Night Terrors
Soon after we moved to Indiana, DD started having night terrors. I had heard of these before through various mommy groups and online discussions but I was not prepared for the fear that DD had or the emotion that I felt in trying to comfort her and ease her back to sleep.
Night terrors are common in children and can start as early as 2 years and last through adolescence. But most victims of this disturbing sleep problem outgrow them fairly quickly. When DD started crying uncontrollably only an hour or so after she went to sleep, I suspected night terrors. She would be sobbing with tears streaming down her cheeks and talking about random things or events. None of it made sense to me or DH.
I would hold DD and rock her until she calmed down and fell back to sleep. Sometimes, she wouln’t want me to touch her (or, I should say, she seemed more agitated when I tried to hold her) but most of the time she seemed comforted by my voice and arms wrapped tight around her. But this didn’t stop the crying or screaming. But it does usually stop after a few minutes. If I tried to wake her up, she would be even more distressed, disoriented, confused, and scared. I quickly learned to let the event run its own course and to just make sure she couldn’t hurt herself. She would often be at the end and edge of the bed in just a few seconds; eyes wide open but completely unaware of where she was at that moment.
Often, she would be shaking violently - like she was totally terrified. For a parent, this a scary and very emotional thing to watch. You feel helpless and like you could have done something to prevent the trauma that your child seems to be enduring.
Night terrors seem to be linked to:
- overtired
- overstimulated
- sickness
- stress
- fatigue
- new medication
- sleeping in a new environment
- a move
- change in family structure (divorce, one parent away from home, etc.)
There are some steps that you can take to help prevent night terrors, and although they may still occur, you should try these if you can:
- establish a routine for sleeping and naps
- avoid stressful situations
- avoid over-stimulation
- try to make transitions such as a move, as smooth as possible (whatever that means..)
During the night terror, it is best just to let it run it’s course. Just make sure your child can’t get hurt. I have also started waking DD an hour or so after she goes down for the night. I take her to the potty one last time and hope that it is enough of a change in her sleep pattern to prevent a night terror.
We are still struggling with night terrors though they seem to be happening less frequently. I am sure that the move has been a major contributor as well as DD’s desire to give up her remaining nap (very bad for me)! Hopefully, as we get more adjusted to the new enviroment, we will all get more sound and peaceful sleep.
For more infomration on night terrors, you can google the subject. Askdrsears.com also has a great article that you can read to give you some ideas on how to cope.
