night terrors ( can anyone please help )

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santana007

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Roger
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Hi guys

our little boy Jacob has started having very bad night terrors . his eyes are wide open but he is in a deep sleep, he dosn`t see us ! he shouts at someone he can see and is very scared . he says he see`s a man . but has said the last two have been something else , but won`t tell us what . he just cry`s and say`s he is scared . he is only 4 bless him .
reading on the net the only way to help him is hold him and try and calm him .he shouts , kicks and hits us to try and get away .

poor little fella is scared to stay in the house .

we have to start downstairs at night and go to bed early hours of the morning .

night terrors can happen in the first 1 to 3 hrs of sleep .they are not nightmares

not many people remember them as it happens while in deep sleep .

does anyone have a child or know of someone else this happens too , any help anyone can offer will be appreciated .

Rog
 
I suspect the best place to start would be a health visitor. I've heard about night terrors and understand they can be quite a severe traumer for both the child and parents.

I think professional help is whats needed here. There are sleep therapists that I'm sure a health professional will put you on to !

Hope it gets sorted for you !!!
 
Hi Rog,
Our youngest used to get them too. Its heartbreaking every time it happens. I know this sounds a bit "new world'ish" but we bought a dreamcatcher, and explaned to him what it was and how it works. His night terrors almost stopped straight away, going from 1 a night to about 1 a week, then after about a month, none. I know night terrors are completely different to nightmares, but it worked with our little 'un.
Best of luck.
Dean:)
 
Borats Baby said:
I suspect the best place to start would be a health visitor. I've heard about night terrors and understand they can be quite a severe traumer for both the child and parents.

I think professional help is whats needed here. There are sleep therapists that I'm sure a health professional will put you on to !

Hope it gets sorted for you !!!
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cheers m8

you are spot on with how bad they can be , so far we have called an ambulance for him , taken him to A & E . and talked to 2 Dr`s . a sleep therapists is a good idea as well m8 .
just wondered if anyone had first hand experience and had some advice

it is hard for us as parents because we get little sleep ,he won`t go to bed on his own and who can blame him poor little guy is so scared he just dosn`t want to close his eyes .

Rog
 
I have experienced that for a short time when I was about 7 or 8. Not at all very pleasant.
At it's peak, I suddenly am aware of being awake but at the same time still in a REM-type deep sleep state, and figures and faces were being "superimposed" on top of the real world. I do remember punching this pillow as this horrible-looking face appeared on it, I was only aware of that one as mum switched the light on and she was shaking to wake me up as I was still punching away at that pillow shouting at that face to go away.
I had that kind of thing for a week, then it stopped. Thankfully, today, I very very rarely have nightmares and not had one for years and there's absolutely nothing wrong with my sleeping pattern. The moment I rest my head on the pillow, that's it I'm out like a light.
If your boy suffered that for several weeks or months then it might be wise to consider seeking meditation, it sounds like when he goes into the Rapid Eye Movement stage of his sleep (when the body is in a total deep sleep, usually only last for 2 to 10 minutes) his brain and body is still in an active and awake mode. I'm pretty sure there is some meditation that can prevent that from occuring and he'll then have much more restful nights.
 
Yeah..we had the same problem with one of our daughters..was really scary the first couple of times it happened..more for us than her,sometimes in the night she would appear at the foot of the bed,screaming and contorting,as though she was possessed or something,i would gently lead her back to her bed(my wife was unable to deal with her,she was so scared),she would then seem to be looking at something that was clearly frightening her..
All i could do was comfort her until this slowly subsided and she calmed down and went to sleep..waking in the morning not remembering any of it..
We sought advice and were told that she would grow out of it..which she did after a few weeks..
Hope this helps
 
Dino f said:
Hi Rog,
Our youngest used to get them too. Its heartbreaking every time it happens. I know this sounds a bit "new world'ish" but we bought a dreamcatcher, and explaned to him what it was and how it works. His night terrors almost stopped straight away, going from 1 a night to about 1 a week, then after about a month, none. I know night terrors are completely different to nightmares, but it worked with our little 'un.
Best of luck.
Dean:)
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Hi

m8 i think we have a dream-catcher somewhere . and anything is worth a try .

i keep waiting to here him say " i see dead people " . it`s so real to him . and he remembers it all next day . which dosn`t help the next night .

