NIGHTMARES AND NIGHT TERRORS: WHY DO CHILDREN HAVE THEM?

Nightmares are bad, unpleasant dreams. Children wake up frightened and remember these scary dreams. Nightmares occur mostly during the second half of a night's sleep (4-6 am). They usually relate to developmental challenges, anxiety, and stress. Frequent nightmares may stem from images that stay in their minds after hearing a scary story or seeing a violent TV show or movie.

General behavior characteristics by age include the following:

Infants cry and scream until someone comforts them. Their nightmares can begin as early as 1 to 2 years of age.
Toddlers have bad dreams about being apart from their parents.
Preschoolers will cry and run to their parents' bedroom. They dream about monsters or the dark.
Older children will often go back to sleep without waking their parents. Their dreams are often about death or real dangers.

Comfort is the best response parents can give a child that is awakened from a nightmare. Allow the child to talk about the dream, if the child can. Stay with the child until the child is calm and falls back to sleep. If the child can talk, then ask during the day about their fears and worries. Talking can resolve stressful issues and keep them from building up in the child's mind. At bedtime for toddlers, play quietly with the child or read a pleasant story together. Soothing music may help. A night-light is reassuring to children.

Nightmares are often confused with night terrors. Night terrors occur during deep sleep and usually within the first few hours of bedtime. A child may suddenly wake up screaming, wide-eyed, terrified, confused, incoherent, disoriented, and hallucinating. The child may run helplessly around and mistake objects and people as dangers. The pupils are dilated. The heart beats fast and sweating occurs. The episode lasts for 10 to 30 minutes before the child falls back to sleep. Nothing about the night terror is remembered in the morning. Night terrors occur most often between the ages of 3 and 8. They are an inherited disorder and the cause is unknown. Being overtired can trigger them.

During night terrors, parents should repeat soothing comments slowly, like "You are fine. Mommy and Daddy are here." Be sure to protect the child from injury. Gently try to direct the child back to bed. Night terrors disappear as the child grows older.

Many children can have bad dreams following violent or disturbing movies or television programs. Monitor your children's TV viewing. Select age-appropriate entertainment for your child. Discuss nightmares or night terrors with your child's healthcare provider.

Disclaimer: This content is reviewed periodically and is subject to change as new health information becomes available. The information provided is intended to be informative and educational and is not a replacement for professional medical evaluation, advice, diagnosis or treatment by a healthcare professional.

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