New Jersey Neuroscience Institute’s Pediatric Sleep Disorder Center:
Night Terrors Take Nightmares To A New Level
EDISON, NJ—We’ve all experienced a nightmare, a dream that scared us and woke us up in the middle of the night. Children in particular have them from time to time. In fact, one out of every four children has nightmares more than once a week. The child can usually recount the dream and why it was scary. But a night terror takes the nightmare to a whole new level.
When a child has a night terror, he may wake up suddenly…screaming, shaking violently, sweating, or breathing fast. His heart may be racing, he may be crying or confused. He can have a look of sheer terror on his face with his pupils dilated. And he could still be asleep but with his eyes open. Unlike with a nightmare, with a night terror he may have no memory of the event, yet be agitated, irritable, sometimes unresponsive, and difficult to soothe back to sleep.
“During a night terror, parents may be as frightened as the child because the child's behavior may be bizarre,” says Dr. Okey Anene, Director of the Children’s Neurological Center at the New Jersey Neuroscience Institute (NJNI) in Edison. “As the terror begins, the child, who was sound asleep, suddenly sits up or stands up out of the bed and begins to scream or call out for help. If the parent tries to talk, the child will not respond, though she or he may shout one or two words to try to get rid of the thing that is frightening them. The child's eyes are open very wide and the pupils are dilated. The child may seem to be looking at the parents, but will not interact with them.
“A child in sleep terror has seen something terrifying in a dream, and uses semi-purposeful movements to deal with their intense fear. Because these movements may include kicking, waving arms or punching the air with fists, it is advisable that parents remove any object that may harm the child or siblings, but parents should never try to restrain the child,” says Anene. In fact, parents should not interfere in any way. "It may be hard to just watch, but it is important to refrain from any interaction with the child. The parents simply must wait it out." Anene stresses they should stay close enough to prevent the child from injuring himself, but stay out of the child's line of fire or path of movement.
With a night terror, the child will likely outgrow them. “But when night terrors occur repeatedly, not only can they cause an ongoing interruption in a child’s sleep pattern which has a consequence on how the child functions through the day, they could also indicate physical or psychological problems that need to be addressed,” says Anene.
Stress in particular is a common cause of night terrors. A night terror might also be triggered by illness, fever, certain medications, lack of or inconsistent sleep in general, watching violence on television shows or in movies before bed, and an over-packed, busy day. In fact, sleep clinics often note that in the last decade alone they have seen more and more night terror pediatric patients who are overscheduled, stressed out from a week of soccer practice, piano lessons, gymnastics, clubs and other after-school activities.
Says Anene, “It is extremely important that parents put children to bed on time because allowing them to stay up past bedtime makes them overtired, which may trigger a night terror.” He advises parents to check with their child’s pediatrician for the recommended number of hours of sleep for the child's particular age group.
Night terrors are rare, affecting only two to three percent of children between ages two and six and predominantly occur in boys. With sleep disorders like night terrors, it’s not just about diagnosing the symptom but also about identifying the cause or trigger. Whether it’s physical or psychological, a thorough evaluation and understanding of the underlying causes can lead to the most appropriate, and therefore most effective, method of treatment
“Sleep disorders can impact one's ability to function during awake times and have an impact on long-term health, wellness, and ultimately quality of life,” says Anene. Early and accurate diagnosis, preventative measures, and treatment are essential to managing sleep disorders. When a sleep concern is recognized and addressed early, the impact is minimized.
At the Pediatric Sleep Disorder Center at NJNI, children suffering from all types of sleep disorders including snoring are evaluated to determine the best course of treatment for the disorder.
The Pediatric Sleep Center at NJNI is a multi-disciplinary sleep disorder center dedicated to children and young adults. The Center offers evaluation and management of a full range of sleep concerns, from the most common disorders to the most rare. Founded in 1999 and led by renowned sleep specialist Arthur S. Walters, MD, the facility offers state-of-the-art care in a conducive setting. The staff at the Center includes board certified physicians in sleep medicine, board certified pediatric neurologists, nurse clinicians, registered polysomnographic technologists, psychologists, and social workers. Pediatric pulmonologists, pediatric cardiologists, pediatric critical care physicians, pediatric general surgeons, and ear, nose and throat surgeons are readily available as consultants.
The New Jersey Neuroscience Institute at JFK Medical Center is a comprehensive facility designed exclusively for the diagnosis, treatment, and research of complex neurological and neurosurgical disorders in adults and children. Services offered at the Institute include programs in minimally-invasive and reconstructive spine surgery, peripheral nerve surgery, brain tumors, dizziness and balance disorders, epilepsy, sleep, memory problems/dementia, cerebral palsy, stroke, and spasticity and movement disorders. As a department of Seton Hall University's School of Graduate Medical Education, NJNI serves as the clinical setting for SHU's residency training in neurology. For more information on the New Jersey Neuroscience Institute, call 732-321-7950 or visit the facility online at www.njneuro.org.
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Theresa Adjekum
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Solaris Health System
80 James St, Edison, NJ 08820
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