Sleep is essential for children’s growth, learning, and emotional regulation. Yet for many families, bedtime struggles are common—and sometimes the culprit isn’t sugar or overstimulation from play, but exposure to violent content. From TV shows and movies to video games and even online clips, children are often consuming media that may be far more intense than their developing brains can handle. The effects don’t end when the screen turns off.
Nightmares and night terrors may easily be confused with one another because they share some similar features. They both can be frightening and cause trouble going back to sleep and/or staying asleep. But it's important to understand the difference between them as they are two different events. This can really impact how they are both treated as well. Continue reading to find out more about these two different sleeping events and what do do about them.
Have you ever witnessed your child or spouse's nightmare or night terror? It may have been just as scary for you as it was for them. The words "helpless" and "heartbreaking" are often used to describe these episodes. Being able to distinguish the difference between a nightmare and a night terror will help you better understand what is happening with your loved one and how you can help. Here are the differences between night terrors and nightmares.
We’ve all had nightmares, vivid dreams that cause feelings of fear, terror, anxiety, etc. Especially vivid or terrifying nightmares usually result an abrupt awakening from REM sleep with distinct memories of the dream. Returning to sleep after these experience can be difficult, and the nightmares are often remembered the next morning as well.
Naturally, children and adults react differently to nightmares. Anyone who has had a child wake up in the middle of the night screaming in terror can attest to this. For one, adults rarely have this reaction. Secondly, as a parent, it’s both scary and distressing to watch your child go through this, especially when it seems impossible to console your child.
Nightmares in children are most common in children who are 3-6 because these are the ages in which imagination is extremely active and children develop normal fears develop [WebMD].