Night Terrors

Some studies estimate that as many as 15% of children suffer from night terrors at one time or another. They can happen at any age but are most usual in children aged between two and six. In rarer cases, they can last up to adolescence.

Babysitters are more likely to encounter a child having night terrors than nightmares. This is because nightmares usually happen in the early hours of the morning, whereas night terrors most often occur during the first four hours of sleep – typically 15 minutes to one hour after the child falls asleep. The major triggers are being overtired and a change of routine.

Up to 18% of children who suffer from regular night terrors also sleepwalk, so it’s important to keep them safe. Put a safety gate at the top of the stairs and don’t have the child sleeping in a bunk bed.

If you know that the child is prone to night terrors, it can help to gently wake them for a moment, shortly after they have fallen asleep and then let them go straight back to sleep. If done each night, this is often enough to break the cycle and the child will sleep through the night.

Blood curdling screams…

Although it can be very alarming to witness a child’s night terrors, it may help to know that they very rarely recall anything about the experience.

In a classic night terror, the child will wake up ‘early’ in the night, sit ‘bolt upright’, have their eyes open and often scream in a terrified way. They will be inconsolable and may appear convinced that there are spiders, snakes, monsters or people in the room.

They may also be sweating and can hyperventilate. It may seem as if they are awake but they are most often still fast asleep.

The initial reaction for the onlooker is to wake them up out of their fear but waking a child from a night terror can make them more frightened and upset. It is better to put your arms gently but firmly around the child and lay them down, speaking quietly to them, all the time, until they settle down.

Classic night terrors can last anywhere from 5 to 30 minutes and following the incident the child will most often go peacefully back to sleep…leaving you a nervous wreck!

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