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Sleep

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Original poster

Night terrors

23 replies

bigbluehouse · 08/06/2018 06:42

Has anyone experienced night terrors in a one year old? (Turning one in a few weeks).

My son has been waking up crying the last 3 nights which is quite out of character however as soon as I touch him he turns hysterical and takes 5-10 mins to calm down (normally a cuddle and he'd stop crying straight away). When he's screaming his waving his arms about and doesn't seem to know where he is.

It's really scary...

OP posts:

ipswichwitch · 08/06/2018 06:46

DS1 has them when he was around 2yo. He would screen the house down, and be shouting and crying for me even though I was right in front of him. We just used to stay with him and wait til it was over, have a cuddle and get him back to bed. They are pretty awful to watch but he never remembered a thing the next day and has since stopped having them.

ipswichwitch · 08/06/2018 06:46

Scream the house down I mean

Original poster

bigbluehouse · 08/06/2018 06:47

I didn't know what it was so I've been picking him up and as a result I've probably made it worse :(

I've been reading this morning and I'm sure that's what is it! I'm assuming there's nothing to do to prevent them?

He's so happy in the morning so I'm assuming he has no memory. Does this sound like night terrors?

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lalaloopyhead · 08/06/2018 06:48

My DD had this, though I think she was older than one - maybe 2/3.

It used to happen if she was overtired, so if we had been out for the day and ended up having a late bedtime, and also being too hot.

Are you able to keep his room cooler?

Original poster

bigbluehouse · 08/06/2018 06:50

He was particularly tired yesterday as he wasn't interested in his afternoon nap, so that could be a link?

They're terrifying! It's AWFUL not being able to calm him down :(

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Shhhsleeping · 08/06/2018 07:02

My daughter now 7 still gets these. We've only just figured out what it is. Her eyes are now wide open but she can't see us in front of her. It's quite freaky seeing her act out whatever she's dreaming. Hers come after a particularly busy or stressy day.

April45 · 09/06/2018 07:00

If this is a night terror, it's far worse for you than your little one. They are fast asleep so if you wake then from this you can really unsettle them. It happens in a certain point of sleep cycle so if you wake you can find it all happens again when they get to the same stage of sleep again.

I assume he's in a cot? If so if go in and be near him to check he's ok. If he is more awake than you think he'll look at you and indicate he wants a cuddle. He won't do that if it's a night terror

Original poster

bigbluehouse · 09/06/2018 08:19

Yes, and he did it again last night. This is the fifth time

With the exception of once, it's always roughly the same time too.

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ipswichwitch · 09/06/2018 08:33

They are definitely much worse for us then for them!

Have a read of the nhs guidelines which basically say not to wake them at the time, just make sure they’re safe. When it’s over you can then wake them to break the sleep cycle because if they go straight back to a deep sleep they can often have another.

DS1 has them because he had obstructive sleep apnoea due to enlarged tonsils. It was the episodes of breathing stopping that triggered his. They can be triggered by a number of things though.

ipswichwitch · 09/06/2018 08:35

It also says you can wake them about 15 mins before they’d usually have night terrors to kind of reset the sleep cycle. Never worked on DS because his would occur at different times and it was impossible to predict

Original poster

bigbluehouse · 09/06/2018 08:53

It's awful as I feel so helpless and it's terrifying. It's hard not to touch him and he's throwing himself up and down the cot so he'll hit his head!

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newmum40 · 12/06/2018 09:01

Looking into herbal and homeopathic remedies for four year old, terrors started last year. Anyone found anything? Warm milk is not consistent solution for us. Custard cream biscuits helped for a few months! Two a night after dinner. But we need something else now...

amelie427 · 12/06/2018 17:56

We had this exact same thing with my son at exactly the same age.

I never worked out if it was night terrors or not, but that was my main suspicion - thankfully after a week or so it stopped.

I too found that picking him up made him much worse, which was heart breaking. Eventually he'd let me pick him up and feed/rock him into a more settled state.

So so awful, but hopefully will be a really quick phase for you too.

Sam91TRS15 · 12/06/2018 18:13

My DD gets these, she is almost 3 and she has probably had them since about 1. They are horrible and I often would try wake her but she would become hysterical and would kick and thrash about.
Now I just gently lay my hand on her back and wait til she comes out of it. They don't last as long now. If they happen at a regular time I would definitely do what a pp said and wake him a little earlier than that time and hopefully that stops him going into the really deep sleep that causes it.
Is he unwell? My daughter gets them when she is unwell.
I hope they stop soon, they are terrifying

TitsalinaBumsquat · 12/06/2018 18:33

My son went through this. Only happened about 4 times around the time he was 1 but it was awful. I’m a very relaxed mum but when I first saw it he was shaking so violently I thought he was having a fit. All you can do is cuddle them until they calm down and go back to sleep.

Original poster

bigbluehouse · 12/06/2018 18:43

He hasn't had one since Saturday so I'm hoping it was a weird phase! The last time he did it, I sat by him and talked to him rather than touch him. That seemed to help!

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SeaToSki · 12/06/2018 18:46

I used to sit by my DD and sing our bedtime song over and over, I think it brought her out of it faster. Then while she was woosy, I would give her a sip of cold water and that seemed to reset her into a comfortable normal sleep. It is horrible while it lasts though.

newmum40 · 12/06/2018 22:23

I remembered that we seemed to have problems when I increased her vitamin dose when she turned three so I'm reducing to one gummy tablet a day, sticking with warm milk and biscuit before getting ready for bed, see if that helps. We're also massaging a light Arnica oil onto her legs as she says she has pains...

Busy77 · 12/06/2018 22:37

My 4 year old has had these really badly for the last 2 years. I am considering a cranial osteopath.

Empathfreak · 13/06/2018 23:11

My nearly 10 year old has had these on a nightly basis since she was 18 months and I'm at my wits end. She's also started sleep walking and is petrified of the dark. Doctors just say she will grow out of it although can't tell me when.....

ICantThinkOfAGoodOne · 14/06/2018 03:11

@bigbluehouse I don't have any advice exactly, but hope to offer some reassurance.

I'm one of those rare adults who still gets night terrors occasionally (mine didn't actually start until I was in my teens). What I can tell you is that I'm the moment, it's absolutely terrifying for the person, but that once I'm woken up by my husband the fear is gone pretty much instantly and I just have to take a minute to calm down from the adrenaline. Not necessarily advocating you wake your LO, by the way, my husband's just not into having someone screaming at the top of their lungs next to him while he's trying to sleep 😆

Honestly, the worst and only side effect I experience is a bit of a sore throat in the morning from the screaming. It can't be nice to watch, but rest assured that it's not a traumatising experience and your LO won't even remember it happened.

newmum40 · 17/06/2018 09:41

So far reducing vitamins to one gel a day at breakfast, seems to correlate with better sleep. Night terrors not completely stopped but settling back to sleep is quicker. We've had two out of five nights with no disturbance. It's a start.

newmum40 · 04/07/2018 11:36

I have spoken to my Naturopath, we have started using a supplement and so far five nights sleeping well. We parents are also using the supplement, I go back to sleep after breast feeding! Looking positive. I would advise you see a naturopath as they will tailor to your needs.

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