Be prepared to stay with them until they have calmed down. If your child is particularly frightened, you may need to soothe them with a favourite but relaxing activity, such as reading a book together.
Your child may want to talk to you about their nightmare. Encourage them to come up with alternate endings for the nightmare that are happy or funny. Don't make things worse You may, without meaning to, make the situation worse.
Do not: Ignore the child — if you refuse to go to them, your child will only get more upset and frantic. Get angry — you may think your child is 'putting it on' for attention, or else you don't appreciate a broken sleep. Either way, expressing anger or tension will only upset your child even more.
Allow them to sleep with you — when you're tired and wishing for an easy solution, it's tempting to take the child back to bed with you, but this tactic suggests to the child that sleeping in their own bed is what causes the nightmare.
Eventually, they may insist on sleeping with you all the time. Prevention suggestions It isn't possible to stop your child from ever having another nightmare, but you may be able to reduce the frequency of bad dreams. Suggestions include: Make sure your child doesn't watch frightening shows on television, or read scary books. Consider your child's daily routine. Is anything troubling them? Stressful events that could trigger a spate of nightmares include a new sibling, moving house or starting school.
Talk about dreams together, and explain that everyone has dreams and occasional nightmares. Nightmares are a common complaint among people suffering from PTSD and, in fact, are one of the criteria used for the diagnosis of the disorder. A study that analyzed data from the National Vietnam Veterans Readjustment Study found that regular nightmares were reported by 52 percent of combat veterans but only by 3 percent of civilian participants.
Not only are nightmares more common in those with PTSD, they are more frequent, sometimes occurring several times a week. Department of Veterans Affairs. About half of the people who have nightmares after a traumatic event have nightmares that replay the trauma. Those with PTSD are much more likely to have exact replays of their trauma. Barrett says that in post-traumatic nightmares, the region of the brain involved in fear behaviors, including the amygdala, a structure deep in the brain that works to identify potential threats, may be overactive or overly sensitive.
People who are deeply affected by nightmares can be treated in a variety of ways. First, the cause of the stress, if there is one, must be determined. If a stressor is identified, effective ways to manage it should be found. For medication-induced nightmares, dosages might need to be altered or different drugs administered. You're more likely to have a nightmare in the second half of your night. Nightmares may occur rarely or more frequently, even several times a night.
Episodes are generally brief, but they cause you to awaken, and returning to sleep can be difficult. Having a child with nightmare disorder can cause significant sleep disturbance and distress for parents or caregivers. Occasional nightmares aren't usually a cause for concern.
If your child has nightmares, you can simply mention them at a routine well-child exam. However, consult your doctor if nightmares:. Nightmare disorder is referred to by doctors as a parasomnia — a type of sleep disorder that involves undesirable experiences that occur while you're falling asleep, during sleep or when you're waking up. Nightmares usually occur during the stage of sleep known as rapid eye movement REM sleep. The exact cause of nightmares is not known. Nightmares are more common when family members have a history of nightmares or other sleep parasomnias, such as talking during sleep.
Knowing you'll be there helps strengthen your child's sense of security. Label what's happened. Let your child know that it was a nightmare and now it's over. You might say something like, "You had a bad dream, but now you're awake and everything is OK.
Offer comfort. Show that you understand that your child feels afraid and it's OK. Remind your child that everyone dreams and sometimes the dreams are scary, upsetting, and can seem very real, so it's natural to feel scared by them. Do your magic. With preschoolers and young school-age kids who have vivid imaginations, the magical powers of your love and protection can work wonders. You might be able to make the pretend monsters disappear with a dose of pretend monster spray.
Go ahead and check the closet and under the bed, reassuring your child that all's clear. Mood lighting. A nightlight or a hall light can help kids feel safe in a darkened room as they get ready to go back to sleep. A bedside flashlight can be a good nightmare-chaser.
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