What is the difference between night fears and nightmares. Why you shouldn't wake up your child during nighttime fears. What needs to be done to prevent the appearance of night fears in children
Children are very impressionable and have an irrepressible imagination. Probably, every mother at least once, but heard stories from her baby about a monster under the bed. Starting from the age of two, these monsters seem to "sneak" into the child's sleep and cause such a phenomenon as night fears. It looks quite frightening from the outside: a fast sleeping child suddenly starts screaming loudly. At the same time, it is almost impossible to wake and calm him down, even opening his eyes, the baby does not understand anything and is as if in another world.
Night terrors and nightmares: what is the difference
Night terrors, unlike nightmares, the child does not remember / istockphoto.com
The main feature of night fears is that the child does not remember them at all. Episodes usually occur at night, 30-40 minutes after falling asleep (as opposed to nightmares that "come" in the morning). May be repeated every night, but usually scare parents 2-3 times a week. At the same time, the picture is practically the same all the time: the child is sleeping peacefully and soundly, and suddenly begins to scream. At the same time, the face turns red, the heart pounds, the body sweats. The kid can rush about in bed, or maybe even jump up and try to run somewhere.
The episode itself can last from 30 seconds to 10 minutes (usually 2-4 minutes), and the child does not wake up completely. Even if you wake him up and try to calm him down, the baby's gaze will be absent. He will be disoriented, unable to make contact, and most likely will not recognize the house or the parents. If you leave your child alone, he will fall asleep very quickly, and the next morning will not remember what scared him at night. This is another difference from nightmares that a child can often tell parents about in full detail.
Are night fears dangerous for a child?
Night fears are not dangerous for the baby's psyche / istockphoto.com
Doctors refer to night fears as parasomnias or sleep disorders. According to statistics, they are found in children from 2 to 15 years old, but the "peak" period falls on the age from 4 to 7 years. Boys are more susceptible to this disease. At the same time, night fears are referred to as "benign" disorders: they are not accompanied by mental disorders or problems of the nervous system. In rare cases, neurologists note in children with nighttime fears increased anxiety and a neurotic personality type. However, this does not in any way affect the intelligence or developmental norms of the child.
The main reasons for the appearance of night fears include:
- heredity (if one of the parents suffers from any sleep disorder, be it night fears or sleepwalking, the likelihood of their appearance in a child is very high)
- neuro-somatic weakness (if the child is very impressionable, prone to anxiety and anxiety, suffers or has suffered before nervous tics)
- increased emotional stress (if the child has a lot of impressions during the day, while not the regime is observed, the baby sleeps little and spends little time in the fresh air, sits a lot in front of TV)
- psychologically factors (if the child has experienced or is in the process of experiencing stress, lives in an environment of constant conflicts or feels the manifestations of aggression)
How to help a child with night fears
Day regimen and avoiding gadgets can help with night fears / istockphoto.com
As a rule, night fears go away on their own: in the process of maturation of the nervous system, episodes become less and less frequent, and gradually come to naught. If they are not caused by a serious psychological cause (the same conflicts in the family or violence against the baby), such fears do not harm the child in any way. It is necessary to consult a specialist in case of a very strong intensity and frequency of manifestation (for example, every night for several weeks). In other cases, you can try to cope with the problem yourself:
- First of all, do not wake your child up during a nightly fear episode. As much as you would like to help him, the nature of the phenomenon is such that it passes by itself and leaves no memories. Stay close to him, stroke him and make sure he does not harm himself (for example, does not fall out of bed). After 5-10 minutes, the baby will calmly fall asleep further.
- Make sure that the child spends enough time in sleep: gets enough sleep at night, sleeps as needed during the day. Overwork is one of the reasons that provokes the emergence of night fears.
- Establish a daily routine and the alternation of various kinds of activities. The child should spend as little time as possible watching cartoons or games on the phone. Mandatory rule: no gadgets at least two hours before bedtime. Dedicate this time to quiet games and reading books.
- Analyze the causes that may trigger stress in your child and try to eliminate or mitigate them. If it's a fight with your husband, make it a rule not to swear in front of your child. If kindergarten, talk to the teacher and therapist about how to help your child adapt.
You will also be interested to read:
Coping with nightmares in a child: top tips
What is your child afraid of: fears of children at different ages
