Night Terrors

What is Night Terrors

Night terrors can be very frightening and confusing, often more so for the parent who has to deal with them than the child who actually experiences them.

Night terrors are medically known as confusional arousals and they are thought to affect about 15% of toddler and pre-school children. They typically occur in the first third of the night and are more common among children who are over-tired or who have experienced a severe physical or emotional upheaval in their lives.

Traditional Medical Treatments for Night Terrors

There is no specific treatment for a child who is prone to night terrors, but it is worthwhile trying to avoid letting the child become over-tired and keeping the wake/sleep pattern as regular as possible.

If a night terror does occur, parents should remember the following points:

• Do not try to wake the child. It is not dangerous to do so but it may considerably prolong the agony for both parent and child.
• Although the natural instinct will be to hold the child in an effort to soothe it, this is best avoided if possible. The subjective experience of a child in a night terror is one of being trapped or caged, so grabbing hold of them may make them struggle all the more.
• Try to ignore any verbal abuse from the child. During a night terror the child is not fully awake and conscious and is therefore not aware of their actions.
• Try to relax and quell your own fears by switching on all lights. Speak calmly, slowly and repetitively and your soothing words will probably cause the child to drift back into a peaceful sleep.
• Protect the child from injury by standing against sharp edges on furniture and standing between the child and any windows in the room.
• In very exceptional cases where night terrors are happening on a very regular basis, (or more particularly in the case of adolescents who experience what are termed as true night terrors) medication, hypnotherapy or other forms of relaxation exercises may be recommended.