A child or baby may be sound asleep and suddenly begin to display fear-expressing behaviors as if they are having hallucinations. Night terrors are recurrent and can last from a few minutes to half an hour, they can occur every night or less frequently, in some cases becoming a chronic condition with the passing of the years.
Normally, they usually occur in the first 2-3 hours after the child has begun to sleep while nightmares (better known) occur throughout the night. In this Psychology-Online article we explain the symptoms of night terrors in children and babies.
Night terrors usually occur in children between the ages of 3 and 12 with greater intensity over the age of 3 1/2. Sleep is divided into 2 categories: REM phase (rapid eye movements) and non-REM (non-rapid eye movements). Furthermore, this non-REM phase is divided into 4 progressive stages. Night terrors occur in the transition from non-REM stage 3 to stage 4, which usually begins about 90 minutes after the child begins to sleep.
Night terrors are different from nightmares that usually occur in the REM phase. Night terrors are characterized by frequent and recurrent episodes of crying and fear intense during sleep. These episodes, in addition to interfering with the child's life, alter family life.
A small percentage of children experience night terrors. Both boys and girls can present them indifferently. They usually usually remit in adolescence, however, cases of night terrors in adults.
In typical night terror the child sits up in bed and begins to scream, appears awake but confused and disoriented and does not respond to stimuli. Although he appears awake he is unaware of his parents 'presence and does not speak and does not respond to his parents' comfort.
Many episodes last between 1 and 2 minutes, but it can be as long as 30 minutes before the child relaxes and returns to a normal state of sleep.
Perhaps the most important symptoms of night terrors in children and babies are drowsiness, irritability, etc. But while infants do not remember night terrors the next morning and therefore behave as if nothing, parents do remember and continue to worry about their child.
Also, parents accumulate tiredness after several episodes of night terrors because they are not able to sleep in a relaxed or satisfactory way due to being aware of their child. This is completely normal as a parent. Night terrors can be very dramatic events and they can cause great stress and fear, and it is normal to worry about it. Therefore, it not only has effects on the life of the child but also on that of her parents.
This is a very common question that some parents ask themselves, how is a night terror episode different from a nightmare?
- Children who have nightmares They may be easily awakened, whereas in the case of night terrors this is not the case.
- Children who have nightmares can remember dreams and often tell their parents some details. They are not dreaming about night terrors and rarely remember anything of what happened during the episode.
- Children who have night terrors are more likely to sleep and have infantile enuresis. If your child has something that looks like seizures or panic attacks during sleep, it could be night terrors.
Sleep problems are one of the main concerns of parents during the first years of the child's life. Only some children develop serious sleep pattern problems that require intervention. You should go to a specialist if:
- The child is less than 3 1/2 years old and the frequency of night terrors is at least 1 episode per week and may even experience daily night terrors.
- In older children, the frequency would be 1-2 episodes per month.
- If your child experiences night terrors, an evaluation by specialists can help rule out other disorders that cause night terrors.
This article is merely informative, in Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.
