Nightmares and Night Terrors can often be confused for one or the other leaving parents unsure of what to do or how to respond. This blog will help you learn how to differentiate between the two, how to reduce them from occurring and how to respond when they occur.

Nightmares

Nightmares are frightening or unpleasant dreams that can start to appear around two years of age and typically reaches its peak between three and six years of age.

When do Nightmares occur?

Nightmares tend to occur during a stage of sleep called rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. REM sleep is where most dreaming takes place and becomes progressively longer as the night advances. Due to the longer stages of REM occurring later into the evening, you may find your little one experiences nightmares most often in the early morning hours.

What causes Nightmares?

We still don't know exactly what causes nightmares, but it is believed to be one way children process thoughts and feelings about situations they face, and it's a way to work through worries and concerns. Those who have experienced a traumatic event, for example, tend to have frequent nightmares for the next six months or so.

How to Support Sweet Dreams

Although we can not stop nightmares from occurring there are things we can do to promote pleasant dreams.

Being mindful of the TV shows, games and books your child is watching, playing or reading. (Note: What we perceive as scary or not scary may look very different for them so keep this in mind and have some conversations with them to learn more).
Have a consistent bedtime and bedtime routine. Consistency leads to predictability. It allows your child to know what is happening and when it's happening which reduces anxious feelings and provides security.
Incorporating pleasant conversations into your child's bedtime routine to promote happy thoughts before sleep.
Taking a closer look at your child's daily routine. Has there been a recent change in their lives that could possibly trigger a nightmare such as a pandemic, a new sibling, parents separating, moving to a new house or starting at a new school?
If your child is having frequent bad dreams try talking to them about their dreams during the day to see if you can help them understand them. It's important that you are actively listening and being empathetic towards their fears. After listening get creative together and try to come up with ways to problem solve those bad dreams and turn them into something happy or funny.
If you are truly concerned it may be good to speak with your family doctor for further support.

What to do when your child wakes from a nightmare

Go to your child right away and offer some comfort
Listen and acknowledge their feelings
Provide words of comfort "That sounds like a scary dream but it's over now, I am here, and you are safe"
Do not replay and focus on the bad dream as it may make it challenging for your child to go back to sleep.
Instead, talk about pleasant things they can dream about next.
You can consider leaving their door slightly open with a hall light on or using a night light but make sure that if you do introduce one, that it’s a warm colour like yellow, orange and red. Blue lights may look soothing, but they stimulate cortisol production, which is the last thing we want at bedtime.
Allow them to sleep with a comfort object like a lovey or bedtime buddy. Sleeping with an object they have an attachment to gives them a sense of security.
The following day is a good time to check-in on them and their bad dream.

Night Terrors

Night terrors are relatively rare. Only 3–6% of children will have them. A night terror is a sleep disruption that is typically accompanied by behaviours such as, screaming, kicking, sitting up, panic, sleepwalking, thrashing or mumbling. They occur most often in toddlers and preschoolers during the deepest stage of sleep (Non-REM). They can last from 30 seconds up to 45 minutes. Unlike nightmares, children don't typically wake from them and will fall right back to sleep once the episode is done. Though night terrors can be alarming for parents who witness them, they do not usually cause for concern and their child will often have no memory of it the following day.

What Causes Night Terrors?

Night terrors are caused by over-arousal of the Central Nervous System (CNS) during sleep. This may happen because the CNS (which regulates sleep and waking brain activity) is still maturing.

A night terror is not technically a dream, but more like a sudden reaction of fear that happens during the transition from one sleep stage to another. Night terrors usually happen about 2 or 3 hours after a child falls asleep when sleep moves from the deepest stage of non-REM sleep to lighter REM sleep. Usually, this transition is a smooth one. But sometimes, a child becomes upset and frightened — and that fear reaction is a night terror.

Night terrors have been noted in kids who are:

Overtired or ill, stressed, or fatigued
Taking a new medication
Sleeping in a new environment or away from home
Not getting enough sleep
Having too much caffeine

About 80% of children who have night terrors have a family member who also experienced them or sleepwalking (a similar type of sleep disturbance). A child might have a single night terror or several before they stop. Most of the time, night terrors simply disappear on their own as the nervous system matures.

How to Reduce Night Terror from Occurring

There's no treatment for night terrors, but you can help prevent them by incorporating these helpful tips into your life.

Try to:

Avoid screen time at least 1 hour prior to bedtime
Help your child reduce their stress by including calming activities close to bedtime or in their bedtime routine. Relax Kids is a great resource!
Implement a regular and consistent bedtime routine that's simple and relaxing
Make sure your child gets enough consolidated night sleep and to avoid becoming overtired.
If your child is on any over-the-counter or prescribed medications check with your family doctor to see if the medication they are on can interfere with your child's sleep. Certain medications and the timing they are consumed can affect sleep and may need to be adjusted.

How to Support your Child during a Night Terror

Go to your child right away
Keep your child physically safe by removing any objects in close proximity that may cause them harm during the episode
Do not shake, touch, talk or wake your child. Instead, stay calm, quiet and wait it out.
Guide them back to their bedroom if necessary.
Install high locks on doors leading outside, add bells on their door to let you know if they've left their room and add gates at stairwells.

Night terrors can be traumatic for the parents so understanding them can help ease your worry and help you a good night's sleep too. However, if night terrors happen repeatedly, talk to your doctor about whether a referral to a sleep specialist is needed.

If you have any further questions about your babies sleep like when can you expect them to sleep through the night or extend their daytime naps please reach out and book a FREE 15 min discovery call.

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