How To Stop Toddler Night Terrors
Night terrors can be straight out of horror movies; they are pretty scary for the parent, more so than for the child. Seeing your toddler tossing, screaming and thrashing around while being completely inconsolable can send shivers down your spine. But as dramatic as night terrors are, they aren't really harmful to the child. And even though you can not completely prevent them from happening, there are some things you can do to make the episodes less prevalent.
What Are Night Night Terrors
Night terrors, also known as sleep terrors, are a mostly genetic sleep disorder where children wake up partially in a state of panic during the first hours of sleep. Pure fright can take them into a state of agitation, causing them to cry, shout, scream and even run around the house. Nothing anyone does will wake or comfort them, and they will have no recollection of the episode in the morning. It's likely that they will remain oblivious to it all.
How Is It Different From a Nightmare?
Although some people use the terms interchangeably, there are some significant differences between night terrors and nightmares. First and foremost, nightmares can happen at any age, but most children outgrow sleep terrors by age 12. Secondly, nightmares or scary dreams occur during REM sleep (the dream phase), whereas night terrors occur during Non-REM sleep. And lastly, during a nightmare, the child can be woken up and coaxed to calm down, but that can’t be done during a night terror, and the child will remain half asleep with eyes wide open.
What Can Trigger Night Terrors in Toddlers?
- Sleep disruption caused by restless leg syndrome or sleep apnea can increase the risk of night terrors.
- Sleep deprivation caused by overtiredness has the potential to trigger an episode.
- Suffering from a fever or illness can lead to a child experiencing night terrors. Taking a new medication can also cause it.
- Anxiety or recurring stress caused by stressors like getting bullied, relocation or a new sibling in the house may lead to sleep terrors.
- Caffeine from sodas could also trigger a night terror.
How To Help a Toddler Experiencing an Episode of Night Terror?
During a night terror, do not try to wake the child; instead, help the little one transition from deep sleep to REM sleep while ensuring that the thrashing is not causing the child physical harm. Stay with the toddler throughout the episode and talk in a calming tone with reassuring phrases like "you will be alright" or "I am here, don't worry." Night terrors usually don't last long, so just wait until it passes and the child goes back to sleep.
Preventive Measures You Can Take To Reduce Toddler Night Terrors
While you can't do anything to stop the night terror while it is happening, you can eliminate the known triggers and wait to see if it goes away.
- Establish a Relaxing Ritual Before Bedtime
A simple bedtime routine can melt away the day's exhaustion and help bub wind down before bedtime. It can effectively reduce anxiety and promote a good night's sleep, thereby keeping night terrors at bay.
A soothing nighttime ritual for bub -
Begin the ritual with a warm bath and a scoop of our baby magnesium soak, then gently massage away any growing pains with our all-natural, ultra-nourishing baby massage oil. Finish the ritual with a lullaby or storybook read.
- Track the Episodes
Waking up the child a few minutes before the episode starts and then putting bub back to sleep after some time continuously for a week or so can sometimes break the cycle of night terror. To do so, you must keep track of the episodes and figure out when they typically occur.
- Make the Sleeping Room Disturbance Free
Since any disruption can potentially bring forth a night terror, you have to
ensure that the room where bub sleeps is quiet, peaceful and free of any disturbances such as loud noises or bright lights. To make the sleeping room more serene, you can spritz our room tonic — specially brewed to calm the mind and enliven the space.
- Make Sure Your Child Isn’t Sleep Deprived
We have already established that sleep deprivation can contribute to sleep terrors. So, if you make sure your child is getting enough sleep (should be age appropriate), you may be able to stop the terrors or prevent their onset.
- Find Ways To Alleviate Stress
Identify the stressors that are causing your little one anxiety. Then try your best to remove them. By alleviating stress, you will be able to bring calmness to bub's life, which in turn may help resolve the night terror problem. Apart from that, you can help bub relax with the ancient power of magnesium, known for relieving stress by restricting the release of cortisol (stress hormone). Try de-stressing bub with our baby magnesium soak and baby magnesium spray. Both of these products from our Lullaby range are brimming with the goodness of this miracle mineral.
- See if You Can Change the Medication
If you think some new medication is the source of the issue, consult bub's paediatrician and ask if the medication can be changed.
- Treat Other Sleep Disorders Triggering It
As mentioned before, sleep disorders like sleep apnea and restless leg syndrome can make toddlers more susceptible to night terrors, so to naturally treat the breathing issue, we recommend gently massaging bub's chest area with a baby massage oil before bedtime. Restless leg syndrome, on the other hand, has been linked to magnesium deficiency. So to combat it, bathe bub in baby magnesium soak-infused waters and follow up with the baby magnesium spray.
Conclusion
Yes, Night terrors are alarming, but in most cases, they really are no cause for concern. But we also understand that you want to ease your child's distress, whether it is harmful or not. So, all we can say is give the above strategies a try and be patient; it will get better with time, and then you and bub will be able to enjoy peaceful, uninterrupted sleep all night long.
