Night Terrors? - Franklin Park,IL

A.,

Yes, it does sound like Night Terrors. My daughter gets them.
Until I knew what it was, it completely freaked me out. It is a scary thing
to witness for the 1st time. He was probably overly tired, and being in a unfamiliar
environment too. It just caused him to freak. Fun, isn't it? He may never get them again.
Or, the next time he's very stressed and tired, it may happen. You don't know.

S

I think its best to NOT wake them. If you go in, comfort them (hold them, recover them with a blanket, stroke their hair, etc) and then lay them back down....they wont even remember it the next day.

I know its a little freaky, but my daughter has been having night terrors since 2 years old and shes 3 1/2 now, so i'm used to it and it hasn't affected her in any other area of her life.

A.:

I can imagine how frightening this is. If it makes you feel any better, it is actually fairly common with young children. Some children talk about past life experiences (whether you believe in this or not, it can be spooky!). There are several books about this phenomenon.

Hi A.!

My son has night terrors too. He has had them for as long as I can remember. Maybe since he was about 2.5 or 3, he just turned 5. He wakes up screaming pretty much like clock work every night, about an hour after he's been sleeping. Our pediatrician says that there's pretty much nothing you can do about it, and they tend to grow out of it around 5 or 6. But she said some children may have them until they get much older, like 11 or 12 . . . it just depends. We took him to a sleep clinic just to make sure he was okay, because they say that some children can have seizures in their sleep. Maybe you can talk to his parents about having him attend a sleep study.

I hope he's okay.
Good Luck!
Lynn

My son and I both do this. Its better not to wake a child in the middle of night terrors, and to stand clear, they can get violent. I just go in and watch from the door just in case he falls. Then retuck him in with a kiss when its over. I've learned my lesson, I got punched and bit the one and only time I tried to physically help. Its the most terrifying thing to see and deal with. His mom should have warned you prior to taking him over night. However if she thinks its a stomache ache she may not know whats really going on. No one knows what causes it, but kids usually grow out of it. Rarely do I have them anymore since having kids(I think its because I dont sleep as deeply anymore), though my hubby has had a few rude awakenings when we were first married...poor guy.

This has happened with my son who will be 3 in October. I haven't found any rhyme or reason to it at all. From what the Pediatrician said it sounds like it is a night disturbance, they are not awake when they are screaming or crying/calling for mom & dad.....and they don't have any recollection of the event. I think it's common for kids around this age to have them. Since it isn't every night....I hope he'll just grow out of it. Hope that helps.
A.

Hi A.,

One of my daughters had them when she was around 5. Sometimss she would just walk around the house during the night usually yelling. Sometimes she would hold her stomach and scream. It was quite frightening. I remember one time being on the phone with her doctor, and all of a sudden she snapped out of it and wanted to know what I was doing. I didn't realize she wasn't awake when she was holding her stomach and screaming. I think I remember the worst of it being over in several months. During that time we couldn't go out at night. The babysitters couldn't handle it. Whenever she would start to get sick, she would start the night walking again. That happened periodically for a couple years. She would never remember doing it. I had kind of forgotten about the whole thing until I saw your e-mail. It was a nightmare period, because I was worried there was an underlying issue causing the problem. There wasn't.

It does sound like night terrors especially if he did not wake up. If you think he might be having night terrors, take him to a sleep specialist who can evaluate what they are. Night terrors are a sleep disorder. He could grow out of them, but my friend had them well into adulthood until she got help for them.

My daughter had night terrors and she also was not quite awake. She also started to sleep walk though not the dangerous kind. One time she went to the kitchen and I caught her just in time to get her to the bathroom. She also would not remembeer anything. Most kids do grow out of night terrors by the time they reach 5 or 6. According to the doc they can be triggered by stomach aches, hunger, or minor sleep apnea but also just happen. Just help him get back to sleep and he'll be fine.

They sound like night terrors. An organic way to help soothe someone with night terrors is to place some lavender in their pillow. A cloth bag that zips closed filled with some dried lavender and is tucked into the pillow case should help. The aromatherapy of lavender helps the brain to relax and thus helping give relief to those with night terrors.

My daughter would do that occasionally and the first few times it really freaked us out.She would sit up in her bed and sometimes mumble things that we couldn't understand or sometimes just cry. It usually did last anywhere from a couple of minutes to 10 minutes or so. I would get a little frustrated at times since we did have a 2 month old that got me up every 2-3 hours. After several times of this happening, we did find out that it was night terrors and it is perfectly normal, just something that come children go through. There is nothing that you can do about it really, it is just something that they grow out of.

