What To Do If Your Child Is Experiencing Sleep Disturbances
For any parent to witness their child experiencing sleep disturbances such as nightmares and night terrors can be a very startling experience. However, it is not a representation of a psychological or emotional disorder. It is a representation of a maturing neurological system.
According to mum of four Lucy Wolfe, a paediatric sleep consultant; "These presentations can be very unnerving for the observing parents, but typically the child is completely unaffected. Children with abnormal sleeping schedules may be more vulnerable to these sleep disturbances. Beyond the age of two, as many as 70% of children will experience a sleep disturbance at some time."
Nightmares are also a normal part of development and happen during the second part of the night during Rapid Eye Movement, better known as REM or 'dreaming sleep'. It is a very common complaint especially between the ages of three to six years, with studies suggesting that 25% of children have at least one nightmare per week.
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According to Lucy, ”A nightmare can be very alarming for a young child and the fear is very real: normally represented by being chased or stuck somewhere. Your child will typically call for you or come into your bedroom looking for reassurance and comfort that you should provide."
It can be useful to avoid allowing your child to be exposed to scary or frightening images, programmes or audio. Lucy suggests: "Carefully pick the type of books that are read at bedtime and be mindful of anything that may cause fear and anxiety. Talk to your child about what disturbs them, ideally during the day and consider a coping mechanism for scary thoughts like a monster spray, a magic wand or shield or a special stuffed toy to keep him or her safe."
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Lucy’s tips if your child is having a nightmare:
1. If you are open to it, have the family pet share the room with your child.
2. Have siblings share, as long as they behave!
3. Don’t let them play with iPads or watch TV before bed.
4. Ensure that your child is relaxed ahead of bedtime, avoiding stimulating activity, televisions and computer games, for example.
5. Be mindful of what your child is seeing and hearing to avoid anxiety.
Often parents would mistake night terrors as being a nightmare. However, the difference between the two can be easily identified; typically night terrors can happen within the first few hours of sleep, during deep 'non-REM' sleep.
Lucy explains, "During an episode, the child jolts awake from a deep sleep, wide eyes, frightened, screaming/shouting and possibly sweating with a racing heart. As this is a partial arousal disorder, your child is not awake, will not recognise you or realise you are there; he/she may push you away while at the same time call for you. Unfortunately this can last for up to 15 minutes and then end. Your child usually won’t even remember having the night terror. It can be very upsetting for us parents to witness our children so distressed; thankfully, they are not a representative of a psychological disorder."
She continues, "Commonly, night terrors will happen within two hours of the onset of sleep, but I have experience in my practice of them happening throughout the night and/or the early part of the morning, but this is extreme and commonly a child who is not efficient at sleeping independently."
What is the single biggest cause of night terrors?
"It is being over-tired. You need to ensure that your child gets enough sleep and this can in some instances diminish significantly and in others completely eliminate the phenomenon." Even something as simple as sending your child to bed a half an hour earlier can help. As Lucy suggests "As little as an extra 30 minutes of sleep at the start of the night can make all the difference."
Lucy recommends that if there is regularity to the night terrors, by keeping a sleep diary you may be able to see a pattern. "If they are happening two to three times a week at the same time, you can try to pre-empt the partial awaking of your child 15 minutes before the episode typically happens; for example to help them roll over and stay with them until they go back to sleep. When this is implemented for up to ten nights, it may help to break the cycle."
If you are in any doubt about your child’s sleep disturbances, it is advisable to seek medical advice.
Lucy’s Tips For If Your Child's Experiencing Night Terrors
1. Don’t try to wake your child, there is no benefit for them to be roused and they may be more upset on wake up, as they are not officially awake during the night terror.
2. Avoid touching or picking up your child as this can sometimes prolong the terror.
3. Ensure that your child is safe and cannot come to harm during his/her thrashing about.
4. After the episode, guide your child back to bed.
5. Stay with your child and reassure them afterwards until they are calm and have gone back to sleep.