Night terrors episodes are as terrifying for parents as they are for the children suffering from them. Distinct from nightmares, night terrors generally occur about 90 minutes to 2 hours after your child has fallen asleep. During a night terror episode, your child might bolt upright or begin thrashing in bed, kicking, screaming, and shrieking in terror for no apparent reason. They may appear awake but they are not and won't respond to your attempts to calm them down or figure out what's wrong. Symptoms of night terrors include sweating, rapid heart rate, and rapid breathing.
Ensure that your child's bedroom is safe. For example, children with night terrors tend to thrash, so bedside tables and chairs should be moved. It's also not a good idea to let a child experiencing night terrors sleep on an upper bunk.
As much as possible, stick to consistent bedtime routines. Overtiredness can be a factor in night terrors, so plan for a soothing bath, an uplifting story, perhaps a favorite stuffed animal, some cuddle time, and no TV, video games, stimulation, or heavy snacks just before tucking your child in.
While your child will not be aware of you during a night terror, you should still do what you can to soothe your child, make sure your child does not self-injure through a fall or thrashing against a wall or object, and perhaps rock your child until the episode is over.
Thankfully, children with night terrors have no recollection of what they were afraid of or what the terror was about (unlike nightmares). When the episode is over (they can last from a few minutes to half an hour), reassure your child and tuck them back in bed.
If your child suffers from regular night terrors at a consistent schedule, some experts recommend waking the child up just before the usual time the episode occurs. The idea is to disrupt the pattern. However, if your child not only has numerous night terrors weekly, but also has daytime fearfulness, a history of self-injury during night terrors, or suffers from extreme tiredness due to multiple episodes, it is time to consult your pediatrician. Thankfully, as upsetting as night terrors can be, most children will simply outgrow them.
Ensure your child's bedroom is a safe place for night terrors to occur by moving objects out of reach.
Stick to a consistent bedtime routine.
Avoid TV, video games and heavy snacks before bed.
Most children will outgrow episodes of night terrors.
Christian Guilleminault, Luciana Palombini, Rafael Pelayo, and Ronald D. Chervin, "Sleepwalking and Sleep Terrors in Prepubertal Children: What Triggers Them?" Pediatrics, Vol. 111 No. 1 January 1, 2003, pp. e17-e25 (doi: 10.1542/peds.111.1.e17).
This is terrible! My child has woken up at around the same time screaming for three nights in a row. After some researching, I think he is having night terrors:( he is pretty inconsolable , and freaks out if we touch him. It is so sad to watch him be so upset and not be able to help! His episodes have lasted from 5 to 10 minutes. We tried everything to calm him down, and we have found one thing that works. If we get the iPad and put on his favorite cartoon, it snaps him out of the screaming. He watches the show for a while and is smiling and laughing as if nothing ever happened. He eventually falls asleep. I would have never imagined I would be letting my 2 year old watch TV in the middle if the night, but I will do anything to stop him from being so upset! If anyone can offer any other advice or ideas about what is causing these episodes for your child or how to stop them, I would be grateful!
My children never had night terrors but it sounds so terrible to deal with. Hopefully your little guy will grow out of them soon!