23 Jun Does your child  wake up with a sudden scream looking very scared and you cannot console them

Does your child  wake up with a sudden scream looking very scared and you cannot console them
Do you find your child in bed thrashing their arms and legs wildly, or get up and start running around the house

If you answered Yes to the above statements, then your child is probably experiencing Night Terrors.
Night terrors are very dramatic awakenings that happen during the first few hours of sleep at night. A child who is having a night terror is stuck halfway between being asleep and awake. They are awake enough to get out of bed, talk or scream and have their eyes open; but they are asleep in that they do not respond to a parent trying to console them. It can be very distressing to watch, as your child may seem extremely disturbed and upset. They usually don’t remember the episode in the morning.

Night terrors are not the same as nightmares. Nightmares are scary dreams that usually happen in the second half of the night, during dream sleep. During a nightmare, your child wakes up fully and can instantly remember the frightening dream. You can settle your child when they have had a nightmare, and your child will usually remember the waking in the morning.

Facts about Night Terrors:
About 5% of children have night terrors; they usually happen in preschool- and primary school-aged children.
Night terrors will not have any long-term effects on your child, and they will most likely grow out of them.
Night terrors happen in healthy children, and are a part of normal development.
Overtiredness and not enough sleep can make night terrors more frequent.

Strategies to handle Night Terrors:
During the night terror episode, stay calm and don’t touch your child unless they are going to hurt themselves.
Efforts to settle or help your child often make the episode worse.
Keep your house safe at night time. Lock windows and doors, and clear the bedroom floor of objects so they don’t step on things or trip over.
Have a regular sleep time with a good bedtime routine to avoid your child becoming too tired.
Don’t make a big fuss about the night terror the next day as you may cause your child and their siblings to become anxious about going to bed.