A child who wakes up in the middle of the night, cries, cries and fidgets for no reason is never reassuring for parents. It is a night terror. Brigitte Langevin, expert in sleep education, explains this phenomenon to us.
Night terror is okay, but it's impressive. Night terrors most often occur in children between 1 and 4 years old. “EThey usually occur at the onset of sleep, during the first two hours of the night or during the first hour of the nap, when the child is in deep slow sleep”, Explains Brigitte Langevin.
How do you know if your child is having a night terror?
A child in the grip of a night terror wakes up in the middle of the night, restless and crying. He sits on his bed, hot, scared, screaming, struggling like he's in pain somewhere. He can also push away the parent who would come to reassure him because he does not recognize him. “Despite all this agitation, you should know that a child in the midst of a night terror attack is in a deep slow sleep, even if his eyes are wide open", Reports the child sleep specialist. It can be like sleepwalking.
Please note, night terror is not to be confused with nightmare or confused awakening.
The nightmare wakes the sleeping child because it is a dream of disturbing and distressing content. Unlike night terror, the child may remember it the next day and even wake up at night to tell his parents (if he is old enough to speak up) and seek comfort. “The big difference with night terror is that in a nightmare the child is conscious and the bad dream occurs during the REM phase and not during deep slow sleep ", says Brigitte Langevin.
Confusional arousals are like night terrors because the child is restless. They occur every 30 to 45 minutes during the night and result in micro-awakenings between the different phases of sleep. “The child makes an effort to wake up because he cannot move peacefully and naturally from one phase of sleep to another. This is often due to a lack of sleep.”.
How to react ?
If it's a night terror
Above all, do not try to wake up a child victim of an episode of nocturnal terror even if the desire is great to “bring him to his senses” to calm him down. “Better not to wake him from his deep sleep. On the one hand, because it is difficult to wake a person out of his deep sleep and on the other hand because the child may be even more anxious when he wakes up and realizes the state in which he is”, Warns the expert. Waking him up is also a bad idea because it will probably be more laborious and take longer for the parent to try to put the child back to sleep after a seizure. Also, once back asleep, the child will go back to a “new” night with a series of different sleep phases and a risk of a new episode of night terror occurring at the start of this “second” night, during the sleep phase. slow deep sleep.
In case of night terror, Brigitte Langevin advises parents:
- of making the child's environment a priority. “The child is restless and, while struggling, may bump. The parent must first of all make sure that he does not injure his body and head in his sudden movements. He can immobilize her gently by encircling her with his arms”.
- of theui speak calmly. Even during sleep, the brain perceives voices. It may be a good idea to speak quietly to the child to reassure him. It will not wake him up, but will calm him down.
Calming a child in the midst of night terror takes patience. It can take 30 to 45 minutes sometimes before he goes back to sleep peacefully. “In all cases, the parent must remain present until the child is calm”, Insists the specialist in sleep education.
If it's a nightmare
If it is a nightmare, reassure the awakened child by asking him to explain his dream to you (if he can) and reminding him that the images he has seen exist only in his head. and that only he is able to transform the images he does not like. Above all, never trivialize what he says because to him everything he saw in the nightmare seemed real to him. “If necessary, inspect his room to calm him down. Be careful, inspection of the room should be avoided afterwards, because if you continually search for the threat without finding it, the child may think that even his parent cannot find it and may be worried; the gesture will no longer be safet ”, suggests Brigitte Langevin. Finally, you can suggest that your child ask their heroes and their magical powers for help to help them in their frightening dreams. There are books that provide role models for children to help them overcome nightmare threats and tame sleep.
4 books to help your child sleep peacefully
For him
Va-t'en cauchemar !, by Sophie de Mullenheim, published by Fleurus, € 5.95
This book tells a reassuring story to ward off nightmares and is accompanied by two pages of “feel good” exercises to do at home to calm anxiety.
The Nightmare Catcher, by Paule Battault, published by Milan, € 15.20
A book embellished with materials to touch to bravely face your nightmares and finally come to the end!
For you
The Chrono-dodo method, by Aude Becquart, published by Leduc, € 17
Aude Bequart, specialist in baby sleep, offers a benevolent and reassuring method to help children fall asleep and fall back to sleep on their own, regardless of their age (from 0 to 6 years old).
How to help my child sleep better – from birth to adolescence, from Brigitte Langevin, editions de Mortagne, € 20.23.
Brigitte Langevin helps you better understand your child's sleep needs, explains pitfalls to avoid and offers effective strategies to overcome various sleep disorders.
Night terrors: when to consult?
Night terrors are often linked to a lack of sleep in children. “Sleep debt is the main cause of night terrors. Going to bed earlier in the evening, 30 to 45 minutes earlier, may be enough to overcome the problem”, Says Brigitte Langevin. Night terrors can also follow a change in a child's life that has caused stress, such as entering school, separation, moving, etc. This mainly concerns sensitive children. “Often the child reacts normally during the day and night terror is the only manifestation of an underlying problem”.
Anyway, if the night terrors do not improve despite some readjustments in the child's sleep rituals, or if they are frequent (several times a week), it is better to consult a pediatrician who will eventually dismiss to a sleep doctor. But rest assured, night terrors are not harmful to the health of the child and have no effect on his development.
Source: interview with Brigitte Langevin, expert in sleep education.
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