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Night Terrors.

7 replies

ReebleBeeble · 07/11/2011 21:46

This ones a bit of an odd one.

I've had nightmares every night since I can remember. Full technicolour, surround sound, smell'o'vision... the works. And I remember them the next day. Usually theyre just weird and a bit unnerving, sometimes theyre full on I cant go back to sleep scary. But then after so long of this I think my perception on whats just 'weird' is screwed.

I thought it was normal as I told my Mum about it about 10 years ago (when I was 16) and she told me she has the same thing. I asked about it because Id hear her screaming in the night but shed never discuss what she dreamed. I didnt discover until college that what happens isnt quite the norm!

Then about a year ago I mentioned it to my sister and she revealed thats why she couldnt sleep as a young child. She had to share one of our parents bed and now still cant sleep in a real bed, only on floors or sofas. She told me that she'd had nightmares since she could remember too and on talking all together, we all have similar experiences. We're used to it, it rarely bothers us, but can lead to sleepless nights.

But now I have a 10mo DD of my own who since 3 months old has had night terrors 4 or so times a week. I cant hold her or talk to her as it makes it worse. I just have to turn the light on and not look at her directly whilst waiting for her to wake. I know I shouldnt wake her but she becomes so violent she hurts herself if I dont.

Now Im wondering if this is something I could have passed on? Is that possible? Or is this something more suited to the paranormal board?! Does anyone have experience of night terrors and will it go away?

Last night she scared herself so badly shes been screaming when she sees her cot :(

OP posts:
Iamjustthemilkmachine · 09/11/2011 20:24

Wow, that is interesting, I have no idea, sorry, read just because my ds has been having night terrors or nightmares (not sure of the difference) and was interested. Hopefully someone with knowledge will be here soon!

Rollon2012 · 09/11/2011 20:28

Is it like old hag syndrome?

ReebleBeeble · 09/11/2011 20:33

Whats old hag syndrome?!

OP posts:
ReebleBeeble · 09/11/2011 20:38

Oh wait, Googled it. Nope, not that. Although my Mum does get that occassionally, Ive only ever had it once a long time ago. No idea about Dsis.

OP posts:
UKSky · 09/11/2011 22:23

My DD suffered with night terrors for a while but has grown out of them. According to things I have read it is more distressing for the parent than the child and that at such a young age they do not remember anything in the morning and actually aren't generally awake during them.

I used to just pick up DD and sit her on my lap and hold her gently until she calmed down. You really just have to try to zone out whilst it is going on,hard as that is.

As for the future, I can't help there I'm afraid.

sam2cats · 09/11/2011 23:01

My DD suffered from night terrors too, I have heard that sleep related issues like sleep walking and night terrors can be inherited.....but don't know if that's fact, I read a lot when I was trying to help my DD. She was suffering every other night and it got worse if I tried to get her out of bed or comfort her. She wasn't awake and if I tried to wake her up it did upset her. In the end I started a regime of waking her up giving her milk, about 20 minutes before they generally began and that did really help, because it broke the cycle.....apart from that letting her be when she was screaming I just sat close to make sure she didn't hurt herself, padded round her bed with pillows etc.....and they did eventually stop. I did go to the doctor who recommended the waking thing. It is terrible and the sleep deprivation is so debilitating I feel your pain. Hope it improves for you soon. One last thing, I also read you shouldn't talk to them about the night terrors in case it gives them a complex about going to bed. If it's a nightmare that's ok, but generally they wake up with a nightmare, so they need to talk, whereas if they aren't disturbed, they generally don't remember their night terrors...

PacificDogwood · 09/11/2011 23:04

Wow, that's a lot of nightmares/night terrors!
And your DD started v v young... I am no expert, but there might be some sort of neurological explanation for it.
Depending on how much it affects you all during your waking hours in terms of tiredness/poor quality sleep, it would be well worth a trip to Gp to ask to be referred to a neurologist or even a sleep clinic if there is one in your area.

My DS2 had the occasional night terror aged @ 3 years, but they just stopped. I found them far more upsetting than he did...

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