 | ||
|
| |    Night Terrors by Dr. Benjamin Spock reviewed by Robert Needlman, M.D., F.A.A.P. Like nightmares, night terrors also occur normally in three- to six-year-olds, though far less frequently than nightmares. Night terrors are very different from nightmares. They seem to be caused by some temporary disturbance in the nervous system during deep sleep. The brain waves show that the child is deeply asleep, but the normal body relaxation is lost; the child acts frightened and confused. Night terrors tend to run in families and all children who have them grow out of them within a few years at most. What they look like When a child has a night terror, he starts screaming. Even though his eyes are wide open with a glassy-eyed stare, he doesn't respond when you talk to him. In fact, he seems unaware of your presence. That is for a good reason: He is actually still fast asleep. You might have a hard time waking him. If you succeed, he will have no memory of why he appeared to be so terrified, and he'll also have no memory of it in the morning. A night terror may last as long as 30 minutes, although it's usually much briefer, before the child goes back into quiet sleep. Night terrors are more common in the early part of the night, usually within three or four hours of when the child fell asleep. Nightmares, on the other hand, are more common in the early morning hours, when children (and adults) do most of their dreaming. How you can help You can't really comfort a child who's having a night terror since he's asleep while it is happening. You can hold him firmly (he may struggle), rock him, and reassure him that he's all right and that you'll stay with him until he goes back to sleep. An occasional child will have frequent night terrors. Sometimes this seems to go along with a very high level of stress in the home--for example, if parents are fighting violently. In other cases, the cause is unclear. Sometimes a reassuring bedtime ritual, with lots of comforting talk, can help a child sleep more calmly. If the night terrors usually come at the same time, say around 11:30, it sometimes helps to wake the child about 15 minutes before that time. Often, the child will fall back asleep and not have a night terror. In severe cases, your child's doctor may prescribe a special medicine to be given at bedtime for several days or weeks, until the night terrors stop. Talk about:
| |  | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| About Us |
Contact Us |
Our Partners Privacy Policy | Ethics | Advertising Policy | Terms of Service © Copyright 2004 The Dr. Spock Company. All Rights Reserved. THIS SITE DOES NOT PROVIDE MEDICAL ADVICE. The information drSpock.com
provides is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for
professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your health care
professional if you have a specific health concern. Mention or advertisement
of any product, service, or brand does not constitute endorsement, guarantee,
or recommendation by The Dr. Spock Company. Please read our full
Terms of Service. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
