Easing sleep terrors

Sleep terrors are a disorder related to waking up from sleep. They are most likely to occur in the deepest stages of sleep during the first 3 hours of the night. True sleep terrors occur suddenly and dramatically. The children or adolescent sits bolt upright in bed yelling. They are usually unaware of their surroundings and sometimes may be destructive. It can be difficult to get a child to "snap" out of a sleep terror. More typically what parents observe is called a confusional arousal. Like the name suggests, these children are also confused and partially awake. They may yell or thrash but are not usually violent. Episodes can last anywhere from one minute to ten minutes. Children seem to "snap" out of these episodes on their own and fall back asleep quickly. Sometimes leading a child to go to the bathroom can help resolve the episode.

Keep in mind that children with these disorders seem to develop normally in other areas. Confusional arousals usually go away by 6-8 years of age. Sleep terrors are more common in adolescence. Here are some tips for easing both sleep terrors and confusional arousals.

• Have your child empty his bladder prior to bed.
• Keep the bedroom dark and quiet.
• Wake up your child half an hour before the episode each night for about a week. This is usually 1 hour into sleep. This may interrupt the bouts.
• Give your child a 30-60 minute afternoon nap. This can reduce deep sleep at night and avoid arousal episodes.
• Sleep in your child's room. It may help reassure your child and possibly alter their sleep stages.
• Keep your child safe during episodes. Have safety bars installed in bedroom windows.