Night Terrors

Hi, my almost-7 year old son has had a night terror almost every night for the past 2 weeks.  In the past he had them infrequently, usually when he wasn't feeling well.  During these episodes he has been screaming that he hates his teacher and that he hates himself.  Should we take what he says during these night terrors seriously and look into the reasons why he would say such things? No particular stress is going on in his life and he gets approx. 11 hours of sleep each night. Is the fact that this is happening night after night something we should see a doctor about? Thank you very much.

[Kevin Kennedy, Ph.D.]

Dear C.B.,

No, I don't think there's need to seek professional help at this point. I imagine that these episodes will diminish in frequency and more resemble his baseline prior to this recent stretch.

However, due to the observable content, I'd check in with the school and also talk with him about recent developments. There is not necessarily any connection, but it's certainly worth investigating.

[momadeb]

Night terrors are a frightening thing.  My son had them at that age sometimes nightly for 2 weeks. He is now 20 years old and a very healthy , stable, college student.  However now I have noticed, he still has fretful sleep patterns, such as, talking in his sleep. He does seem to require more sleep on a regular and consistant basis to keep his sleep peaceful and for him to feel adequately rested.  it will pass- but good luck