Nightmares and Night Terrors in Children

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Nightmares and night terrors are both common in childhood, but they are different. Nightmares are frightening dreams that usually happen in the second half of the night. Children wake up, remember the dream, and seek comfort. Night terrors usually happen in the first few hours of sleep. Children may scream, thrash, or look terrified with their eyes open, but they are not fully awake, are hard to comfort, and usually remember nothing the next morning. Nightmares are often linked to stress, frightening content, or upsetting experiences. Night terrors are linked to deep sleep and are more likely when a child is overtired. Most children outgrow both.

How to Tell Them Apart

• Timing. Nightmares usually occur later in the night. Night terrors usually occur within the first few hours.
• Awareness. Children are awake after a nightmare. During a night terror, they seem awake but are not.
• Comfort. Children want comfort after a nightmare. During a night terror, comfort may not help and can make them more agitated.
• Memory. Children remember nightmares. They rarely remember night terrors.
• Age. Nightmares are common between ages three and six but can happen at any age. Night terrors are most common between about ages three and eight.

Why They Happen

Nightmares

Nightmares often follow stress, change, frightening stories or shows, illness, or anxiety. Repeated nightmares about a specific event can follow a frightening experience, such as an accident, and may be part of a trauma response, as described on the page about why people have nightmares about the same event.

Night Terrors

Night terrors happen during a partial waking from deep sleep. They tend to run in families and are more likely when a child is overtired, ill, has a fever, or has an irregular schedule. They are related to sleepwalking.

How to Respond

After a Nightmare

• Comfort your child calmly and reassure them that they are safe.
• Listen if they want to talk, but do not push for details.
• Use a nightlight or comfort item if it helps.
• During the day, they can draw the dream or make up a new, happier ending. This technique, called imagery rehearsal, is also used in therapy, as described on the page about nightmare disorder.

During a Night Terror

• Stay calm and keep your child safe from falls or injury.
• Avoid trying to wake them or hold them tightly, unless needed for safety.
• Wait for the episode to pass, usually within a few minutes, then guide them back to bed.
• Avoid discussing it the next morning in a way that worries them.
• Prioritize an earlier, consistent bedtime, since overtiredness is a common trigger.
• If night terrors happen at a predictable time, a physician may suggest briefly waking your child shortly before that time for a few weeks.

When to Seek Help

Talk to your family doctor or paediatrician if episodes are frequent, involve injury or dangerous behaviour, happen at unusual times, or seem like seizures, or if your child snores loudly or has breathing pauses. Consider psychological support if nightmares are frequent, distressing, follow a frightening event, or come with daytime fears, avoidance, or changes in behaviour, as described on the page about anxiety in children and teens. The page about sleep problems in children covers other sleep concerns.

What It Is Not

Nightmares and night terrors are not a sign of bad parenting, and night terrors are not usually linked to emotional problems. Frequent nightmares after a frightening event are worth taking seriously, but occasional bad dreams are a normal part of childhood.

Getting Support at Pacific Maple Psych Centre

If nightmares or night terrors are disrupting your child's sleep or causing fear, support can help your child and your family rest more easily.