Sign-in to Ask A Doctor - 24x7
OR
Sign in with Google
Suggest Treatment For Night Terrors In Child
Question: Doctor I am having a peculiar situation.
My Son is now 20 months old. He sleeps at around 10:30 PM tonight. At around 2 AM in the early morning he gets awake and cries. We would actually lift him up and he would sleep on our shoulder. After some time when we put him back to back he gets awake and cries. So, for that we need to make sure for atleast 30 mins he sleeps on our shoulder and goes into deep sleep and then we put him on the bed.
After that around 4 am he again gets awake and cries. The cycle repeats again till 6 am. At times he cries a lot and we don't understand what he wants. This is happening for the last one Week.
So could you please advice is this common in children at this age or do we need to take some steps
My Son is now 20 months old. He sleeps at around 10:30 PM tonight. At around 2 AM in the early morning he gets awake and cries. We would actually lift him up and he would sleep on our shoulder. After some time when we put him back to back he gets awake and cries. So, for that we need to make sure for atleast 30 mins he sleeps on our shoulder and goes into deep sleep and then we put him on the bed.
After that around 4 am he again gets awake and cries. The cycle repeats again till 6 am. At times he cries a lot and we don't understand what he wants. This is happening for the last one Week.
So could you please advice is this common in children at this age or do we need to take some steps
Brief Answer:
Your child seems to have night terrors
Detailed Answer:
Thanks for asking on HealthcareMagic.
I have very carefully gone through the description and find that it fits exactly with what is called night terrors. It occurs in 1-6% of children during stage 3-4 NREM sleep. It is different from nightmares. Usually it affects children above 3 years but can occur at this age.
It usually subsides on its own, without needing to be treated. However, reassurance has an important role to play.
Scheduled awakening therapy is an option that has been shown to both prevent night terrors and cure night terrors in 9 out of 10 in children. In others, psychotherapy or counseling can be needed. If it seems that the night terrors could have resulted from lack of sleep or poor sleeping habits. , it can be helpful to improve the amount and quality of sleep which the child is getting. If this is not enough, benzodiazepine medications (such as diazepam) or tricyclic antidepressantsmay be prescribed to reduce the occurrence of night terrors; however, medication is only recommended in extreme cases. Paroxetine is another medicine that might be prescribed.
Hope that helps.
Regards
Your child seems to have night terrors
Detailed Answer:
Thanks for asking on HealthcareMagic.
I have very carefully gone through the description and find that it fits exactly with what is called night terrors. It occurs in 1-6% of children during stage 3-4 NREM sleep. It is different from nightmares. Usually it affects children above 3 years but can occur at this age.
It usually subsides on its own, without needing to be treated. However, reassurance has an important role to play.
Scheduled awakening therapy is an option that has been shown to both prevent night terrors and cure night terrors in 9 out of 10 in children. In others, psychotherapy or counseling can be needed. If it seems that the night terrors could have resulted from lack of sleep or poor sleeping habits. , it can be helpful to improve the amount and quality of sleep which the child is getting. If this is not enough, benzodiazepine medications (such as diazepam) or tricyclic antidepressantsmay be prescribed to reduce the occurrence of night terrors; however, medication is only recommended in extreme cases. Paroxetine is another medicine that might be prescribed.
Hope that helps.
Regards
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Shanthi.E
Thanks for your reply.
From you reply you are only suggesting medicine in extreme cases. So, what you want us to do now?
From you reply you are only suggesting medicine in extreme cases. So, what you want us to do now?
Brief Answer:
Scheduled awakening is suggested
Detailed Answer:
Thanks for writing back.
The primary thing to do right now is to reassure your child. The next thing is to wake him up on scheduled basis before the time of his night terrors arrives. Ensure that he gets adequate sleep. That's all you need to do for now.
Regards
Scheduled awakening is suggested
Detailed Answer:
Thanks for writing back.
The primary thing to do right now is to reassure your child. The next thing is to wake him up on scheduled basis before the time of his night terrors arrives. Ensure that he gets adequate sleep. That's all you need to do for now.
Regards
Note: For further queries related to your child health, Talk to a Pediatrician. Click here to Book a Consultation.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Shanthi.E
Answered by
Get personalised answers from verified doctor in minutes across 80+ specialties