it is heartbreaking .

he just looks so unhappy at times , he just dosn`t want night time to come .

of to look at a marine fish tank with clown fish it it after . he loves nemo , so might get him this for xmas .

i look at him and feel so sorry for him , God makes you wonder how anyone can ever hurt a child .

here he is cheeky chap ... http://www.3rdeyedigitalphotography.co.uk/photo_2032864.html

he is great to photograph . he loves doing different things and says he likes to be photo boy .

the cheeky chap is what we don`t want to lose

Rog
 
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yeah the dreamcatcher is a good idea, its more of the telling them what it does, rather than if it really works, i have a dream catcher and since then ive not had a nightmare. i know it doesn actually do anything but its all in my mind ;) failing that therapy is another option
 
when i was a kid i used to have nightmares a lot
i cured them in 2 ways
1) i slept on my front and put my arms under the pillow. most nights this stopped me from turning onto my back and having nightmares (they always seemed to happen on my back)
2) i learned to recognise when i was in the middle of a nightmare and wake myself up (this probably isnt much used to a 4 year old though)
 
badgerbaiter said:
when i was a kid i used to have nightmares a lot
i cured them in 2 ways
1) i slept on my front and put my arms under the pillow. most nights this stopped me from turning onto my back and having nightmares (they always seemed to happen on my back)
2) i learned to recognise when i was in the middle of a nightmare and wake myself up (this probably isnt much used to a 4 year old though)
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cheers m8

main problem is they are night terrors , which means it is the first few hrs of sleep which is deep sleep . so although he looks wide awake with eyes open . he is in fact very much asleep .
most people don`t remember them . but he does which makes him scared to even go upstairs on his own in the day , let alone when it is dark .

rog
 
i used to have them, the worst one was when i saw a white persons foot sticking out the bottom of the bedsheets and it was wiggling its toes :S i jumped out of bed washed my face and it was gone.
 
Ashers said:
i used to have them, the worst one was when i saw a white persons foot sticking out the bottom of the bedsheets and it was wiggling its toes :S i jumped out of bed washed my face and it was gone.
Click to expand...

we try taking him out of the room , and a cool flannel on his head , we have been told not to wake him suddenly as it would be to much of a shock .
it is hard to know what to do as he is only 4 . so not easy to give him advice on how to wake from one .
 
I used to suffer very badly with night terrors, i also used to sleep walk! im not sure what tactics my mum took with me other than just trying to comfort me, my daughter used to have very vivid nightmares.. im not sure they would count as terrors but not far off.. she would get up in the night and garble words out as if she were still asleep, she WAS of course but she would be walking about and it was very spooky to see!! we would just calmly talk to her and calm her, they stopped after a few years.

I on the other hand STILL have them! they usually happen about once a month give or take, its usually when im over tired, and had a busy day! the dreams usually contain my biggest fobia!! SPIDERS!! id sit up in bed trying to wipe them off my face, or looking around for them in the bed ect.. its all very vivid!!

Can i suggest you try not to get her over tired, and if there is something she is scared of, avoid reminding her of it a few hours before bed time.. im not sure if theres much real treatment for it!! i wish you all the luck in sorting it, its not very nice!! for the child OR the parent!!
 
spiders you say!!

spider.jpg


image033.jpg
 
Jesus!! im not going to slee[p tonight!!

I has a VERY bad experience with Camel Spiders in the Gulf in 91!!! i HATE them things!!!
 
??

I hope you were just trying to be funny...
 
they are harmless, apparently they follow u to stay in shadows and arnt actually spiders they are related to spiders and scorpions but are their own species :)
 
fraggle101 said:
??

I hope you were just trying to be funny...
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no i was deadly serious.
if asking for advice about night terrors on a photography forum gets you two photos of gynormous spiders then i would suggest getting advice from a child psycholgist would be a better idea (they probably wont show you photos of giant spiders)
 
Im sorry, i thought the comment was directed at me! i was trying to help!
 
:thinking:

I think i should have a break...
 
i know!! lol.. but at the time i thought you had quoted his post WITH the pictures saying i needed professional help!! because of the spiders..

