Nightmare Before

Nightmare Before

Copyright 2005 Wendy Owen

There is a huge difference between nightmares and night terrors.
There is also a difference in the way they are best handled by
the parent or carer.

A nightmare is an unpleasant or scary dream. Everyone dreams and
everyone is capable of experiencing nightmares. Many of us have
nightmares without even being aware of it. Nightmares occur more
frequently in children than adults.

A night terror is not a dream but a more an altered sleep state
(parasomnia). Adults rarely experience night terrors.

A child will nearly always wake up after a nightmare and will
probably be distressed. You can comfort a child after a
nightmare.

Night terrors do not wake a child up. Even though he or she may
have their eyes open, they will not be awake and cannot
recognize or communicate. Do not try to wake them up as they
will become confused.

Children who have had a nightmare may resist going back to sleep
because they are afraid. Sometimes they will want to come and
sleep in your bed. This is ok if it just happens occasionally

After a night terror, children will probably settle down fairly
quickly. Just stay with them until then in case they try to get
up and hurt themselves.

Nightmares almost always occur later in the night during the
light stages of REM (rapid eye movement) sleep.

Night terrors happen earlier in the night during deep non-REM or
delta sleep. They are unlikely to happen after the first 4 hours.

Children will usually remember a nightmare in the morning,
especially if it is recurring.

Night terrors are usually completely forgotten.

Both nightmares and night terrors can be alarming for parents
but are not in themselves harmful. Both are by products of an
active developing mind. Night terrors should only be a concern
if they last longer than 30 minutes or are accompanied by other
unusual behavior such as jerky movements or stiffening of the
body.

Make sure your child is not overtired, this is a leading cause
of night terrors. Make sure they go to bed and get up at the
same time of the day or night. This helps establish a healthy
sleep pattern.

Nightmares can be caused by something that is worrying your
child. Try to get them to talk about their fears and reassure
them during the day.

Another cause of nightmares could be separation anxiety.
Children's survival instinct causes this fear of abandonment.
Make sure they know they are safe and secure.

Sleepwalking can occur during or after night terrors and is tied
to the same deep phase of sleep. Sleepwalking on it's own isn't
usually a cause for alarm, but the potential for accident of
injury makes it a risky activity!

If you know or even suspect that your child is a sleepwalker,
make sure there are no traps they can walk into such as stairs
or open windows.

If you feel there is something about your child's sleep that is
unusual or abnormal, see your physician. Parental intuition can
be very accurate!

About the Author:

Want to know how to cure insomnia and achieve healthy sleep for your child? Visit
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Wendy Owen is a health researcher and author.

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com - Nightmares? Night Terrors? What's the difference?