Health Tip: Help Your Child Deal With Night Terrors
(HealthDay News) -- If your child has night terrors, it may help to put your child on a stricter sleep schedule, the American Academy of Pediatrics says.
Night terrors are often triggered on by inadequate sleep. Stress can also contribute to the frequency of waking at night, the group says.
It suggests how to help your child:
- Assure your child that you are there to protect him or her.
- Encourage your child to talk about what happened in the dream and remind the child that dreams are not real.
- Turn on a night light or a hallway light if it makes your child more comfortable.
- When your child is ready, encourage him or her to go back to sleep.
- Determine if there is something that is scaring your child, such as shadows or wind.
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