It can be frustrating watching your child have sleepless nights due to one reason or the other. It is the worry of every parent when their child is unable to have a peaceful night rest. In some cases, their kids are unable to sleep alone and end up having their parents share the same bed with them. If this continues for a long time, it could lead to a child having decreased attention span.
It is very important parents realize that night terror is unlike nightmares. Most parents make this mistake thinking both are the same, leading them to treat night terror as nightmares as something that would fade off in no time. What you may never know about night terror is that it is a disorder that occurs in children between the ages of 3-12.
To answer the question that may be on your mind now, a night terror is a state where a child has frequent episodes of sleepless nights and in some children is accompanied with intense crying. Night terrors cause a child to be scared, keeping them awake most hours of the night. Some experts have it that this disorder resolves during adolescence, but then, do you keep having countless nights and waiting till it resolves by itself? Of course not! So what can you do?
Some parents resolve to give their kids medications. This is highly not recommended as this in some kids may affect the brain. In helping your child manage night terrors, you need to be conscious of the things that may cause the episodes of sleepless nights. These triggers of night terrors include but not limited to:
• Stressful events: Watch the way your child plays. Engaging in strenuous activities increases the chances of them having night terrors.
• Sleep deprivation: Some kids never get to sleep early. As parents, it is important to establish ground rules and that should include bedtime for your kids. Staying up longer than normal, depriving oneself of adequate sleep, can cause night terrors.
• Movies and games they play: Have you paid attention to the movies your children see or the games they play before going to bed? Some of these have the potential to trigger episodes of intense fear while they go to bed.
• Seek professional help: Talk to a doctor. Don’t try solving the problem yourself alone.