Night Terrors in Children

Is your child suffering from night terrors? Find out the causes and common signs of night terrors for helping child to cope with night terrors. Night terrors are usually found to occur in children who are between three to twelve years of age. Typically kids aged 3-3 1/2 years are found to suffer from this sleep disorder the most. It happens when the kid is not fully asleep neither fully awake. We are aware that sleep is broadly categorised into two distinct sections – the REM or Rapid Eye Movement phase and the Non-REM or the Non-Rapid Eye Movement. The Non-REM or the deep sleep again has four stages, one to four. Night terrors occur when the transition from stage 3 to 4 happens. In this articlePrincipal Causes of Night Terrors in ChildrenCommon Signs of Night Terrors in ChildrenPrincipal Causes of Night Terrors in Children Let us have a look at the main causes of night terrors in children. The child is deprived of normal sleep for over a day or at a stretch for any reason.The child is running a high temperature. Any event in the immediate surroundings of the kid has caused stress.The child was administered anaesthesia for surgical requirements. He has been prescribed some medication that has affected his central nervous system and brain, thus exciting him Common Signs of Night Terrors in Children Here are common signs of night terrors in children. There will be recurrent episodes of intense crying of kid suffering from night terrors. He will show signs of fear when he is asleep. The child can sit up and scream and cry out of fear. But he will be disoriented and confused as he is not fully awake even if you find him sitting up and screaming. He will show no response to external stimuli at this stage. Only after a while will he realise that he is being cuddled or patted. Most night terror episodes happen after 90 minutes of the kid falling asleep. This is precisely the stage when he is in stage 3 or 4 of the Non-REM sleep.He will sweat a lot during the episode. His heart rate will shoot up; clinically this condition is termed Tachycardia.His breathing rate will increase, which is also known as Tachypnea. You will have difficulty in arousing the kid.In most cases, kids suffering from night terrors do not recall the episode the following morning. That is, the dreams if any during night terrors do not register in the kid’s brain. Mostly such night terror episode lasts for a couple of minutes. But in some cases it can stretch to around 30 minutes before the child is completely out of it and goes back to normal sleep in a relaxed state. Although, night terrors are not a very serious health issue by themselves, but if you find your child exhibiting intense symptoms during the night terror, report to the doctor immediately. Some symptoms like increased heart rate and breathing rate can in turn result in other serious conditions if left untreated. Report to the doctor if you find that the night terror episode occurs at least once every week in kids between 3-3 1/2 years of age and in older kids, the episode occurs once or twice every month. Finally, night terrors are not to be confused with nightmares. Nightmares always occur during the REM sleep. According to statistics 1-6% of the kid population are known to suffer from night terrors. This is indeed a very disturbing problem and it can disrupt the normal life and activities for the kid. Worse, it can also create personality issues in the child as he grows up and can have dangerous manifestations in his social, personal and career as well. The only positive part is that this issue needs to be patiently handled by the parents or the caregivers and by the time the kid reaches adolescence, the problems generally subside on its own.

Is your child suffering from night terrors? Find out the causes and common signs of night terrors for helping child to cope with night terrors.

Night terrors are usually found to occur in children who are between three to twelve years of age. Typically kids aged 3-3 1/2 years are found to suffer from this sleep disorder the most. It happens when the kid is not fully asleep neither fully awake. We are aware that sleep is broadly categorised into two distinct sections – the REM or Rapid Eye Movement phase and the Non-REM or the Non-Rapid Eye Movement. The Non-REM or the deep sleep again has four stages, one to four. Night terrors occur when the transition from stage 3 to 4 happens.

Principal Causes of Night Terrors in Children

Let us have a look at the main causes of night terrors in children.

1. The child is deprived of normal sleep for over a day or at a stretch for any reason.
2. The child is running a high temperature.
3. Any event in the immediate surroundings of the kid has caused stress.
4. The child was administered anaesthesia for surgical requirements.
5. He has been prescribed some medication that has affected his central nervous system and brain, thus exciting him

Common Signs of Night Terrors in Children

Here are common signs of night terrors in children.

1. There will be recurrent episodes of intense crying of kid suffering from night terrors. He will show signs of fear when he is asleep.
2. The child can sit up and scream and cry out of fear. But he will be disoriented and confused as he is not fully awake even if you find him sitting up and screaming.
3. He will show no response to external stimuli at this stage. Only after a while will he realise that he is being cuddled or patted.
4. Most night terror episodes happen after 90 minutes of the kid falling asleep. This is precisely the stage when he is in stage 3 or 4 of the Non-REM sleep.
5. He will sweat a lot during the episode.
6. His heart rate will shoot up; clinically this condition is termed Tachycardia.
7. His breathing rate will increase, which is also known as Tachypnea.
8. You will have difficulty in arousing the kid.
9. In most cases, kids suffering from night terrors do not recall the episode the following morning. That is, the dreams if any during night terrors do not register in the kid’s brain.
10. Mostly such night terror episode lasts for a couple of minutes. But in some cases it can stretch to around 30 minutes before the child is completely out of it and goes back to normal sleep in a relaxed state.

Although, night terrors are not a very serious health issue by themselves, but if you find your child exhibiting intense symptoms during the night terror, report to the doctor immediately. Some symptoms like increased heart rate and breathing rate can in turn result in other serious conditions if left untreated. Report to the doctor if you find that the night terror episode occurs at least once every week in kids between 3-3 1/2 years of age and in older kids, the episode occurs once or twice every month.

Finally, night terrors are not to be confused with nightmares. Nightmares always occur during the REM sleep. According to statistics 1-6% of the kid population are known to suffer from night terrors. This is indeed a very disturbing problem and it can disrupt the normal life and activities for the kid. Worse, it can also create personality issues in the child as he grows up and can have dangerous manifestations in his social, personal and career as well. The only positive part is that this issue needs to be patiently handled by the parents or the caregivers and by the time the kid reaches adolescence, the problems generally subside on its own.