event when awake.

First of all let me ask if you allow your child to watch any scary movies cause this might be what is causing it. Aside from this ask him if he fears that anything is in his room. You might wanna try out a night light or a stuffed animal that comes with the light inside, this might keep him a bit more calm. I use to have this problem with my kids but a night light really helped them a lot. I would also remind them that it was just a dream and it could not happen in real life. I know that you child is still small but maybe reasuring him that everything is ok will help him. I don't know your religion but I would pray with my kids every night before bed and that would assure them that god was watching over them. Hope this helps.....good luck.

I agree with Karen, and she had some really great info for you.

The only thing you can do is try and soothe him until he wakes up. My son also had night terrors. He would be screaming with his eyes wide open, but he was not awake. What broke my heart was that he would cry for me, even though I was holding him. The only thing I could so was talk in a soothing voice until he came to. I tried taking him outside, but that didn't work for us. Although I have heard other people say that the cool night air helps to wake them.

People don't understand that night terrors are nothing like nightmares. Most kids grow out of it, so hang in there. If it doesn't get better I would suggest to talk to your pediatrician.

(I also agree bringing him in your room is not a good idea, plus he needs to get used to his own room!)

Hang in there, I'm sure this will pass!

R. :0)

Both my sons have had these and they are scary. My oldest has had more. Someone suggested waking him up before they happend (like 1 1/2 hours after they went to sleep)but he was such a sound sleeper that didn't work. What I discovered was that he would respond to me somewhat so I would tell him to try to go potty. He would do that and then immediately go back to bed. It was very strange but it was like the physical release of urinating, just snapped him out of it. He never remembered anything. When he wouldn't go to the bathroom, we would just follow him around to make sure he was safe. They both outgrew them.

I have a 3year old that has exprienced this since he was about 6-8months old it is horrifying and exhausting and he would expeirence them several times a week. From what our peditrician has told us its in your family history somewhere, (unfortunatly my side) and that they have to run its course there is nothing you can do butr sooth and comfort him during the episode, we have also found that too much stimulation during the day (such as their birthday party , amusment park...etc.) tends to make my son have an episode. Good luck and patients will be a vertue. If in extreme cases you can consult a sleep doctor for testing(we havent had to go that far fortunatly)

Hi E.,,,
i would'nt put alot there thats not ,,is he taken any type med's at all?? sometimes that can trigger it ,,,the move,,,i'm almost 50 i've had them ll my life still do some i remeber some i dont ,,when i was smaller i even walked in my slept ,,,,who knows what controls our subconsios???? i dont know do you see if he rembers them if not great if its the same dream over ,,over speak with a DR
good luck L.

My son had these also and I think its a growing thing with stimulation and new discoveries, I just used to go in sit next to him rubbing his back while he layed in his bed making Shhing sounds. We don't watch TV an hour before their bedtime because researches say this adds to scary dreaming and stimulation for young children. Its just also something very common my friend told me her son had this around 2-2 1/2 and then mine did too.
Hang in there this too shall pass.
SAHM of twins

Hi! Please keep a diary of the night terrors. As of what he's doing and what he has eatin that day of the night terrors. Then go see the pediatrian doctor and for him to review the diary. It could be nothing? But my daughter had seizure and I didn't know about them and I wasted a month and a half! Please let know how he is doing later?

I dont know how to make them stop, but when my 22mth old son has them we take him outside...it seems to wake him up completely and then he can relax and go to sleep...sometimes he is up for about 30 min, but the screaming stops once he is outside....once he relaxes he is able to quickly go to sleep...we also have shown him pics on our phone/camera to distract him and wake him up..sounds silly, but calms him instantly (we found out these things worked after trying EVERYTHING to help him!)

My first son, who is now 19, had them around the same age for a period of a few years. The main thing is to make sure the room is safe, don't wake him and be there for him in case he does wake. My pediatrician had me wake my son right before the time of night when it was happening. This disrupted the sleep pattern that seemed to trigger the terrors. I would try to do it on nights where I felt he might have had a long day or too short of a nap or something. This helped although sometimes I might not predict right and we would go through it. It is much more disturbing to the parents as the children don't remember it occuring. Waking them can actually upset them when they realize that you're upset. My daughter never had them, but I have a 19 month old boy now. He may or may not have them. Boys tend to be more prone to them than girls for some reason. Good luck! This too shall pass.

Hello E. M,
I highly advise you to research sleep or somatic disorders: light sleeping, awake but not really, night terrors, and bed wetting can all be signs of things that can be helped. I have a son that had the same symptoms and we found through sleep studies that he has sleep apnea. The treatment is simple: he wears a CPAP mask at night to help him breath regularly. Sleep disorders can have a variety of causes: seizures, trouble breathing from large tonsils or adnoids, among other causes. There is a terrific sleep clinic in New Braunfels near the hospital. I don't recommend the one off on the west side of San Antonio. The people were nice but they had a broken cot for the parent to sleep on! You can start with a family practice doctor and/or go to a pediatric neurologists. We use Jerry Tomosovic for the pedi neurologists. He has offices in Stone Oak and New Braunfels. Hope this post at leasts gives you a place to start your research. Good luck!
S.

I am just going to throw this out there... I haven't done any research or anything. You mentioned that you are finally getting adjusted to a new house. Perhaps, he is having more trouble adjusting. Major change can cause insecurity. Just a thought.

Hi E. -

Our son also went through Night Terrors. They are so awful! The child does not remember a thing... just we parents... however just sitting by him until he calms down is good (for us parents).

One thing I know that triggered them for our son was if he watched something that he felt was scary or intense (inappropriate for his age). My nephew also had them... and really busy, stressful days or books could set him off (as well as the intense TV or movies). I'd try to limit what he watches especially when it is getting closer to bedtime.

Good luck, and these things typically don't last long.. but can go on for years... it just depends on the child. My 9 yo nephew is just finally over having them.

Hi E., my 7 year old still occasionally gets night terrors and my younger son went through a phase when he was about 2.5 where he got them as well. The only thing that might help is if you find there is a pattern to them, for instance when he has a night terror, is it usually around the same time every evening? I would go in and lightly wake him up and hour or so before he usually has them and if there is no set pattern, go in after he has been sound asleep for at least an hour. This breaks their REM sleep and their sleep pattern.. it seemed to work for us.. Do it for about a week... You don't need to fully wake him up, just touch him a bit to where he wakes to move and stir just a little bit and gets him out of his deep sleep... Good luck, they are frustrating and scary things... J.