Night terrors in children and what causes them

Author of the article: Iveta Bartošová

Night terrors, sometimes also called night fears, can trouble many parents, especially when they appear in small children. They are not a serious condition, and they occur in children more often than we think. If you are dealing with them right now, don’t despair, your child will outgrow them. 

What are night terrors, why do they happen, and how can they be prevented?

What are night terrors

The child is in a half-sleep state and does not respond to you at all. They may cry, scream, be terrified, kick around, or move about in bed. They usually last only a few minutes and appear in the first half of the night, when the child is in deep sleep. The next day they remember nothing. Night terrors most often occur in children from 1.5 to 5 years old, however they can also trouble parents of younger or older children. 

What causes night terrors

Night terrors may likely be triggered by:

• screen time - television, phones, tablets;
• the birth of a younger sibling;
• the child is overtired;
• too many new stimuli during the day;
• the child is stressed or there is some stressful situation in the family.

How to calm the child

Since the child does not respond to anyone, it is enough just to stay there with them; you can speak in a calm voice, stroke them, and try to put them back to sleep or, on the contrary, wake them up. Night terrors occur in deep sleep, so it is difficult to wake the child fully; in addition, they are left with a strange inner feeling that they cannot connect with anything. 

How to prevent night terrors

• Try to keep to a bedtime routine so the child knows what will always follow.
• Co-sleeping gives the child a sense of safety.
• It may help to have soft lighting in the room, minimal noise, and neither too cold nor too warm a temperature in the room.
• Let the child fall asleep with a stuffed toy or some kind of sleep aid.
• You can also try lavender essential oil, which you put into a diffuser to create a calming and pleasant atmosphere for sleep. 
• Reading fairy tales/stories before bed.
• Enough sleep and movement during the day.
• Homeopathic remedies - for example chamomilla vulgaris or stramonium - it is advisable to consult a specialist about the type of remedy and dosage.

Nightmares are not the same as night terrors

With a nightmare, the child starts to cry only after waking up. It is like a bad dream for them, so they are able to tell you what they dreamed about. They need physical closeness and reassurance from a parent in order to fall asleep again. Nightmares appear after some unpleasant experience the child has gone through in recent days (e.g. separation anxiety, fear of the dark, an unpleasant event, poor sleep hygiene). They occur in children up to 10 years old, although older ages are not an exception either; adults also have nightmares.

In brief

Night terrors occur in children from about 1.5 years old to around 5 years old. The child is in a half-sleep state and cries, kicks around, screams, and is terrified. They cannot be comforted or woken up in any way, and they do not respond to you. So you can only stay there with them, speak to them in a calm voice, and wait until everything passes in a few minutes and the child falls fully asleep again. It is not known exactly why children experience these states, but they may likely be triggered by the birth of a sibling, too many stimuli during the day, too much screen exposure, overtiredness, or some stressful situation. Sometimes nothing helps at all; for some children, co-sleeping, a sleep comfort object, enough sleep during the day, reading fairy tales before bed, aromatherapy, or homeopathic remedies can help. 

What are your experiences with night terrors? How long did they last and what helped you with them?