We have plenty of ideas on why nightmares occur, however there is no consensus on what causes them. With no real understanding of why they occur, we certainly don’t have the ability to prevent nightmares. They are simply one of those exerpiences children pass through before eventually disappearing without a trace. What we do know is that Nightmares are most likely to occur between the ages of 3-6 according to WebMD:

…this is the age at which normal fears develop and a child’s imagination is very active. Some studies estimate that as many as 50{3bc87332124fc0acea74adec5694a771e2fcc4869aa4d265edf68f65569f70b6} of children in this age group have nightmares. Nightmares involve frightening or unpleasant dreams that disrupt the child’s sleep on several occasions and cause distress or problems with everyday life.

Nightmares occur when we dream which is when we are deep into REM sleep. There are a few common themes when it comes to nightmares. Nightmares are different than Night Terrors as each occurs during a different time in the sleep cycle.

Night terrors are different from nightmares. While nightmares usually occur in the second half of the night, they tend to be brief, and not only will your child be easy to wake, but, if woken, they will often be able to remember the nightmare. Night terrors, on the other hand, typically occur in the first half of the night (in the first 3 to 4 hours after your child falls asleep). They can last for a number of minutes and while your little one can appear terrified, they will have no recollection of it in the morning. Children having night terrors are often hard to wake during an episode, and if you do manage to wake them, they can seem confused and disorientated.

Here are some of the most common triggers and nightmares for children:

A traumatic experience such as the divorce of two parents

Fear of monsters inside the house

Death and loss of a family member or pet

Abuse and bullying

Loud arguments between the parents

Separation anxiety from parents

Fear of getting lost or trapped can become a nightmare trauma

Reassurance is a big key to helping your child overcome bedtime fears and nightmares. Regularly assure your child that it is safe to sleep and establish a sleep hygiene routine that focuses on creating a comfortable, secure sleeping environment for your child.

How to Help Your Child Deal with Nightmares

If your child is having a hard time sleeping, here are a few things you can do to help your child deal with nightmares:

Make your child’s bedtime routine happy and fun. Squeeze in some story time and keep the mood light and happy. Be sure to avoid scary/horror movies, ghost stories, or unhappy experiences.

If your child is scared of monsters you will need to do your best Ghostbusters imitation and search under the bed, in the closet, and pretty much closely examine any space where monsters could hide.

A nightlight is a time-tested way to help young children become acclimated to the dark.

Give your child plenty of hugs, kisses, and love to let him or her know you’re always nearby when they need you. This will reassure him or her that they can rely on you when nightmares or bedtime fears invade their peaceful sleep.

Give your child a “cuddle buddy” or favorite toy to snuggle to sleep. This can provide additional comfort and warm company in case your child may be tossing and turning during sleep.

Bring up conversations of the nightmares during the daytime. Ask your child plenty of questions on what happened and what it was about. Then try to identify if the same nightmares happen frequently and work out a possible link to a real life problem your child is unable to discuss.

Sometimes, nightmares can be difficult to manage and may even worsen by occurring more frequently and disrupting your child’s daytime activities and progress. If you suspect this happening, seek help and contact your doctor immediately.

While there are no cures to prevent nightmares from happening, you can use these suggestions to help minimize their occurrence and help comfort your child when they do occur.

Photo courtesy of Alyssa L. Miller via Flickr

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