14:00 25.11.2011, Sue
Hubbard, M.D., daily dose, sleep, The
Kid's Doctor: Your Partner in
Parenting
I have been receiving
a few emails about the difference between nightmares and night terrors.
First
off, nightmares and night terrors are common occurrences during the
toddler,
pre-school and early elementary years.
Nightmares are scary
dreams that occur during REM sleep (which occurs towards the end of
sleep when
REM sleep is most intense) and dreams are vivid. A child
awakens after a
nightmare being scared, anxious and afraid to go back to bed.
Night terrors on the
other hand occur during the first few hours after a child falls asleep,
when
non-REM sleep is the deepest. During a night terror your child may cry
out,
have dilated pupils, an increased heart rate, sweating and heavy
breathing.
They appear to be awake but in reality are only partially aroused and
will have
no memory of the event.
During a night terror
a child will not recognize you or allow you to comfort them and may
become even
more agitated if you try to hold them. Parents are often equally
frightened by
the event, as it is disconcerting trying to decide why your child has
awakened
in such distress. Just like other familial traits, sleep disturbances
(parasomnias) seem to run in families. A lot of work is being done to
isolate
genetic loci related to sleep habits.
Both nightmares and
night terrors seem to be more frequent in children who have not had a
good
night’s sleep.
Try to have a regular
bedtime routine, and limit television exposure prior to bedtime. Read
books to
your children about dreams and nightmares that incorporates their
favorite
characters in the same situation (one of our favorites was Franklin in
the
Dark, there was not a cuter turtle with a nightlight!).
Be creative and make
a dream catcher to catch the bad dreams and keep them away, or discuss
soothing
images prior to bed. WE had “monster dust and wands
” that our boys used to
spray the room before bed and they all had a favorite night light (how
they
slept with three nightlights blazing was beyond me).
Our middle son was
the most creative; he blew up an alligator pool toy that he placed
outside his
bedroom door each night. When asked what he was doing he replied,
“my alligator
will eat the monsters before they come into my room! How can a parent
argue
with that?
That’s your daily
dose, we’ll chat again tomorrow.
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