OT- Night Terrors?

[Aneille]

My DD had them a few times between 2-3 if I remember. She is 6 now.

She had a few night awakenings with crying and we didn't think much of it until one night she got up screaming and sleepwalking. I didn't know about night terrors then so I did everything wrong.

My DD ran away from me screaming at me like I was a monster. She was screaming go away, no and everything else. She ran downstairs, running away from me and hid in a kitchen cabinet. I was petrified myself. Finally she did wake up and sat in my arms. She remembered very little but some of it near the end, and then went back to sleep upstairs. That was our worst one. After I found out what they were, they were never that bad again, because I didn't try to make her go back to bed or wake her up!

She had maybe 3 where she walked out of bed and then as quick as they came they were gone. She is still not a great sleeper but we don't have terrors or nightmares anymore.

My 5 year old had some but fewer than my 6 year old. Again it was between 2-3 years old but never as intense as my 6 year old.

 

[momlady]

Add me to the list of moms with kids who suffered night terrors -- both my boys did. My oldest was worse, he was a thrasher and his were definitely triggered by anxiety and overtiredness (we saw a peak when he started school). He eventually grew out of them (he's 13 now) around 7 yrs old, but while he was going through them it would be an hour at a time where he was just out of it. THen....it seemed like if we offered him a drink of water at just the right time, he would take it and then drop off like a light. Never remembered a thing the next day.

My younger son never had them as often as his brother, and they were never as severe. He'd cry and cry and cry, seeming angry at something, and then it would stop. Every once in a while he still has "episodes" like this, and he also sleepwalks occasionally. I did too as a kid so I'd heard all the stories about what I did when I was young....so nothing surprises me! LOL

 

[Teacher03]

My youngest daughter had night terrors when she was about four years old. They were so bad that we would have to sleep with her because she would hurt herself. For instance, one night she clawed at her face so bad that she was bleeding. I took her to the doctor, and he offered some suggestions which didn't work, so he was prepared to do further tests when they just suddenly stopped. She never had night terrors again.

 

[The Disney Bunch]

One of my dd's experienced them. They are awful. There was no reason for it - she started when she was an infant. I think they lasted for about 3 years and she outgrew them.

 

[abdmom]

DS, now 12, suffered for about 7 years.

Things that helped prevent a night terror:

No getting overtired

Turned off the window A/C

Got him a stuffed animal to hug- made him feel more secure

Wake him up before the night terror starts



Things that helped stop the night terror once it starts:

Speak to him and redirect him back to bed. Don't touch him. Make sure he holds onto his stuffed animal.

Sing to him.



Things that didn't help

Trying to wake him up - made it worse

Trying to talk to him - he was totally incoherent and just became more agitated



There is a classic book by Richard Ferber called "How to Solve Your Child's Sleep Problems". There's a chapter on night terrors which is excellent.

 

[ardig123]

My DD went through this as well...for about a year when she was around 2. She would scream and cry and go crazy if we tried to touch her. The only thing that brought her out of them was if we turned the TV on. Not sure why it worked but it did...I cannot remember if the pedi told me to try it or if I read it in a book. But whenever they would start we would turn on the TV and she would slowly come out of the night terror... and then it would end and she would fall back asleep as if nothing happened. Like others have said it was worse on us than her...Before I knew what it was it would scare me because it would seem like she was awake but she would go crazy if we got near her...it made me feel so terrible and I couldn't understand why she did not want me around. She has not had one in a very long time now....almost 2 years.

 

[nessz79]

DS, now 12, suffered for about 7 years.

Things that helped prevent a night terror:

No getting overtired

Turned off the window A/C

Got him a stuffed animal to hug- made him feel more secure

Wake him up before the night terror starts



Things that helped stop the night terror once it starts:

Speak to him and redirect him back to bed. Don't touch him. Make sure he holds onto his stuffed animal.

Sing to him.



Things that didn't help

Trying to wake him up - made it worse

Trying to talk to him - he was totally incoherent and just became more agitated



There is a classic book by Richard Ferber called "How to Solve Your Child's Sleep Problems". There's a chapter on night terrors which is excellent.

I agree with the majority of this. My son is 5.5 and he's had night terrors since around 1 year old or so. It's definitely directly correlated to being overtired...sometimes overstimulated, but DEFINITELY when he hasn't had enough sleep. I can almost always predict when he'll have one because he will have been very tired that day and probably very emotional/cranky because of it.

