The Potting Shed

Emma Jane · Star Dust Club Joined: 14 May 2007 Posts: 30

Both of our children suffer from night terrors and they really are horrible. Our daughter suffered first and it used to terrify me. She would lash about, hit herself against her bedroom wall, scratch her skin (se suffers badly from eczema and she would rake away drawing blood) and cry and scream and become breathless and say things that we couldn't make out or understand, and then she would either wake up, or suddenly settle and go back to sleep again. Sometimes they could last for 20 or 30 minutes, sometimes just 5. Now our son periodically suffers. He pants and frets and sweats and moans and cries, all the time looking at you, but he is sound asleep. It is the weirdest thing. We have learnt through experience and chatting to other parents whose children had suffered that we just sit there, be there to make sure they don't hurt themselves, talk quietly and calmly and they will settle again. Neither of them ever remember the event. It is different to nightmares which are bad dreams. These are episodes where the child appears wide awake. Some people recommend waking the child after they have been asleep for an hour or so, shortly before the usual time of the episode. This hopefully breaks the cycle. We never did, and it has gotten a lot better and now our daughter rarely suffers. She also went through a period of sleepwalking!

Becki · Posted: Mon May 21, 2007 7:59 am Post subject:

Oh, dear that does sound frightening. Fortuneately my children haven't suffered from these. I take it they will grow out of them in time?
Does it happen at the same time in the night? would it be worth trying to wake them?
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Kathy · Posted: Mon May 21, 2007 8:23 am Post subject:

1 of mine did EJ, very frightening. I tried a number of things but the only thing that worked was stopping any kind of screen watching (PC, tele etc) at least 2 hrs before bedtime. I also made sure that they didn't watch anything with monsters or anything in the least frightening (Disney has lots of these kind of things), you know the sort of thing, even Tom and Jerry can seem frightening to a child. Also no food just before bed either. Smile

Haize · 3 Star Club Joined: 16 Jun 2006 Posts: 1126

My darling OH used to cause stress to his mother with these (a long time ago!), but he would not settle unless she was in the room with him, so the doctor suggested she put a little of her perfume on his pillow, and that seemed to stop them happening at all.

Her perfume was lavender, so it could have been that that helped anyway, as lavender is supposed to be a calming fragrance, but the suggestion was to make the bed smell like she was nearby, as he did not have the terrors in the first place if she was with him.

He still talks in his sleep sometimes, which can be quite worrying Laughing

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Emma Jane · Star Dust Club Joined: 14 May 2007 Posts: 30

Doesn't happen at exactly the same time, but is usually this side of midnight. They have 2 hours off TV and computers before they finally go to bed, and they have their evening meals by 6pm so settling into bed around 8pm. They also have warm bubbly baths, bedtime stories and low lights. It is just one of those things. Boys I believe suffer more than girls. They should grow out of it, altho it isn't unknown for adults to suffer. Interesting about the perfume Haize. I don't wear the same one all the time but I wonder if an item of my or hubbys clothing as a comforter might do the trick. I will talk to the other half and see what he thinks.

I know what you mean about cartoons and mosters Kathy. The Simpsons I feel is the worse with itchy and scrathy. Very violent and blood thirsty.

kaz · Posted: Sat Jun 02, 2007 5:38 pm Post subject:

One of my boys used to sleep wee Embarassed

If we heard him moving abound we had to go and 'guide' him to the bathroom - still asleep - then back to bed, otherwise the lego drawer would get it Razz

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Kathy · Posted: Sat Jun 02, 2007 6:15 pm Post subject:

Daisy Bell · Star Dust Club Joined: 03 Apr 2007 Posts: 108

My son sleep walks but thank god he dosnt have night terrors .
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