When your child wakes up in the middle of the night, sometimes it is difficult to determine whether they have had a nightmare or night terror, and more importantly, what to do to help them get back to sleep.
Here are some key differences between nightmares and night terrors:
Nightmares are, by definition, scary dreams followed by complete awakening. They are more common in school-age children. Your child may wake you immediately to tell you about the dream. Nightmares happen during the second half of the night, when dreaming is at its most intense. Your child may be crying or fearful after waking, and may want to be comforted or calmed. Unlike night terrors, a child having a nightmare will wake to be completely lucid and will be aware of you and your presence. Fear and the accompanying "adrenaline rush" may make it more difficult for your child to get back to sleep. They likely will have an immediate memory of the dream, and may or may not want to describe it and talk about it. Use their cues to guide you, reassure them that it was just a dream, and practice calming mechanisms in order to get them back to sleep. It may help to speak softly and tell them that it was just a dream, they are safe, in their own room/bed, etc. For repeated episodes of nightmares, it sometimes helps to establish pre-bed rituals - checking for monsters, turning the pillow to the "good dream" side, hanging a dream catcher, etc.
Night terrors are more common in younger children between the ages of 2 and 6. With a night terror, your child will partially awaken from a very deep sleep. They will not be very aware of you or your presence, and may physically push you away, screaming and thrashing more if you try to restrain them. Parents often describe their children as "out of it" during this period of agitation. Children may sit up in bed, thrash or show unusual movements, cry, scream, moan or talk nonsensically. Physically, you may notice bulging eyes, a fast heart rate or sweating. Night terrors occur early in the night, usually within 1-4 hours of falling asleep. After the initial event is over, your child will be calm and will usually return to sleep rapidly without completely waking up. Your child will have no memory of the event. Night terrors may last 10-30 minutes. You can speak to your child reassuringly; they may not recognize your presence or want any physical contact. Do not try to wake your child from a night terror, just standby until they are able to go back to sleep.
