Night Terrors

A while back, I had a conversation about night terrors and my toddler with an Early Intervention specialist. I thought it was worth sharing with the world. Or the world that reads my blog. Which I guess is not with the entire world. But, my own little world. Anyway...

What is a night terror? By my own definition, it is more than a nightmare. It is a frightening experience for parents. It is when your child is screaming and crying and no level of comfort will help them - because they are not actually awake. It can go on for an hour or more. It can wear down even the best of parents and long after your little one has gone back to sleep, you will lie in bed with eyes wide open. O_O And, hoping that it never happens again.

For some children, it only happens once in a great while. For others, it's a nightly occurrence. The specialist I spoke with had some first hand experience with night terrors. Her niece suffered for years - until about 6 years old with them. However, she and her sister took the little girl to a sleep specialist around two years old. And, they found a solution that worked for her.

If you and your child suffer from your child's night terrors, here's a possible solution. About an hour after your child falls asleep at night, they are in some of their deepest REM sleep. At that point, go into their room and sit them up. Wake them up so that their eyes are open. And, then let them immediately lay back down. 99% of children will go right back to sleep. But, what you just did will interrupt their REM sleep. Now, I don't know the science behind it. However, the interruption in REM sleep is enough that the sleep cycles reset themselves and somehow stop the night terrors.

It worked for the little girl. Occasionally her mother would try to not do it. And, her terrors persisted. However, she outgrew it around her 6th birthday and hasn't had any problems since. I'm sure talking to a pediatrician or a sleep specialist will give you more information about this matter. But, if you have these problems in your house at 2am, you might want to give this a shot. It can't hurt. And, it's easy to do.

And, that's all the wisdom I have for today, folks!

xoxo