Night Terrors can be normal for this age. My son had them regularly (almost every night) between 12 and 1am. It was awful. He would scream and shake and even with his eyes open, he wasn't really awake. He was around 3, I think when they started (now he's almost 5)

He also wouldn't remember them in the morning when we asked him why he was crying or if he remembered mommy and daddy sitting on his bed.

It was frustrating, but honestly we just let him ride it out. Instead of trying to talk to him during the episode or asking him what was wrong (because that would often set him off with screaming and crying even more), we just sat with him on his bed. Sometimes he would let us "cuddle" him while he went through it, other times we would just sit there or simply put a hand on his hand.

Eventually they became less and less and now he has them maybe once every few months.

It is a rough phase to go through, but I think most kids outgrow them.

Its nothing to freak out about. Just know that they are still sleeping when it happens and there is really nothing you can do to wake them up.

I think I read somewhere that its like when you are woken up out of a deep sleep and for 2 seconds you don't know where you are. For the kids its like that for longer, the anxiety of not knowing where you are or what is going on is really high. Just keep them safe.

I hope this helps.
B.

My daughter did the same thing when she was that age. They say it is usually due to being too cold or too hot or over tired. It is really scary. We thought something was seriously wrong with her. You are not to move them out of their room when they do this or even touch them because that can make it more intense. Of course, I made all the mistakes because I didn't know any better and wanted to console my daughter. She grew out of it and doesn't do it anymore.

Yes, it is night terrors and my son experences them almost nightly or at least several times a week....it also turns into sleeping walking.....but mostly the terrors....I just let him be because within a few moments he falls back asleep, I asked the dr. about this and they really had not much to say about it except to make him comfortable when he goes to sleep (well my son is 20 months and sleeps very well except for this)...but my husband is also a sleep talker and walker - so i think it might be something that is hereditary ????? - I don't know, but besides the terrors my son is a greater sleeper, sleeping almost 12 hours a night as well as a 2 hour nap during the day...not sure if this helps, but just wanted to let you know that I go through it as well......

D. N

My oldest son had night terrors starting when he was about 3 1/2-4. It was the scariest thing I ever experienced because he didn't seem to recognize me or be able to talk. He just wailed and sometimes mumbled or said "Mommy!". His eyes were open but just saw right through me. It would last anywhere from 2-8 minutes and then he would just fall back to sleep. I found a great website, Nightterrors.org, that really helped. There is nothing you can do about them except stay by their side until they calm down. They do tend to run in families. My brother-in- law used to have them as a kid and now my younger son (3 1/2) just had his first one a few nights ago. Just remember, night terrors are not harmful, the kids don't ever remember having one and it is mainly due to being overtired. My older son, now 6 hasn't had one in almost a year. Hope this helps! Good Luck!

My daughter had night terrors and before I did my research I would try everything I could to get her to wake up/calm down. Once I read up, I realized the best thing to do was to make sure she's not going to hurt herself and ride out the storm. The more aggravated the child gets, the longer the outburst will last, so best to just ride it out. Now my daughter (10 1/2) walks & talks in her sleep, but the night terrors were gone by the time she was 4 or so.
By the way - they're not awake, they won't remember the freak out, so you won't get anywhere trying to reason with them or talking to them when they are awake.

My son did the same thing. It freaked me out, let me tell you. Like the others are saying, though, there's nothing you can really do. Keep them safe and that's about it. He's not had them for a while, thank God, but they're unnerving!

My son (5 1/2) has done this an average of 2-3 times a year and did it more often around the age of 3. As a matter of fact, it happened when we were camping. It happened on and off for over an hour and at 1am.

It has happened at home before and it is so frustrating because there is no way to calm him down and then out of no where he just collapses and goes right back to a quiet sleep. I think it happens when he is over tired, if too much is going on and if he is sick or gassy. He will shoot up out of bed screaming for me to make it better or take it away and when I ask him questions, he hears nothing, he just continues to scream for help. I rub his back, try to keep from pulling out my hair until it goes away on it's own.

Night terrors are more common than I thought but I think they are more reoccurring than what happens to my son. Plus, they are considered a to be sleep disorder possibly caused by stress or misfire in the brain. I guess in order to be a night terror the person has to be asleep and will not remember it upon waking.

You can google night terrors to see if the symptoms are the same.

