Night Terrors - Basics

Night terrors are a disturbance of the REM sleep pattern in a young child and can be very distressing for parents. While the child seems distressed at the time - sitting bolt upright and screaming - he cannot remember the episodes the next morning.



This is because the child is really not awake and experts tell us that it is best not to wake him during a time of night terrors.
If a child is woken during his night terror attack he will be confused, disturbed and scared, usually due to the parents shaking him awake. While children who are suffering from night terrors will often seem wide awake, be sweating, have a rapid heartbeat and look fearful, they really don't know anything about it. This is why they cannot be consoled.
If your child has night terrors, the only thing to do is sit with him quietly and then help him get comfortable again and settle down for sleep when it's over. No treatment is necessary for night terrors and the child will grow out of them. It helps if the child can be put to bed before he gets overtired. Night terror attacks usually last between five and thirty minutes.