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Nightmares and night terrors can be very distressing for families. In this blog we’ll discuss that nightmares and night terrors are very different in how they present and are definitely not the same thing. We’ll also work through the causes and triggers to help you prevent them as much as possible.
Nightmares and scary dreams
As adults we all have nightmares or scary dreams every now and again, in toddlers and children, it’s a regular stage of the development process. As your child’s imagination grows and speech improves, their nightmares might become more vivid, realistic or symbolic. When having a nightmare, your child can fully wake themselves and be quite distraught and upset.
Nightmares are more common in the second half of the night when active dreaming is the most intense.
What can cause nightmares?
Common external causes of nightmares include:
- scary movies or TV shows (this includes the news!)
- scary books
- individual experiences
- …and sometimes medication side effects.
Common physical triggers of nightmare can include:
- Eating before going to sleep can be a potential stimulus as it triggers an increase in the body’s metabolism and brain activity
- sleeping in an uncomfortable position
- Being overtired
- or having a fever
Common psychological causes of nightmares include:
- stress
- or anxiety
See the Toddler Toolkit for more information on anxiety, separation anxiety and developmentally common fears.
When do nightmares start?
Nightmares often start to appear between 18 months and 2 years of life and happen during REM sleep.
How common are nightmares in children?
Most children experience nightmares at some point, evidence suggests that nightmare frequency may peak around the age of 10. Approximately 50 percent of children report ever having nightmares, and up to 20 percent report having frequent nightmares (1).
Can little babies have nightmares?
The big caveat on this answer is that a little baby’s cognition is not completely understood so they could have nightmares… but the general consensus is that little babies do not experience fear as such so they don’t experience nightmares. If your little baby is crying or whimpering in their sleep this is most likely them moving between their sleep cycle and in ‘active sleep’.
For older babies 6 months plus, separation anxiety and associated fears can develop – whether this anxiety translates to nightmares is also not well understood and it can be difficult to assess why your baby is distressed in the middle of the night without verbal skills to explain. Certain signs that may indicate that your baby has had a nightmare.
- Intense crying or screaming during sleep
- Rapid heart rate and breathing
- Difficulty soothing back to sleep
If your baby experiences any of these signs, it may suggest that they had a nightmare and are feeling scared or unsettled. But at this age they could also be teething, sick or hungry – it’s important not to label unsettled behaviour a nightmare in babies that can’t communicate if there is an addressable condition causing distress.
See my 1-2 Year Sleep Program & 2-5 year Preschool Sleep program to find out all the ways you can help your child when they have a nightmare.
What are Night terrors and Confusional Arousals?
Night terrors are very different to nightmares. They are a confusional arousal whereby your child actually remains asleep and unable to be calmed or consoled until the event passes.
When do night terrors happen?
Night terrors tend to happen in very deep sleep (non-REM sleep) and usually happen within the first few hours of going to bed, often at a very consistent time too.
Signs of night terrors in children:
- screaming,
- looking scared
- thrashing their arms and legs or running around the house
- appearing awake, often they’ll have their eyes open with a glassy stare
Other Symptoms of night terrors can include breathing fast with an elevated heart rate and sweating.
Your child won’t recognise you (or anyone else for that matter) and won’t be able to be comforted. The difference to a nightmare is that during a night terror your child will not be able to be calmed down by your presence, they will be inconsolable.
How long do night or sleep terrors last for?
Night terrors usually last around five to 10 minutes. They often happen at a very consistent time each night.
A child’s night terrors are very distressing for a parent and caregivers:
Witnessing your child experiencing a night terror can be a very distressing experience. You can feel helpless.
What’s really important to remember is that while night terror episodes seem scary and are indeed distressing to watch – these sleep disturbances don’t hurt children. Children won’t remember them in the morning and they won’t be aware of what’s happened. If they wake straight after they may seem confused but will be completely unaware of the behaviour they were exhibiting.
What causes night terrors and confusional arousals?
A night terror episode often stems from overtiredness so a key way to prevent night terrors is ensuring your child gets enough sleep. This include an appropriate bed-time and implementing a consistent and regular bedtime routine so your child falls asleep easily – sometimes bringing bedtime earlier will help.
How are night terrors treated?
See my 1-2 Year Sleep Program & 2-5 year Preschool Sleep program to find out what to do if your child experiences night terrors and all the tips and hints from a sleep specialist on how you can ensure your child is getting adequate sleep.
How much does your child sleep?
Overtideness contributes to both nightmares and night terrors. I recommend 12 hours overnight sleep for most babies and children, see the Dr Golly sleep programs for age appropriate day sleep routine 0-5 years.
When to seek help?
See your child’s doctor or paediatrician if the steps in the Sleep Programs aren’t helping. Night terrors or nightmares doesn’t mean their is something wrong with your child, the can present in healthy children – you may just need some support understanding what’s triggering them and the treatment that will work best for your family.
Amanda Abel is a paediatric psychologist, mum, and founding director of Northern Centre for Child Development & the Co-Founder of the Toddler Toolkit Parenting Program. Working directly and indirectly with hundreds of clients each year, her mission is for every child to achieve their best outcomes by equipping families, educators and corporate clients with the tools they need to help kids thrive. Amanda is the resident psychologist & Advisory Board member at TotallyAwesome – a global child-focussed media company, where she helps to ensure advertising and branding content aimed at children is appropriate.