Ignor me, iv been a little tense today!! but im in a good mood now.. iv just won some nice camera gear on flebay.. :lol:
 
fraggle101 said:
i know!! lol.. but at the time i thought you had quoted his post WITH the pictures saying i needed professional help!! because of the spiders..

Ignor me, iv been a little tense today!! but im in a good mood now.. iv just won some nice camera gear on flebay.. :lol:
Click to expand...

LOL i see where you are coming from now
 
badgerbaiter said:
no i was deadly serious.
if asking for advice about night terrors on a photography forum gets you two photos of gynormous spiders then i would suggest getting advice from a child psycholgist would be a better idea (they probably wont show you photos of giant spiders)
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Guys

i don`t think i will show him the spiders :lol: . the reason i have asked on here is all kinds of people take photo`s . from photographers to maybe a child psycholgist . or just someone that has had the same happen to them with their own child . or maybe someone that comes up with a great idea worth trying . also to get to see a child psycholgist can take some time .

+ i thought this bit was the throw in any question you want section .

:thumbs:
 
If you do have a try with the dream catcher, hang it up by the window, and it is important to let your son shake the baddies out of the window every couple of days. Its funny, if we didnt empty the dream catcher every couple of days, my boy became uncomfortable during sleep again.
Dean:)
 
Dino f said:
If you do have a try with the dream catcher, hang it up by the window, and it is important to let your son shake the baddies out of the window every couple of days. Its funny, if we didnt empty the dream catcher every couple of days, my boy became uncomfortable during sleep again.
Dean:)
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Cheers Dean

we have one we had forgoten about , we told him about it after you mentioned it before , he said what is a dream catcher . fingers crossed .

he is a very switched on 4 year old .. maybe a little to switched on .. his mind runs riot when he is awake

Rog

:thumbs:
 
Ashers shows his sympathetic and caring side by showing someone who doesn't like spiders a photo of a large spider like thing. And he wants to be a social worker. I'm sure he'll go far in his chosen career.
 
Dino f said:
If you do have a try with the dream catcher, hang it up by the window, and it is important to let your son shake the baddies out of the window every couple of days. Its funny, if we didnt empty the dream catcher every couple of days, my boy became uncomfortable during sleep again.
Dean:)
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not great

he has just kept asking for a Dr or someone to look at him ...... he said he dosn`t want to go to sleep as he is scared .. we tried a pretend phone call to Dr , but he just want`s to get out of this house .... so they have gone to my sister in - laws

3 weeks in,

my self and wife at each other .. my mum passed away on the 7th ... a day after her 82nd bday and a day before my 49th not a great month guys

don`t know what to do
 
santana007 said:
not great

he has just kept asking for a Dr or someone to look at him ...... he said he dosn`t want to go to sleep as he is scared .. we tried a pretend phone call to Dr , but he just want`s to get out of this house .... so they have gone to my sister in - laws

3 weeks in,

my self and wife at each other .. my mum passed away on the 7th ... a day after her 82nd bday and a day before my 49th not a great month guys

don`t know what to do
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Sounds like your having a really tough time. and i hope you work it out soon. As your little one is so distressed i strongly advice you see your GP ASAP and ask for a specialist referral, the longer it goes on the more traumatic it will be for all involved and the more stressed you all are the worse things will get. A&E services will not be equipped to help him which is why you need to see your GP.

Stop take a breath and rather than worrying, focus. Call your GP and book the appointment and make some time to do something relaxed and positive for the whole family, sounds like you all need some R&R.
 
Toothie said:
Sounds like your having a really tough time. and i hope you work it out soon. As your little one is so distressed i strongly advice you see your GP ASAP and ask for a specialist referral, the longer it goes on the more traumatic it will be for all involved and the more stressed you all are the worse things will get. A&E services will not be equipped to help him which is why you need to see your GP.

