Sleep walking night terrors children can be a great worry because when their sleep is disturbed frequently it can
Sleepwalking Night Terrors Children
take a toll on their ability to concentrate which of course, among other things, can also adversely affect their schoolwork. As a parent, I can empathize with other parents who are desperately trying to get answers to understanding why their child is suffering from these “Night Terrors” so that they can try to resolve the condition. My daughter has been experiencing nightmares and night terrors for many years now, starting from when she was about 6 or 7 years old and this could also involve sleepwalking. Sometimes weeks would pass by with no sleep interruptions at all and then for no apparent reason, they would start off again and could last for up to half an hour an episode each night, leaving my daughter disturbed mentally and making it very difficult for her to drift back off to sleep again. It also left me feeling completely exhausted!
Of course, it isn’t just your child who is having disturbed sleep, it’s also you! Every time they wake up terrified and screaming the house down, it’s you who has a rude awakening from a peaceful sleep. My daughter would be running around or screaming in a corner like a terrified animal, trembling from head to foot, and all I could do was to talk to her gently to try to calm her down. I found that the only thing that worked for me was to try to convince her that those awful creatures were not going to get her because I wouldn’t let them. I would eventually end up laying in her bed, cuddling her in my arms until she was fast asleep again. Sometimes I would fall asleep and find myself waking up with her in the morning and then during breakfast I would gently try to discover what was going on in her mind but very often she had no recollection at all although she did sometimes say that she felt fearful but couldn’t explain why.
Sleep walking night terrors children often wake up screaming and absolutely terrified and this type of sleep disorder can also affect adults. My daughter is now in her thirties with her own kids and I recently asked her if she still experienced sleep walking and night terrors and she said that she did, although much less frequently. So, is it something that some people are predisposed to suffer from or are there other underlying causes?
I have noticed over the years that my daughter is the type of person who worries deeply about things and can be easily stressed, a trait from her father I think because he has a similar personality. I personally don’t think that this particular type of sleep disorder is hereditary but is perhaps due to the type of personality who suffers stress and anxiety more easily than most. Although she never came to any harm during her frequent sleepwalking and night terror episodes, my daughter was often left feeling uneasy and afraid even though she couldn’t fully remember much about the dream or nightmare.
Don’t feel alone in having a child that suffers from this sleep disorder because apparently it is reported that around 15% of young people also experience them. So, apart from hugging and comforting your child during an episode, what else can you do to help them? I did find out that its more common in boys but the reason for this is still unknown and it also occurs most frequently in children aged between 2 and 6 years of age and diminishes as they get older although, as with my own daughter, these episodes can continue into adulthood.
No one really knows the causes of sleepwalking night terrors in children but if they are overtired, unwell, stressed or are staying in a strange environment away from home they could be some of the things that trigger an attack. Therefore, here are a few methods that I used that seemed to help my daughter and I.
I tried to keep to a regular bedtime routine and when my daughter was very young, I tried to encourage her to have an afternoon nap so that she was not over tired at bedtime. In addition, apart from the occasional time, I tried to prevent her staying up too late.
I also tried to restrict her from watching too much TV early evening as I found that it could over stimulate her. I do think that this was a factor that triggered my daughter’s attacks because sometimes when she managed to remember parts of her nightmare it was obvious that the TV program she had been watching had influenced her dream and from then on, I tried to stop her watching scary films.
As a parent, you obviously want to try to understand the triggers of sleep walking night terrors children as this will go a long way in helping you reduce your worry and help you to help your child. Don’t let these night terrors continue indefinitely and consult the help of your doctor so that you can all have a good nights sleep.
