Can a virus cause nightmares and seeing things

[Curlewwoohoo]

My 9yo has a virus, off school today with a temperature on/off, headache and cough. Put to bed tonight and twice woken screaming from vivid nightmares and now completely petrified of bed. Both times she's being saying really weird things, for ages after the dream. She's definitely awake. No temperature currently. She completely can't calm down. Never known anything like this!

High temperatures can.

In short, yes. “Fever dreams” usually related to elevated temperature, although could also be a reaction to an unfamiliar medication if you’ve given her anything?

But if she hasn’t got a temperature I’d be calling 111.

Yes. Google 'fever dreams' if you want more info. Fevers are also notorious for causing hallucinations and, if she's only having them after waking, are really part of the bad dreams.

Keep an eye on her temperature and call 111 if [a] it's too high for too long, or [b] it subsides but the hallucinations persist.

Poor kid. Might be best to sit her up with a drink, and talk to her about calming exercises like slow breathing and 'grounding' herself by touching & naming familiar objects.

She's not got a temperature right now though. She did earlier and took ibuprofen which she's had plenty of times before. We're downstairs watching Bluey but she's still really freaking out.

She was waaaaaaaay overdressed in bed the first time though and sweating.

the only time I remember dreams and nightmares are with a raised temperature. Usually nightmares.

As a child I often had very high temps with tonsillitis. I used to ‘see’ rain coming down from my bedroom ceiling and felt as if my bed was floating up off the floor. Also horrible nightmares. I also have vivid childhood ‘memories’ of things my DB said never happened and which he thinks were actually just weird dreams when I was ill. I used to ask if he remembered that time when the chip pan caught fire when he made chips late at night and he had to use the fire extinguisher and the kitchen was covered in white powder after. It’s such a strong memory I can still see it now. DB said that absolutely never happened.

I had horrendous dreams with covid.

Forgot to say I really hope DD is much better and more settled soon. I remember DM or one of my DBs carrying me downstairs to calm me down and distract me from the weirdness and weird visual disturbances. It’s a surreal and scary experience but I’m sure Bluey will be familiar and therefore comforting as well as being just having your presence there will help a lot even if she still feels freaked out. Poor thing and awful for you too,

I remember this as a child, it's so frightening. All you can do is offer water, make sure they are not too overheated and stay with them so they feel safe. If your child responds well to this kind of conversation, you could explain that being poorly sometimes makes dreams do that, and can make us see things which aren't there, but not to be frightened because the things aren't real and you will stay with her. Letting them sleep in with you, or offering to sleep in the floor of their room may help.

I'm 61 and still get nightmares/bad dreams when feverish. Odd because I don't remember dreams at all when well anymore since menopause