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Q. "Sometimes, in the middle of the night, my seven-year-old sits bolt upright, stares straight ahead, and screams at the top of his voice. It sounds like he is being attacked by an axe murderer! We try to comfort him, but he doesn't even know we are there. This goes on for many minutes. Then he goes back to sleep. If we wake him, he seems confused and cannot remember what he was dreaming about." A. The reason that he cannot remember what he was dreaming about, is that he was not dreaming! What you are describing is a classic case of night terrors. When we first fall asleep, we enter stage one sleep. We then progress through stages two and three until, after about an hour and a half, we enter our the deepest sleep, stage four. Scientists can recognise these stages by our brain-wave (EEG) patterns. What is surprising is that we don't dream during the four stages. If someone awakens during them, the most they can say is that they were "thinking". Following stage four is "rapid eye movement" (REM" sleep. This is a totally different stage, and it is here that we start dreaming. If you were to watch someone, you would see the eyes darting back and forth. Dreams last for 45 minutes or so, and then we go back to non-REM sleep for about an hour. The pattern goes on throughout the night, and the non-REM stages get lighter. That is what the old saying "an hour before midnight is worth two after" pertains to. If we have nightmares, they occur while we are dreaming. They can be full blown horror movie experiences and very frightening. Night terrors, on the other hand, occur in stage four sleep. This is also the stage in which sleepwalking and talking occur. The reason they occur is unknown, and most children grow out of them. They may be worse at times of stress. Although very alarming, and most distressing to the rest of the family, night terrors cause no harm to the child himself. Indeed, if you can possibly bear it, the best tactic is to not wake him. As you have said, after a while, he just goes back to sleep by himself. The same also applies to sleepwalking, when the goal is simply to make sure the child is safe in his wanderings, and. that he cannot fall down the stairs or out of a window. Night terrors usually occur in children from 3 to 6 years of age, but sometimes go a little later. They are not an indication of any problem. You would actually be better to get your own rest during these occurrences, difficult as it sounds.
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Dr. Noel Swanson frequently writes for Yes Parenting website and also has a free newsletter on children's behavior problems. This article is available as a unique content article with free reprint rights.
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