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by: Dr.NoelSwanson
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Q. "My seven year old boy sometimes awakens screaming in the middle of the night. When we go into his room he is sitting straight up in bed, staring straight ahead. We try to calm him down but he isn't even aware that we are in his room. After a few minutes, he goes back to sleep. If we awaken him, he doesn't even know why we're there, as he remembers nothing about his dream."

A. Your little boy doesn't remember his dream because he wasn't dreaming. It sounds as if he's experiencing night terrors.

When we first fall asleep, we enter stage one sleep. We then progress through stages two and three until, after about an hour and a half, we enter our the deepest sleep, stage four. Scientists can recognize these stages by our brain-wave (EEG) patterns.

It is interesting to note that we don't dream during any of these stages. If you awaken someone during this time, they probably won't remember anything. The only thing they may say is that they were "thinking".

Following stage four is "rapid eye movement" (REM" sleep. This is a totally different stage, and it is here that we start dreaming. If you were to watch someone, you would see the eyes darting back and forth. Dreams last for 45 minutes or so, and then we go back to non-REM sleep for about an hour. The pattern goes on throughout the night, and the non-REM stages get lighter. That is what the old saying "an hour before midnight is worth two after" pertains to.

If we have nightmares, they occur while we are dreaming. They can be full blown horror movie experiences and very frightening.

Night terrors, on the other hand, occur in stage four sleep. This is also the stage in which sleepwalking and talking occur. The reason they occur is unknown, and most children grow out of them. They may be worse at times of stress.

Although very alarming, and most distressing to the rest of the family, night terrors cause no harm to the child himself. Indeed, if you can possibly bear it, the best tactic is to not wake him. As you have said, after a while, he just goes back to sleep by himself. The same also applies to sleepwalking, when the goal is simply to make sure the child is safe in his wanderings, and. that he cannot fall down the stairs or out of a window.

Children aged from 3 to 6 are usually the ones who experience night terrors. Sometimes they continue for a little longer. Of course they are hard to ignore, but it truly is best not to awaken them. You need your rest too, although it is difficult to sleep through a night terror event.

About the Author

Fed up with your children's behavioral problems? Find the solutions from Dr. Noel Swanson's Child Behavior Problems website and get a FREE one-hour audio packed with expert advice.

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