Nightmares Vs. Night Terrors.
Does your child wake from nightmares or night terrors? Today we’re going to talk about them, what they are and how to tell the differences.
I recently had an experience with one of my kids (my 4 year old son), who woke up from a nightmare the other night. I thought that since it was fresh in my mind and so relevant to sleep that I would share the experience and how I knew it was a nightmare vs. a night terror.
It was around 4:30 am when I heard him crying and shrieking in his bed. I ran to him, naturally, because I thought something had happened and he was huddled up under his blanket. When I approached him and asked what was wrong he popped out from under the covers and proceeded to give me a detailed account of his dream and what it was that he was so afraid of (possibly with a few embellishments because it was really quite scary). With a bit of explanation to my child of what dreams are and lots of calming and comforting, he was able to go back to sleep, albeit with the door cracked open a little bit…
I knew it was a nightmare because of the time it took place and because of the fact that he was AWAKE and able to recall what happened. Night terrors are exhibited in a completely different way and I often have parents scratching their heads wondering why their child is waking up, unsure if it’s a nightmare or a night terror and how to deal with it.
For your convenience, I have created a chart to help you understand the differences between nightmares and night terrors so that you can successfully identify them if and when your child experiences them.
What are night terrors and why do they happen?
To put it simply, night terrors are a form of disordered, confusional arousals that occur during the deepest stage of non-REM sleep. The child appears to be awake and genuinely terrified of something. They are often crying, screaming, thrashing around, some may even be sleep-walking and talking. What’s happening here is that the body's drive to sleep and its drive to wake up are both in action, conflicting with one another, causing this bizarre behavior. Essentially your body is having an inner battle of sorts, one side fighting to stay asleep and the other fighting to wake up.
This behavior is more common in children because their nREM sleep is much deeper than adults and their sleep drive is stronger, therefore they have a harder time transitioning from one sleep cycle to the next, causing a night terror to be more intense with difficulty waking from the episode.
There are many factors that can contribute to night terrors such as lack of routine, erratic sleep patterns, over-tiredness, illness biology just to name a few.
Whaat is a nightmare?
According to The Sleep Foundation, nightmares involve disturbing dream content which wakes you up from sleep. Nightmares occur during REM sleep (rapid eye movement), and usually happen toward the second of the night. These dreams can be very vivid or your child may just remember vague details, leaving them feeling upset and anxious. Nightmares are disturbing enough to wake them from their sleep right after the dream has ended. Note that the more verbal your child is and the more they can communicate, the more vivid their dreams can be.
Solutions for nightmares
If your child is genuinely afraid upon waking, don’t dismiss their fears, rather offer lots of comfort, love and reassurance and encourage them to go back to sleep. Should they be particularly afraid or anxious, it’s perfectly ok to put a nightlight, crack the door open a bit, especially if this will help your little one feel more safe and secure at bedtime and help them go back to sleep.
If they continue waking consistently every night with nightmares, consider the possibility that their bodies have gotten used to waking up at this time simply out of habit (thank you, body clock) and they are enjoying your comfort, taking the opportunity to cash in on more middle of the night one-on-one time. If this is your child, then you will need to go back to the basics, reminding him of the rules and boundaries surrounding bedtime, that it’s time to sleep and implementing proper tools and techniques to break this new nightly ritual.
Solutions for night terrors
There is no reason to restrain, move or wake your baby unless he/she is a danger to himself or others and is experiencing more severe confusional wakings such as sleepwalking or behaving wildly, etc… They usually calm down immediately after a night terror and go back to sleep with no recollection of what happened. So wait until they have calmed to make sure they are ok and have gone back to sleep. Creating a reliable routine and encouraging proper sleep are great ways to help avoid and minimize night terrors.
Always speak to your pediatrician if you are concerned about the severity and/or frequency of your child's night terrors.