I have found that speaking to him firmly telling him, "It's not real. Go back to sleep." Helps. I have found that if I talk to him in a friendly mommy tone it doesn't work and he becomes even more hysterical. So I give him the tone that I use when I'm calmly correcting him. So...I'll say it and he might calm down for a few seconds. As soon as he starts again, I'll say it again. And so on until it stops- takes about 5 minutes for me with this method. It used to last for a very long time if I tried to wake him up. Holding him was the absolute worst.

She can check with the Dr about the thrashing around stuff, but she might want to try just observing him quietly before she fully enters the room. He might be calmer without her interference.

I always used to find that the hardest part was to not take it personally. Hugs to your friend. She'll have to find the method that works for her and her child...it took us a few years to get our method down, but he didn't have night terrors all the time.

They do tend to come in clusters. My son might have a few in one week and not have them again for weeks or even months.


Sorry so long!!!

 

[Mickeypooh99]

I read your reply and ditto with my 4 year old daughter. It is harder on us. She remembers nothing the next morning. We have been going through them now for about two years. When she had them when we were at BCV I worried our neighbors heard her screaming. Our poor pumpkin - your heart breaks for them.

I also worried about the neighbors while we were on vacation. We were at Windsor Hills. He had one of his worst ever. He was walking circles around the room crying and screaming. At the time I was actually worried for his health because his heart was beating so fast. After he went back to sleep I thought about the neighbors. I think all the stimulation and staying up late at disney was hard on him.

I noticed someone said to tell them "It's not real go back to sleep." That really does help my son. It never helps to ask what he is pointing at, or whats wrong. His answers don't make sense, and he gets worse. It's really strange how sometimes we can just tell him to get back in bed and go back to sleep, and he does.

 

[PoohHappens]

Our child had what they have decided were night terrors. It was very severe. 18mos-3years. It was ususally early in the sleep cycle. He unfortunately also did this with naps in the afternoon. He would scream and thrash for anywhere from 15 minutes to 90 minutes. Yes that would be an hour and a half. It was very wearing for us I limited my work out of the home during that time. He did see a neurologist and they did a sleep study. We had to keep our 2 year old up all night for the study. That wasn't so fun either. They did and eeg and everything checked out OK. My child did thrash a lot and was in danger of injury sometimes. I would quickly carry him downstairs and put him on the floor in the middle of the room. Provided his blankie and reminded him it was OK and mommy was there. We used to breathe a sigh of relief when he had been to sleep for 2 hours. Also we always worried about our "neighbors" when we travelled and stayed at a hotel. Best of luck to your friend. We do not have them anymore they just all of a sudden stopped.

 

[Sillyminny40]

Our son had these from age 4 to 9 (he is now 11) and it was weird!
He actually got up and walked around the house, sweating and shaking. The pediatrician took it very seriously and made sure there were no brain issues. All was fine. It always happened in first couple of hours of sleep, in that falling into REM stage.
Anyway, I totally agree that no tv, video games, high stimulation etc can greatly reduce the incidents.
Also, trying to get them to pee is a good idea too. I found my son trying to pee into his brother's desk one night. Just talk softly and guide them back to bed as they really are caught in a deep "funk"!
We also had to install a baby gate at the top of the stairs as he often came down the stairs almost sleep walking like.

 

[ChillyWilleys]

DD4 used to have them. She would wake up screaming. We would go in to try and comfort her but she wouldn't acknowledge us at all. We couldn't hug her she would push away, and she would stare right through us. No matter what you did she wouldn't see it. I spoke with her doctor about it. He said try not to go in, if she needs you and she'll be with it and call you. It felt horrible the first couple times, but she actually went back to sleep much more quickly that way. And sometimes when she had a bad dream she would call us and we would go in, then we could console her it was very different. Its terrible to see, but I guess its actually not as bad for the child. The doctor told us about one patient he had who's mother managed to wake him during one, he was screaming like he was being murdered, he asked why she woke him he was having fun on the rollercoaster. She hasn't had one in probably close to a year now, so I guess they lasted about 1 1/2 years.

 

[princessmom29]

I had night terrors form aabout 2 untill I was 10 or 11. They were much less frequent when I was older, but I can remember waking up one night and still being convinced there were snakes under my bed. They are completely terrifying. All I can describe it as is you konw you are dreaming, but you can't wake yourself up. When I was small something I saw on tv ect could trigger them, or it could be nothing at all. When I wasolder I think it was more stress than anything. Worried about school, trouble with a friend ect. I eventually grew out of them, but my mom tells stories of me being hysterical or saying and doing strange things. During one I was absolutely convinced she was not my mom, and nothing would convince me untill I saw my aunt whop happened to be there at the time. Taht snapped me out of it. I guess all I can say is try to be comforting and supportive and don't contridict the child. They really believe what they are saying.

