Night Terrors in Children: Causes, Symptoms, and Solutions.

Children often wake up upset after having a bad dream or nightmare. In general, they can be settled and soothed and will go off back to sleep again. With night terrors it’s very different. Night terror is a very big term for what is essentially a type of bad dream. The child will cry out and will be visibly distressed but is still sound asleep. They may shout out for you but can’t sense your presence or be comforted by you, making it difficult to sooth and reassure your child. They will return to sleep after a period of between 1–30 minutes but will not usually remember the details in the morning (although you will!)

While nightmares occur from dream sleep (rapid eye-movement or REM sleep), night terrors occur from a deep non-dream sleep. A child may be able to recall a nightmare if they wake up, but a child experiencing a night terror is not fully awake and will not remember the event.

Night terrors are common in children between the ages of three to eight years old. The episode usually happens early in the night and they are more common in children with a family history of night terrors or sleepwalking.

Night terrors in a child are probably more distressing for the parents than they are for the child. They can occur after a traumatic event like a fall or a hospital admission, because of a change of schedule, a new baby in the house or stress or anxiety about something in your child’s life, or if a child is overtired and falls into a very deep sleep very quickly.

We understand how parents can feel helpless when it comes to recurring night terrors. And we love to see the change that children and parents experience after paediatric osteopathy treatment. Night terrors usually happen early in the night and can be more distressing for the parents than they are for the child.

Symptoms of a night terror

• Wakes suddenly from a deep sleep and gets very agitated

• Child may look like they are awake with their eyes open

• Crying and upset

• May get out of bed and run around

• Usually happens early in the night

• Increased heart rate

• Increased breathing rate

• Sweating

What can cause a night terror?

In many cases there’s often a reason why night terrors occur. As adults, we can take everyday things that happen to us in our stride. A child can often have a very different reaction. We have seen children who have had a minor injury that required a hospital visit, to later develop night terrors. Or a new baby and a change in routine at home can be the cause.

Of course, not every child will react this way to normal everyday events. And sometimes, there’s not an obvious reason. As children get older and can rationalise their world better, the likelihood of night terrors will decrease.

What to do

• Do not try to wake your child as they will be very confused and disorientated if they do wake up.

• Remain calm and wait for the night terror to burn itself out. This can take anything up to 30 minutes.

• Keep your child safe during this time as they may be thrashing about.

• Once over, guide your child back into bed and they will continue their nights’ sleep.

Night terrors will settle in time with reassurance but because they can be so distressing, many parents will look for a solution. Cranial osteopathy is a very gentle treatment that works on the child’s nervous system and breathing diaphragm and is a very effective way to treat night terrors successfully.

How paediatric osteopathy can help night terrors

Paediatric Osteopathy is very successful at treating night terrors.

When treating a child that presents with a night terror, it is important to find out if there was a recent stressful event. The key to treatment is to recognise the restriction in movement of the ribcage, particularly the activation of both the pump handle and bucket handle action.

Breathing is a coordination of both those actions. When a child wakes with a night terror they are often agitated, and their breathing pattern is more rapid.

Gentle techniques applied to synchronise the pump handle and bucket handle action of the ribcage allows a lengthening of the breathing diaphragm and a deepening of the breath. Pump handle action occurs in the upper ribcage and is an upward movement of the ribs. Bucket handle motion occurs in the lower ribcage and is rib movements to the sides. These are the movements that happen when a child breaths in. This, in my view, rebalances the nervous system response. The child then has an improved sleeping pattern, which eliminates night terrors. The breath is the key.