So last night Thomas woke up twice crying hysterically. The first time he woke up was about 10:30. It took him at least 5 minutes to calm down. Even then he still was sobbing. I tried talking to him and soothing him but nothing was working. Eventually he put his head on my shoulder but wouldn't shut his eyes. I let Matt take over and he got Thomas back to sleep. Well, then we hear him crying again about 1:45. I laid down with him this time and tried rubbing his head. I probably laid there for 10-15minutes and he would not shut his eyes. It was like they were bugged eyed, as wide open as they could be. I got him to stop crying and told him to go back to sleep and I would see him in the morning. He wasn't hot, so I ruled out fever. I thought maybe his stomach hurt but he said no. He wouldn't spit out what was wrong with him. I can only conclude that he had a nightmare. I'm thinking what in the world could he possibly dream about that would cause this huge fuss. Maybe us taking his passy away from him or not getting to eat mac and cheese for lunch. Seriously what do two year olds dream about? Hopefully tonight will go better. I did put a little nightlight in his room last night so we will see if it helps.
Here is what I found on night terrors on the internet:
Night terrors arise during NREM sleep and occur mostly in children between the ages of 3 and 5. A night terror can be dramatic: Your child may wake up screaming, unable to explain what scared him or her. Sometimes children who have night terrors remember a frightening image, but often they remember nothing. Night terrors are often more frightening for parents than for their child. Unlike a nightmare, a sleep terror can be quite dramatic to witness. The sleeper may let out a bloodcurdling scream, sit bolt upright, and attempt to fight or flee. During an episode, which may last as long as 15 minutes, a person may seem confused and agitated. After the spell is over, he or she is likely to go right back to sleep and later may not remember what happened.
Sleep terrors occur during non-REM sleep, usually in the first hour or so after going to bed. They appear to run in families and occur most often in children.
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Nightmares
Posted by Amanda's News at 12:50 PM
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6 comments:
A fellow coworker of mine was telling me that her 16 month old has night terrors, which are quite a bit worse than a nightmare. But still, what in the world causes this. I hope he has a better night tonight.
That is pretty weird. hopefully it was only a one night deal. how is the paci thing going?
Parker has had nightmares too. You are right. It is awful. I just think what could he possibly be dreaming about that is so bad. I have tried to link it to something, but with no luck. I hope tonight is much better.
Very interesting. I didn't know that about nightmares and children. Neely has had a few "bad dreams" in her lifetime. It's cute because she is old enough to remember her dreams now and she will tell me about them sometimes. The other night it was about a witch who made her go to bed (why do I get the feeling the witch was me??) but Daddy saved her from the witch. Daddy..always the hero. Mommy..always the witch.
AMANDA!!! I am so glad that you looked this up. Parker has been doing the very same thing. Last night when he did it I just remembered what you had found and tried to let him go back to sleep. Thanks!
Poor Thomas. I hate that.
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