Night terrors

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What is a night terror?

A night terror is when your child suddenly becomes very agitated while in a state of deep sleep. She may sit or stand up, shake, move about, and cry or scream loudly. Your child may look like she is in extreme panic.

During a night terror, your child’s eyes may be open – but despite all the activity and movement, she is in fact still in a state of deep sleep. A child having a night terror is inconsolable and will not respond to attempts to soothe or comfort her. A night terror can last from a few minutes up to 40 minutes.

Night terrors are less common than nightmares – only around 1-6% of children will experience night terrors. Generally they are seen in children more than 18 months old and should disappear by six years of age. Night terrors can run in families, suggesting that there is a genetic component to whether children will experience them.

Night terrors seem scary to you but they don’t hurt or scare your child. Children do not remember the event in the morning, and are not conscious of having had a bad dream or a fright. If wakened during a night terror, they will typically be confused and disorientated.

You do not need to be concerned about night terrors. They do not mean there is anything wrong with your child. Night terrors are natural events associated with the normal development of sleep in children. They disappear as children develop more mature forms of deep sleep.

Night terrors are different from nightmares. Night terrors happen during the first few hours of sleep when your child is sleeping very deeply (nightmares tend to happen in the second half of the night during phases of REM sleep). Managing nightmares is quite different because children have woken and might remember and feel upset by the dream.

What to do

The good news is that night terrors will not harm your child.

Avoid waking her during a night terror. She will only be confused and disorientated, and may take longer to settle.

Instead, wait for her thrashing around to subside. Guide her back to bed, and tuck her back in. She will settle back to sleep quickly. If you think she might hurt herself, stay close to guide her away from hitting or bumping into the sides of her cot or other obstacles.

When to get help

If you remain concerned, or the night terrors seem prolonged or violent, seek professional advice. If night terrors are occurring along with other sleeping difficulties, or breathing problems such as snoring, your child may also benefit from an ear, nose and throat assessment.

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