Baby Sleep Problems - Night Terrors


by Luke Dyer - Date: 2007-04-14 - Word Count: 502 Share This!

Night terrors or Pavor nocturnus occur approximately 90 minutes into sleep during stage 3 or 4 NREM (Non-Rapid Eye Movement) sleep. Night terrors happen during deep sleep (usually between 1 a.m. and 3 a.m.). The child suddenly sits bolt upright and screams, and is inconsolable for up to 30 minutes before relaxing and falling back to sleep. A night terror is a parasomnia sleep disorder characterized by extreme terror and a temporary inability to regain full consciousness. The child wakes abruptly usually accompanied by gasping and moaning. The child may be sweating and breathing very hard. Night terrors usually occur in children three to eight years of age. Night terrors seem to peak at age 3 ½ years.

Night terrors can be frightening for the parents, too. Episodes may re-occur for a couple of weeks then suddenly disappear. Strong evidence has shown that a predisposition to night terrors and other parasomniac disorders can be passed genetically. Though there are a multitude of triggers, emotional stress during the previous day and a high fever are thought to precipitate most episodes of this type of baby sleep problem.

Night terrors are different in nature from nightmares. Children can be aroused during a nightmare, but not during a night terror. With a night terror episode your child may have no memory of the event and remember all the events of a nightmare. Male children have predominance when it comes to having sleeping terrors, as for nightmares either gender can experience them. If a nightmare occurs during the child's sleep cycle REM (Rapid Eye Movement) will be present, on the other hand, during a night terror NREM (Non-Rapid Eye Movement) will be present. The only similarities of a nightmare and a night terror are that fact they both can be brought on by stress. An estimated 1-6% of children experience night terrors. Children of all races are affected, equally. This parasomniac disorder usually resolves during adolescence.

Sleep labs across the United States and Canada have shown through sleep studies that night terrors happen due to increased brain activity. The common thought among researchers is that a chemical trigger in the brain causes your brain to "misfire" and cause a night terror. These misfires can be caused by many factors such as stress and various other medical ailments. Try to eliminate the stress factors causing this baby sleep problem.

Children should be reassured and calmed after experiencing a night terror. Let them regain consciousness and give them positive reinforcement in a calming manner. It is not advised to shake them wake, but talk sweetly and softly while telling them "You are here" or "I love you", then slowly administer gentle touches and back rubs. Once your child had regain consciousness, plenty of hugs and kisses are in order. To get them back to sleep, you will probably have to restart their normal bedtime routine. Softy, read to your child and place their favorite teddy bear in their arms. Or, watch a children's program with your child until they fall back to sleep.


Related Tags: baby sleep, baby sleep problems, baby to sleep

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