Almost every person may have woken up from sleep uncontrollably at some point in their lives. Night terrors, or sleep terrors as they are commonly called, are the most common example of parasomnia, which is defined as all involuntary movements that occur during sleep, and negatively affect the lives of children and families.
Sleep terrors occur at any age, but night terrors, which are more common between the ages of 1.5 and 10, are among the abnormal sleep disorders.
Sleep is one of the most basic human needs. Although sleep is important at all ages, it is much more important in infancy and childhood, when brain development is most intense. Sleep problems are seen in 30% of children and infants. For the treatment of sleep terrors , it is necessary to get the support of a specialist with symptoms.
Sleep terror in children; Doctor's warning to parents who complain that their children wake up in the middle of the night with screaming and crying; 'Your children may have a disorder called sleep terror.
What are the Symptoms of Sleep Terror?
Symptoms of sleep terrors are especially evident in the first phase of sleep. The following symptoms give us information about night sleep terrors. We can list the symptoms of night sleep terror as follows;
- This disorder is very common between the ages of 1.5 - 10. In preschool children, the incidence is 40%.
- Since it is in the first half of sleep, it happens in the early hours of the night. The child sits in his/her bed 2 - 3 hours after sleeping, screaming or crying in fear. The eyes are open, but the gaze is blank and dull. This can last from 30 seconds to 3 minutes.
- In the morning the child has little or no recollection of it (if not woken up) because it is during the heavy part of sleep. Daytime sleep may be recommended as it can increase when the child is very tired.
- Programmed awakening can also sometimes work. This is very worrying for families, but it is easy to treat.
- As a result of insomnia, the person's attention and learning processes are impaired and memory loss may occur.
- Sleep terrors negatively affect children's development, school and social life. For this reason, it is recommended to take children to a specialist in order to diagnose sleep disorders that are easy to treat.
What are the Factors that Trigger Sleep Terror?
The person experiencingsleep terrors has an expression of fear on his/her face and often sits in bed with sweating, frequent breathing and palpitations, and sometimes starts to sit up and walk. These episodes occur during deep sleep and mostly in the first half of the night and are not remembered by the person, the person does not hear what is said and may try to move away. These seizures can sometimes last up to 20 minutes. It is more common in children than in adults and its frequency decreases with increasing age. Stress, certain medications and breathing disorders during sleep can trigger sleep terror.
How are sleep terrors treated?
Night terrors cannot be cured, but sleep terrors that start in childhood tend to stop with age. However, if a person experiences sleep terrors at an advanced age, there is no definitive treatment.
Taking some precautions against this disease can be protective against negative situations. Factors such as making the rooms where children stay safe and not keeping electronic devices in the room for a good sleep should be taken into consideration.
It may be necessary to make sure that children with sleep terrors get enough rest and sleep. Particular attention should be paid to the regularity of sleep hours.