Any parent whose child has ever experienced a night terror will know how unsettling it can be - not normally for the child as more often than not he or she will not remember the incident - but for the parent. So should you be worried if your child experiences them?

Characteristics

Every child has bad dreams from time to time but night terrors are different, typically affecting children under the age of six. Often the child will appear to be awake, sitting up in bed or thrashing around with eyes wide open, and may be moaning, crying or screaming and in an agitated state - sweating, with heart beating fast. The aspect that parents may find the most disturbing is that generally the child will be unresponsive and inconsolable, and you will not be able to wake him. After a few minutes he will settle back to sleep and will have no recollection of the event in the morning.

Causes

Night terrors occur as a result of a rapid transition between different phases of sleep, and research indicates they may be hereditary. They may be brought on by stress, trauma, lack of sleep, fever or constipation, and affect around fifteen percent of children and a small minority of adults - although most children eventually grow out of them.

Treatment

Treatment of regular attacks usually involves heading off an episode by waking the patient for a few minutes shortly before the usual time it's expected to occur - this disrupts the sequence of events that leads up to an episode, with the intention of "reprogramming" the brain. Severe cases can be treated with medication, but most often this will not be necessary; simply being present during an attack to gently reassure your child and prevent him from hurting himself in his agitated state should be sufficient. Above all, remain calm and simply allow the episode to play itself out.

Note: this article should be used for information purposes only; if in doubt, please consult your medical professional.