When it comes to kids or even adults, sleep disorders are not very different in symptoms and effects. The same goes for sleep terrors. If you want to know how sleep terrors affect children, what are the causes and symptoms of night terrors in children, how to manage, and when to take your child to a sleep clinic Damascus, MD, then you’re at the right place.
Sleep Terrors & Children
Sleep terrors or night terrors are exactly what they sound like, and they are very common to occur in children. The condition or sleeping disorder in which a child is peacefully sleeping one minute and then wakes up in hysterics, tears, and sweating, is known as sleep terrors.
It is basically a glorified nightmare that makes the child very inconsolable. The only thing on their minds will be the fact that they’re scared, and they might not even register that someone is in front of them, trying to calm them down.
It is a very peaking adrenaline and terror rush, and the child doesn’t even remember that they woke up screaming once they go back to sleep.
In some cases, the sleep of the child may also be disrupted, and that can lead to difficulty in falling back asleep too. So, you need to understand the pattern and then figure out a way to combat this.
Sleep terrors or night terrors are quite literally the same thing, but it doesn’t take away the fact that the child’s sleep is highly disturbed, and if their imagination runs wild, then they will be in panic and fear mode all the time and that is not good for them.
Causes Of Sleep Terrors In Children
Sleep or night terrors can or cannot be associated with other forms of disorders or any other malfunctions in the body.
Sickness
Usually, if a child is very sick and they haven’t gotten enough sleep to begin with, then night terrors can come back with a vengeance.
Stimulated Brain
Also, if the brain is extremely stimulated at the time of going to sleep, then 2 to 3 hours into the snooze fest, the child can wake up in tears and screams, and it will be impossible for you to make them go back to sleep.
They will eventually go back to sleep, but it will be very choppy and some kids find it very difficult to stay asleep after this terrifying episode.
Certain Medication
Another cause that can aggravate night terrors is taking some sort of medication that leads to this very side effect. It is really bad and if your child is on some medication that can’t be stopped for obvious reasons, then managing the side effects can be really hard too.
New Location Or Time Zone
One more thing that can lead to sleep terrors, but it is not definite, is sleeping in a different home or place or a time zone than usual. A routine is wired into our human brains and if anything goes astray, then things are bound to fluctuate. This is why traveling and sleep disorders are considered interlinked by researchers. Anything can happen, which can lead to our brains going into extreme fight or flight mode and that is when the night terrors start.
So, if any of these things are prevalent in your kid’s life and it is causing extreme night terrors and difficulty in falling back asleep, then you have to fix them, because sometimes, this is the only way to manage things and make the child feel comfortable again. If sleep is compromised, then a lot of other things can happen that can completely derail the kid’s mental and physical health, and you don’t want that.
Symptoms Of Sleep Terrors
Well, now that you know the basics of night terrors in kids and how they can be caused and aggravated to some extent, the next thing you want to keep an eye on are the symptoms. So, here are some general, but noteworthy symptoms of sleep terrors in kids. They should prompt you to consider seeing a sleep specialist Walkersville.
- This one is quite obvious, but your child will wake up in the middle of the night, screaming and in tears. There usually won’t be any reason behind this scare, other than the fact that the child is suffering from night terrors, but it will all be very haphazard and inexplicable.
- Sleep terrors will usually occur on the 3-to-4-hour window after your child has fallen asleep. During this time window, the fight or flight response system of the brain gets very excited and that is what leads to sleep terrors.
- Your child will also break out in sweats. You might think that they are drenched with water, but it is only the stress of the night terror and whatever led the child to wake up from their sleep and break out in hysterics.
- In some cases, the sleep terror may start out as a nightmare, with the occasional screaming and thrashing around the bed, not being able to get comfortable or peaceful.
- In other cases, the child may be so scared that they may get up and run away from the bed. It is usually not as common, but in very serious and scary night terrors, especially if the brain has been stimulated prior to this, then this is really common and it can be hard to calm your kid down.
How To Manage & Treat Sleep Terrors?
The most important thing to consider in any disorder, whether it be sleep-related or not, is to get the disorder managed or, better yet, treated.
In the case of night terrors and children, these are the things that you can try if you want your kid to have a peaceful night’s rest.
Monitor The Symptoms
The first thing that you want to do is note down all of the symptoms and the things that happened prior to this. This is to keep a log of the symptoms and the possible things that could have triggered the symptoms. This will make it easier for the sleep doctor to make a diagnosis.
This is usually the first thing the doctor tells you to monitor, so if you can do it beforehand, then it is one less thing to do and you can go straight to the treatment and management mode.
Figure Out What Works For Your Child
The next thing you want to do, after diagnosis, is to figure out a system that works for your child. Now, this isn’t going to happen overnight and it involves a lot of back and forth.
You can try waking up your child, then not waking them up to see which one works for them.
You can also try to accompany your child to bed at times and then change up the routine to see what works.
Manage Stress
Speaking of routine, managing stress in children and having a set routine every single day is going to help keep balance in life and it is going to be super helpful for the kid to stick to a routine and not let their sleep get all sorts of whack.
A Checkup For Any Other Sleep Disorders
Also, if there is any other associated sleep issue that is causing the night terrors to aggravate, then treat those issues first.
Conclusion
Night terrors are actually really common in children. Well, now you know exactly what to do and how to combat the issue so that your kids can get a good night’s rest. If you notice the symptoms, don’t delay your visit to a sleep center Jessup.