Nightmares Vs. Night Terrors

"WAAAAAAAH!"

Sound familiar?  Is your baby or sibling having a nightmare... or a night terror?  This page will tell you how to figure it out.

Nightmares are common dreams in which the dreamer is frightened by the dream's contents.  They usually occur several hours after initially falling asleep and are remembered (many times vividly) in the morning.  Nightmares are common for people of all ages, and, like normal dreams, they represent different things and people from waking life.  For instance, a nightmare about dying may represent a change in your life.  

Night terrors, however, are different than nightmares.  No one really knows the cause of terrors or why they happen, but scientists have discovered that they occur in prepubescent children infrequently, and on the nights they are present, they happen about an hour or two after the dreamer falls asleep.  During night terrors, kicking, tossing, and turning are not uncommon.  The feeling that the dreamer is left with upon awakening from a night terror is that something awful has happened.  The dreamer may also remember a scene from the terror, but only vaguely.    

WHAT TO DO????  With night terrors, it is best to ignore them and move on.  They are something that children will grow out of eventually.  As for nightmares, you may interpret them if you feel the need to do so, but other than that, there is nothing really you can do that will work.  Calm your child down and comfort them.  Give them warm milk.  Make up the sleep you lost when the kid woke you up. 

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