What is a night scare?
Night scare (Pavor nocturnus) is a type of sleep disorder that occurs in children and often arises in the first three hours after falling asleep. The child is startled, screams, speaks to himself, beats and / or kicks around in bed and appears anxious or even panicked. The eyes are often open – which is why parents usually assume that the child is awake. In fact, the child sleeps during the night scare, looks through others and is therefore not accessible.
The literal spook is often over after a few minutes, but theoretically it can also last up to 40 minutes. If the night terrors subside, the child usually continues to sleep as if nothing had happened – and can't remember the incident the next morning. Every now and then the child will sleepwalk too. It is important for parents to know that the night scare looks bad, but is actually completely harmless for the child and has no physical or mental consequences.
When does night scare occur?
In most cases, children between the ages of three and six experience night terrors, with boys being affected somewhat more often than girls. The professional association of pediatricians e. V. estimates that around three to six percent of all children experience a pavor nocturnus. As a rule, the phenomenon occurs only occasionally. Cases in which night terrors occur regularly are very rare.
Small children and babies can also suffer from night terrors. Sometimes the baby is not even a year old. The affected children cry very much, which often makes the phenomenon even more frightening for parents.
Causes: How does night terrors arise?
The exact causes of night terrors are still unknown. But there are different risk factors that can increase the likelihood of night terrors. These include:
- lack of sleep
- No or insufficient sleep routine
- stress
- General psychological stress, e.g. separation of parents
- Genetic factors
Does my child have a night scare or nightmare?
It is not always easy for parents to distinguish a child's nightmare from night terrors. The following differences exist:
- nightmares: Occurs from two years and mostly in the REM phase ("dream phase"), often between two and six in the morning. The child usually wakes up from the nightmare from the sleep and should then be calmed down so that it can fall asleep again.
- Night terrors: Occurs between the ages of three and six and a few hours after bedtime. The child can cry or strike, the phenomenon lasts from a few minutes to 40 minutes. The child does not notice the parents and then simply falls asleep again.
What to do with night terrors?
The night scare is often worse for parents than for the child – because the child actually sleeps during night scare and actually does not notice anything of its behavior. However, parents should act against their instincts at night terrors and do not disturb the child, because the seizure usually stops more quickly on its own. Attempting to hold and wake the child may cause the child to remain confused and disoriented when he wakes up.
It is better to first ensure that the child cannot get injured during night terrors, for example by putting the bedside lamp on the bedside table aside. In addition, parents can speak to the child quietly and calmly, to calm it down. If the child sleep-walks, it should be gently led back to the bed.
A visit to the doctor is usually unnecessary if the night scare occurs once, since the phenomenon can usually not be attributed directly to psychological problems. It looks a bit different if night terrors occur more often and / or the child even cramps. In this case, a doctor should check whether the child may have epilepsy. If the doctor does not find any physical causes, a visit to the child psychologist can be useful.
Can night terrors be prevented?
Since there are no precise causes for night terrors, it is not possible to explicitly prevent them. It is important to ensure that a child follows a good evening and sleep routine. Also includes:
- Generally make sure you get enough sleep.
- Always go to sleep and get up at the same time.
- Creating evening rituals: for example, the child can always brush his teeth with the father and then read a bedtime story with the mother.
- Perceive everyday stress that the child has and try to reduce it. For example, one may wonder whether the child really still needs piano lessons on Wednesdays if he was already on a sports course on Tuesdays.
Reading tips: You can find out everything about nightmares here. We also explain how sleepwalking occurs and why the deep sleep phase is so important.
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