Advice on Night Terrors

Hello I read your note on night terrors and I have the same problem with my son who is now five years old, but has always had issues with night terrors. The have gotten worse in the last year, and I have also been to the doctors. My son wakes up shaking, wide eyed not knowing who I am and some times becomes physically ill (throwing up). I got several techniques on how to get rid of them (dream catchers, strict bedtime routines, monster spray, ect), but I did fine that making sure your child is not over tired before bed really seems to help. We are still in the process of trying out the techniques I list above. I know how frustrating this is and how much sleep is lost, but it feels good to know that your child is not the only one going through this. Please go on the web site choc.org go to services- then to pediatric advisor click on N for night terrors and read the information there it gives some really great advise and techniques in dealing with night terrors. The following topics are discussed what are night terrors, how long do they last, how can I help my child, how can I prevent night terrors.

Good luck to you and hang in there it will get better at least that’s what I tell myself ( ha, ha)

Carissa

MOm do the math night terrors, which he could recall, or an anithistamine, I would rather let the little guy have a small amount of drugs vs night mares, which can hurt him his entire life, your choice your the mom, but if its for a short time, under doctors reccomnedations, try it see if it helps for a week.

Blessings to the baby

Hi V.,
My 2 year old son had night terrors, but definitely not as often as your son. I try holistic approaches to everything first and then use Western medicine. I spoke to several people about my son's episodes. My Ayurvedic practitioner (Eastern Indian medicine - Deepak Chopra) said Ayurvedic practitioners correlate night terrors with too much "heat". She suggested I reduce or eliminate spicy food from his diet and make sure his body temperature is not too hot. I was also told to leave soothing music on at a low volume when the he is sleeping. I have done all of these things and he has has only had one episode since. By the way, the episode occured when my son had been under the care of a babysitter who had put blankets on him and he had become too hot. I hope this helps and I wish you the best. R.

Hi V.,
My daughter had night terrors for years. It is a terrible thing for everyone. You can't do a thing and you feel so helpless not to mention the lack of sleep. We did not do medication and actually was never told to do so. Our daughter was (and still is at 12 years old) very affected by activity. She is a very social person but I had to create "down time" and limited play time for her. If she did too much or got too much stimulus during the day she always had night terrors that night. Once I began monitoring and limiting our activities the evenings were better. She did outgrow the night terrors but not for a long time.

Here's what we were told to do:
* Never try and wake her during an episode.
* Watch for what simulates her and control how much she gets in a single day.
* When she had an episode at night get up and make sure she is okay and then go back to bed and try to sleep.

I'm sure it is difficult since you cannot be with him all day to monitor his down time. Maybe working with the preschool and encouraging them to focus him on less stressful and relaxing activities during the day would help.

Unfortunately this is something you just are along for the ride as you are with colic. You will make it through ;-)