Night terrors

Often confused with night-time anxiety and nightmares, night terrors are actually linked to sleepwalking. Indeed, during an episode, your child is not aware of your presence.

Are you familiar with the characteristics of night terrors?

In reality, your child is not awake even though their eyes are open. An episode typically lasts between 1 and 5 minutes, though this varies from child to child. Once the episode is over, your child settles back down quickly and without difficulty — because they have no awareness of the episode and do not remember it the next day.

In the event that they do wake up, they may feel confused and anxious, particularly upon seeing your reaction to what has just happened.

Night terrors typically occur between 1 and 2 hours after falling asleep, during the deep slow-wave sleep phase. For some children, they can occur later in the night, as the deep slow-wave cycle repeats several times throughout the night.

They tend to appear when a child is between 18 months and 4 years old, but can persist for much longer.

So how do you recognise a night terror?

During a night terror episode, your child may:

- scream and shout

- sit up in bed

- speak incoherently

- become aggressive

- be restless and not want to be touched

- have their eyes open without seeing you

What are the causes of night terrors?

Night terrors can occur when a child:

- is going through changes in their daily life that may make them anxious: stress is a triggering factor

- is not napping or has lost their regular sleep habits

- goes to bed later than usual or is very tired: they compensate for their lack of sleep by altering the intensity of their deep slow-wave sleep phase.

- is ill or has a temperature

What are the differences between night terrors and nightmares?

A nightmare is a dream that serves to express negative or distressing emotions experienced during the day. The child remembers their nightmare and can talk to you about it for reassurance. They may have the same nightmare more than once. Indeed, nightmares tend to appear around 18 months to 2 years, when a baby is able to verbalise what they feel. Nightmares also occur during the REM sleep phase, that is, during the second half of the night.

A night terror does not necessarily have a distressing situation as its starting point, and your child has no memory of it — unless you manage to wake them during the episode.

However, it is important not to wake a child during an episode, as they are in a dreaming state and may not recognise you or may perceive you as a monster. This risks worsening their fear and causing confused awakenings.

It is advisable to wait a few minutes, staying by your child's side and speaking to them in a calm, soothing voice to help them relax.

How can I reduce my child's night terrors?

Since episodes occur mainly at night — approximately two hours after falling asleep — it is very important for your child to have a well-established sleep routine so that they do not build up a sleep deficit.

Moreover, night terrors are linked to your baby's body temperature: if it is too high, they may be more prone to episodes.

If your child has episodes regularly, it is advisable not to let them do overly strenuous physical activities, as this risks them falling straight into a deep sleep.

To help your child, in addition to the sleep routine, you can read them stories and talk with them about any worries they may have faced during their day.

Night terrors are a normal phenomenon in children that can occur at any time when something is unsettling them.

If your child is having repeated episodes, you may want to start reflecting on the quality of their sleep, as this can disrupt their equilibrium and lead to significant fatigue and difficulty concentrating.

You can consult a sleep specialist to better anticipate bedtime.

In conclusion, it is important to distinguish night terrors from nightmares in order to give your child all the support they need and to put solutions in place to soothe them and improve the quality of their sleep.