 

[tazdev3225]

I suffered from night terrors as a child and then had a brief lull but have suffered from them most of my life. My mom told me about falling down the steps when I was about 2. I was a little incoherent and insisted I could fly. Trying to wake me up did nothing and I agree they will have no idea what happened the next day. My DH wakes up with some pretty nasty bruises sometimes because I will actually run or fight in my sleep and I have absolutely no clue about what I dreamt the night before. The one time he tried to wake me up I threw him out of the bed into a closet. One of the biggest triggers for me as a child was scary movies, my DH doesn't let me watch them so I don't know about now. My mom knew that if I saw something scary at the matinee I would have her up all night with the "nightmares". Two of my kids also suffered from them also. They may still have them but since they don't remember it's hard to know. The best advice I can give is make sure the little one is safe.

 

[eclairemom]

I suffer with them as an adult too and my DH also gets the brunt of it. He will try and control me and I'll hit him, kick him, thrash around break away from him and run across the room or even out of the room. Then I'll wake up and have only a vague if any recollection of what happened. He will ask me and I'll usually respond I don't remember and go straight back to sleep leaving him laying in bed wide awake. They usually take place for me as soon as I go to sleep and there is always something in my bedroom or coming in my window or hiding in the bathroom...snakes, spiders, intruder.

 

[tazdev3225]

I suffer with them as an adult too and my DH also gets the brunt of it. He will try and control me and I'll hit him, kick him, thrash around break away from him and run across the room or even out of the room. Then I'll wake up and have only a vague if any recollection of what happened. He will ask me and I'll usually respond I don't remember and go straight back to sleep leaving him laying in bed wide awake. They usually take place for me as soon as I go to sleep and there is always something in my bedroom or coming in my window or hiding in the bathroom...snakes, spiders, intruder.

I know what you mean mine are usually intruders or someone trying to get me. Sometimes it's spiders or other bugs. I rarely remember any of it but boy am I tired the next day.

 

[tam626]

If she didn't restraint him, he might knock himself unconsious, she has said he literally throws his body around (he is 2 1/2, don't know if I mentioned this) How would you keep him from hurting himself? Has any child really hurt themselves during a "night terror" attacK?

All I know is that if you restrain someone in a night terror, it makes it last longer & as I stated, you could put a pillow along the wall where he's thrashing or carefully move him to another spot. A good idea came from a pp to put them in the middle of the floor. I certainly never ment for her to just let him hurl himself against the wall.

 

[ilovemyjj]

I have to tell ya my now 12 yr old had those all the time. OK im guessing he thought he was a special agent or something, we caught him sleepwalking during these times. He would get up get the phone and talk about a special mission and he had the codes for everything. He tried to get outside a few times, and i could not wake him up, i mean i could like play into this dream..i would hold conversations with him and actually be the bad guy..but i know that was mean..but at times it was funny. But i talked to his doc, and he said as long as you dont live on a main st or near a railroad..just be careful he stays in the house, but i always heard him walking about..so i kept an eye on him. He has finally outgrew it.

 

[everylastbreath]

Thanks so much to all who replied, I have printed out all the replies to give to her, she was feeling like she was the only one dealing with this and I think it made her feel so much better to see how many people are just like her. After reading all the replies she has a few things she is going to try. Thank you all again - as always DIS people always come thru!!

 

[amandaraye]

This child is trashing around trying to hurt himself, he throws his head at the wall / floor, is that part of it? She has been holding him very tightly to keep him from hurting himself, is that the best way to handle it? He becomes very physical and doesn't seem to recognize her or anyone else.

My son has had night terrors since age 3 and is now 6. He doesn't have them frequently any longer but when he does they're doozies! It's true, you're not supposed to wake them, just ride it out. I have actually been injured being punched and kicked by my son. At times, he will get out of bed andonce even stood at the top of the stairs screming and in the middle of a terror and my older son had to tackle him. Just one of those things we learned to live with. I HATE to see my little boy like this. Thankfully he has no memory of it since night terrors do occur when the child is asleep (even if their eyes are open). Good luck! It's not an easy thing to deal with.