Night Terrors
By Kelly Hicks, RN, MSN, International Adoption Center
You put your child to bed at night and they are sleeping comfortably until you hear terrifying screams from their bedroom. You try to console your child but the cries and irritability continue. If this has happened on more than one occasion, your child could have what is known as night terrors.
Night terrors are a sleep disorder that is characterized by an abrupt awakening from sleep in a terrified state. We all have a sleep cycle ranging from a light drowsiness to a deep sleep that repeats itself several times through the night. Night terrors occur during the deep sleep period and usually occur during the first half of the night starting with an outburst of screaming. The cause is unknown but they can be associated with periods of emotional tension, stress or conflict. Night terrors are found in 3 percent of young children, and while we see night terrors in internationally adopted children, the prevalence in adoptees is not known. Night terrors usually occur in toddlers but can be seen at any age, and are seen more often in boys than girls. Night terrors usually stop by the 10 years of age if not sooner.
Night terrors are characterized by sudden and intense screaming, crying or panic, increased body movement, difficulty in waking, difficult to comfort, confusion and sweating. Children will have no memory of the event the next day. This is different from nightmares in that the child is most often easy to arouse, their cry is not as intense, and they usually have a recollection of what happened the night before.
Night terrors can be very scary and can be disruptive not only for the parents but for the entire family. However, night terrors cause no real harm to the child as they do not experience pain or nightmares. Some researchers have reported that night terrors for children are the similar to sleep walking and sleep talking for an adult. The best way to manage your child during one of these events is to make sure that they are in safe surroundings and to protect them from injury. It is best not to wake your child, but to let them have the outburst and settle back down on their own. The outbursts can last from 10 to 20 minutes but then the child will go back to sleep.
Most children will outgrow night terrors. If these episodes persist, the number of episodes increases, or the episodes could potentially cause injury to your child, you should contact your pediatrician for further evaluation. Medications for night terrors are not usually recommended as this can further interrupt the sleep cycle, but in extreme cases may be necessary.
Night terrors can be nerve-racking for not only the parents but for the entire family. Having a parent sleep in or near the child's room may be beneficial for checking on them while not interrupting the parent's night more than is necessary.
Attempts to reduce stress during the day and teaching your child ways to cope with stressful situations may help reduce the number of night terrors.