My oldest son had the same type of episodes, I think it is when the brain is over tired but can't settle down. I would tell your sister-in-law to keep an eye out for sleep walking as well. My son grew out of it, but it was very scary. I might play music at be time or have him try some relaxation breathing, or meditation to calm his busy thoughts.
The good news is you only had to deal with it for the weekend.
Best of Luck
Peggy

I am not sure what to tell you. One of the little girls in the daycare that I work at has the same episodes. She has them maybe once or twice a week. I am not sure what to say to you, cause we feel something is happening at home but it is not our place to try and find that out, cause we have no cause for concern. Her other sisiter is somewhat autistic in that she rocks her body back and forth for comfort. I am not a doctor but I would ask your peditriciton that answer to that. He or she can not tell anyone cause of privilage. I know that was not much help but at least you know he is not the only one that does this.

I actually used to do this occasionally when I was a kid. It's not uncommon. It isn't brought on by anything in particular, the child usually does not wake up, and is usually just fine afterwards.

So, don't worry. It's scary for you, but the boy is fine :)

Sounds more like terriable nightmares. Maybe the child is allowed to watch frightening movies with daddy and reacts from them. Hysteria like that is caused by something that his little brain can't handle, most likely.

Hi A.,

your post is all to familiar to us. Our daughter who is now 5.5 has done this since she was about 1.5. (She has almost completely outgrown it now). It is the most disturbing thing a parent can watch. What we found was that we would physically get her out of bed - try to make her "walk" to the bathroom - have her go potty & if she still wasn't "awake & coherent" we'd splash a little water in her face. I did a lot of research & it's called night terrors. They are not awake, they never remember them (if you asked her about it in the morning she would just look at us like, "what are you talking about"). You just have to keep them safe (from hurting themselves - falling down stairs if they are walking around while doing it, etc...) They have no idea how they are caused other that it just might be the child's way of dealing with any stress they have (but again - this is subconscience). No worries - he will outgrow it (says the books & our personal experience).... but it does freak you out while it's happening. Hope this helps knowing he's not the only kid who has it happening.

I went through this with both my children when having stomach problems and would whine, but never yelled. Since this is not your son, there is not much you can do. Your nephew could have seen something in a show that scared him or over heard someone taking about something that scared him. You may never know. My daughter also had night terrors starting at the age of three and finnally ended in 5th-6th grade. Her eyes would be wide open, but oblivious to the fact that she was in her room. Sometime she was calling for me, while other times she was scared that something was trying to get her. I just did the best I could to calm her by talking to her in a calm voice and asked questions then try and do what I could to calm her. If 'something' was in her room I would 'carry it out of the room'. If she was looking for me I would "go" and get myself. My sister right now with her son has a spray bottle with water a.k. "Monster Remover" in it. Before they go to bed they spray his room to keep the monsters from entering his room.
So, don't freak out about this. Your sisiter-in-law is not and most kids do not have night terrors.

#1, when I was a kid, the first time I went camping, I woke up in a pitch black tent and had no idea where I was. I started to freak out. #2, my 12 year old daughter used to havve night terrors when she was little. She would wake up and walk around. Her eyes would actually be open, but it was like she was looking through you. She would talk jibberish, nothing that you could actually recognize, and she would be shaky and she would wring her hands. It was very freaky the first few times it happened. Then, I got used to it. When you talked to her, she was truly not awake, but after awhile, I would get her to wake up and then just rock or soothe her back to sleep. In the morning, she would have absolutely no recognition of having done this. I do think it happens a lot and my daughter grew out of it. Good Luck.

Hi A., my little brother did that often as a child. My 15 month old son does that now occasionally. I think your nephew is at prime age for night terrors. All kids don't have them, but many do and it is a bit freaky.
So its not just him.

Yes, I had that to me. My son had night terrors for years. He started having them at about 2 and finally quit having them between 4 and 5 years of age. They are upsetting but nothing can really be done about them. I have read since then that you should make sure they are safe but overall it is fairly common. I never could wake my son up and sometimes along with the screaming it would seem like he was searching for me in his mind so it can be disconcerting when this happens, by calling for mom. I don't know if this helps you any but know you are not alone.
SAHM of an 8 year old boy, 7 year old boy, 6 year old girl, 5 year old girl and an 18 month old girl.

My best friend's 2 1/2 yr old gets them. Her doctor told her it was a sign of being overtired and not getting enough sleep. She said this is common when she skips her afternoon naps. She has noticed a pattern. I looked it up for her in my sleep book for kids and the author agreed, a sign of being overtired. So, perhaps he needs to get his naps in on a more consistent basis until he is ready for no naps. They also say not to touch or move the child, but try to calm and reassure him. The author did suggest that these typically occur within 2-3 hrs after going to sleep. If you notice a pattern, to go and gently try and turn them over without waking them up so they'll skip the night terror. My friend says it is very scary b/c of the blank stares.

