Dr. Robert Needlman
Specialist in pediatric behavior and development.
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 Ask Dr. Needlman
A Two-Year-Old's Night Terrors | | | QUESTION | | | Dear Dr. Needlman,
My son Kendal is two years old. He wakes up crying several times during the night. Sometimes he still seems to be asleep and it's as if he's having nightmares. Is this possible, and how do I end his bad sleeping habits?— Lindsey in Albuquerque, NM | | | ANSWER |
November 1, 2000 | | | Dear Lindsey,
A two-year-old who wakes up crying several times during the night might have bad sleep habits, but from your description, I suspect that night terrors instead are to blame. These very common sleep events aren't dreams or bad habits, and even though they are upsetting to parents, they are not harmful to children.
A mild night terror might just look like whining or thrashing about during sleep. In a full-blown episode, a child sits up in bed screaming and flailing about. He's often flushed or sweaty, with a wild look in his eyes. He may talk, but he doesn't make sense. He doesn't listen if you try to talk to him, and holding him just makes him struggle harder. Eventually he falls back to sleep. He has no memory of the event in the morning.
Most children experience a few mild night terrors at some point during childhood. They happen when part of the brain starts to wake up while the rest of the brain is still deeply asleep. Young children have more night terrors because their brains are not completely mature. They tend to grow out of them by age four or five.
In young children, mild night terrors are not a sign of any other medical or behavioral problem, although being overtired or sick sometimes makes them worse. They might even have night terrors every night for a while, although some have only one or two a week. It's less common for a child to have several night terrors during the same night. This makes me wonder whether your child might be having both night terrors and is waking out of habit. Without actually seeing your child, I can't be sure. You might like to talk to your child's pediatrician to discuss the situation further, and also be sure to check out the Behavior & Development/Sleep section of our website for more information about night terrors and sleep problems.
— by Robert Needlman, M.D., F.A.A.P. |
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