Are Night Terrors link to depression

[Yankydoodledandy]

DS 17 has suffered from depression fir a few months. Been to the GP and blood tests showed low vit D and low calcium so on meds for this that's all.

He picked up abit but recently he's said he's been having bad night terrors. Stayed at a friends a couple of nights and he said he had around 8 the other night.

Ive asked him.if he thinks it's linked to anything and he said no...but then said maybe.

I googled and these can be linked to depression and emotional stress. He has also split with his girlfriend recently so sure that is contributing.

He's due back at GP soon to retest in a few weeks.

Any advice would be much appreciated 😔

My dd is a lot younger than your ds. She is 9 and when she was having night terrors around 2 years ago a psychologist told me that they are linked to brain development and at around 7 they go through a big brain development.

I don’t know whether you go through a brain development around 17?

I don’t know at 17. But as an adult which he nearly is, I can tell you when I am stressed/unhappy I have horrible disturbing dreams and sometimes wake up screaming.

the waking up screaming is rare and when I am extremely down

I have night terrors (and have since I was very young - 3+ - now much older- 50+).

I would say they are related to mental stress (both depression and anxiety). Mine were likely caused with childhood trauma.

As I have got older, I have learned to breathe and live with them as it were, It does not stop them shaking me up but I use Headspace and breathing to help me - plus, strange as it may sound, a sort of alter ego who coaches me.

Bless your son, being 17 is hard work at the best of times.

I would suggest looking at Calm, Headspace or similar apps just to give those sounds through the night (depending on phone dependence and trust)

Im just wondering what if anything has happened, need to get to the bottom of it...gentle chat tomorrow I think

My son had night terrors until he was about 10 but never remembered having them. They were more likely to happen when he was more tired than usual and happened within an hour of falling asleep. He's never had more than one in a night - actually he settled back to sleep very quickly once it passed.

My friend has night terrors. They take a prescribed mild antidepressant to reduce them so there is likely some link. Certain foods eaten late a night give me them (cider and cheese).

It might be worth giving him magnesium as well.

I give that to my DD who used to have horrendous night terrors and bizarre sleepwalking episodes but who doesn’t anymore.

We started multi-vitamins at the same time (advised by paediatric neurologist who said she had heard anecdotally about a child with a similar presentation who turned out to have a vitamin deficiency ).

Will try the multi vits as well

I find the hardest thing about having nightmares/terrors is that they stay with me during the day & add to any distress that I have. Check that your ds is ok about them the following day. I started having them after being unwell & have ptsd. I hope your ds gets better soon.

Hi OP, I had similar situation in my early 20s. It was completely driven by anxiety and stress and worry. Which was then a vicious cycle as they caused me more worry anxiety and stress and I dreaded going to sleep at night. Keep talking and hopefully you guys can get to the bottom of what's bothering him