Good luck.

My son is now 13, but I remember him going through this around the age of 1 1/2 - 2 years old. I do think he was having night terrors, but I agree with the post also about them possibly being brought on by a stomach ache. I tried everything I could to calm him and then found if I held him and tried burping him sure enough almost every time a HUGE burp would come out! He would then slowly start to calm down and then it would be over. He was never awake and nothing I did could wake him and sometimes it took a long, terrifying time for it to end, but he eventually grew out of it.

Night terrors, I know them well. They're very scary. But not so bad when you know what's going on and what to do.

In May, 2006, my two little granddaughters came to live with me. The older one, 2 1/2 at the time, started almost immediately "waking up" screaming or crying, within about 10 days. This lasted for about 6 or 7 weeks, and then pretty much stopped, with only 2 occurences since.

Fast forward - my little granddaughter is 2 1/2 now, and she's had a few of them. Hers are shorter, less frequent, and alot easier to deal with than her sister's were. However, I've twice walked into her room to find her standing on her bed, trying to hold onto the wall.

They are caused by a couple of things. Stress, or a traumatic experience, can cause it. She had gone thru the trauma of being taken out of her mother's care and placed in mine. Fatigue is a big cause, so is potty training, and so is an unfamiliar surrounding.

What's happening to the child? They are stuck between two stages of sleep, and their body just doesn't know how to "get out". They are possibly "seeing" monsters (this is NOT the same as a nightmare) or other scary things.

What to do? The first couple times it happened, I tried to comfort her, of course. But when it kept happening, and it would last for up to 20 minutes, and there was NO comforting her during it, I knew it was time to find out what was really going on. When it happens, do not try to console the child, as this could very well make it more intense. If they are seeing monsters, then when they see you, they do not recognize you as you, but you could actually be one of the monsters. So what to do? Just make sure the child is safe, will not hurt him/herself in the surroundings, and just sit patiently and wait it out. I ended up sitting on the floor, in front of her chest of drawers or in the doorway, and waited it out. Sometimes she did wake up afterwards, and when she saw me, she would acknowledge my presence, calmly, and I knew it was over. She'd fall asleep again.

What else to do? Make sure they get plenty of rest, and have a normal bedtime routine. Make sure there is nothing in their bedroom (i.e. toys on the floor, etc.) that could hurt them if they get out of bed.

Night terrors are not the same as nightmares. The child will not remember them in the morning, whereas they will remember a nightmare. They're similar to sleepwalking, actually, in that the brain is stuck between the two sleep stages there as well. Recent studies have shown that this is why bedwetting happens as well.

It is very scary when you witness a night terror. Just keep in mind that it's very common, and it's a phase that WILL be outgrown.

Your nephew sounds like he had a night terror. These are bad dreams which often happen around ages two to five. Children are often unresponsive to interventions to wake or soothe them. This is probably nothing to worry about as most children grow out of them. If these experiences continue to repeat with frequency or increase in intensity, your sister in law should consult her pediatrician. Clearly it is really upsetting to try to provide comfort and feel helpless and it is scary when you have never experienced this before. I am a clinical psychologist mom with two of my own kids, so I am speaking from both professional and personal experience. Hope this was helpful.

D. G.

My daughters used to do this and it is very scary. A night terror is kinda like sleep walking. You are not supposed to wake the child up just make sure they aren't hurting themselves and comfort them when they come out of it. You are completely right in saying that they aren't away. I've heard that having the child get more sleep helps. I'm not sure why my daughters went away, I'm glad they did, but I think it's something they grow out of.

Night terrors are common, most of the time the child does not even remember in the morning, they happen when the child is in the dead of sleep so they don't wake up and everything I've read about them says not to try and wake the child up, just to help them get back into bed and fall back asleep. I wouldn't worry about it at all. My grown husband still has night terrors if he hasn't had a good nights sleep for a while he wakes up in the dead of the night screaming and jumps out of bed. I just tell him it's okay and get him back in bed so he can sleep. It's never been something to worry about long term and doesn't happen very often at all, but everyone says it's normal it's a response from the body. My husband always feels much much better the morning after one of those incidents because it's usually the first time he has gotten any deep REM sleep in weeks.

What I've learned is that night terrors are completely physical, not based on any sort of trauma, and will probably go away somewhere between age 12 and age 18. I had them, one of my nephews has them, and my granddaughter has them. As a psych major in college, my daughter has chosen to research and write about night terrors; she basically says it's the body going a bit nuts with the whole "fight or flight" thing. If your nephew is actually having night terrors, you probably don't need to worry.