Stop take a breath and rather than worrying, focus. Call your GP and book the appointment and make some time to do something relaxed and positive for the whole family, sounds like you all need some R&R.
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Hi cheers

my wife has seen G.P today . we have an appointment with a specialist on 9th jan .

it has been a tough time as my mum passed on the 7th dec a day after her 82nd b.day . his night terrors started way before ,

we are trying to fill his days with fun , but as night time draws in he gets stressed saying he is scared . he then forces himself to stay awake .. which makes it worse .

daft as it might sound we are going to get him a marine fish tank , with some clown fish ( nemo ) .

he is such a bubbly little lad , even his teachers said he has bags of character dosn`t he .

he had 3 night terrors last night , but says this morning he was glad he didn`t have one .. but then said he was scared he didn`t want a bad dream tonight .. now is relaxed sitting on his sisters knee , she is home from uni .

the Dr gave us some phenergan to help him sleep not sure if this is good or not ..

many thanks for taking time to help and offer some advice .. this is the very reason i asked on here

as i say not just photographers take photo`s

Rog :thumbs:
 
This is really sad. Have 3 [grown up] daughters but never had this problem. I can only suggest you keep reinforcing the dreamcatcher in his mind & hope that this does the trick.

There is nothing like an upset child to pull at the heartstrings- if any of mine are upset it still affects me. This leads to other tensions & pressures within the house.

i hope it works out for you
 
santana007 said:
Hi cheers

my wife has seen G.P today . we have an appointment with a specialist on 9th jan .

it has been a tough time as my mum passed on the 7th dec a day after her 82nd b.day . his night terrors started way before ,

we are trying to fill his days with fun , but as night time draws in he gets stressed saying he is scared . he then forces himself to stay awake .. which makes it worse .

daft as it might sound we are going to get him a marine fish tank , with some clown fish ( nemo ) .

he is such a bubbly little lad , even his teachers said he has bags of character dosn`t he .

he had 3 night terrors last night , but says this morning he was glad he didn`t have one .. but then said he was scared he didn`t want a bad dream tonight .. now is relaxed sitting on his sisters knee , she is home from uni .

the Dr gave us some phenergan to help him sleep not sure if this is good or not ..

many thanks for taking time to help and offer some advice .. this is the very reason i asked on here

as i say not just photographers take photo`s

Rog :thumbs:
Click to expand...

Hey glad your making progress :)

The phenergan is a mild sedative which will help prevent him trying to keep himself awake.

Good luck with the fish tank - i have a marine tank so if you need advice with that let me know :)
 
Toothie said:
Hey glad your making progress :)

The phenergan is a mild sedative which will help prevent him trying to keep himself awake.

Good luck with the fish tank - i have a marine tank so if you need advice with that let me know :)
Click to expand...


cheers to all who have given advice .

he has had a good day today , woke scared and we snugled on the sofa till gone 10 , he has been out shopping with us . we have told him about the tank , and explained that we will get a tank and then when Nemo is old enough to leave his mum and dad we can get him .

just while we get the tank up and ready .

just hope as he gets tired tonight it don`t start to play on his mind .

i might just be back for some help with the tank :help: . but i`m told they are alot better than 10 years ago .

fingers crossed for night time

Rog :thumbs:
 
Does your kid follow any sort of pattern/routine before going to bed? e.g. having a drink then brushing his teeth and gets his PJ's on? If so try breaking the pattern/routine and do things a different way round.

If this doesnt work, have you tried having him sleep in different places? so instead of his own bed he sleeps in the same bed as you or if you have a spare room in there.

I used to have a similar sort of thing where I would see shaddows moving across the walls and all sorts of weird stuff.. not a nice experience but I'm told that by breaking the pattern of what I used to do before bed stopped the nightmares/terrors.

Regards, James
 
Jamesbuk said:
Does your kid follow any sort of pattern/routine before going to bed? e.g. having a drink then brushing his teeth and gets his PJ's on? If so try breaking the pattern/routine and do things a different way round.

If this doesnt work, have you tried having him sleep in different places? so instead of his own bed he sleeps in the same bed as you or if you have a spare room in there.

I used to have a similar sort of thing where I would see shaddows moving across the walls and all sorts of weird stuff.. not a nice experience but I'm told that by breaking the pattern of what I used to do before bed stopped the nightmares/terrors.

Regards, James
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Hi James

cheers m8

he is in the same bed as us at the moment , as said above a Dr gave him a sedative to help him relax and get to sleep in a calm way . last night he had his night terror at around 7 o`clock . he fell asleep on the sofa and woke up pointing at something . kicking hitting and he even bite my head . i asked if he knew where is was . in a deeper voice he said yes . then started to cry and cuddled me . seconds later he was kicking again . and so on for 10 to 15 minutes .
it dosn`t seem to matter where he is when he falls asleep .
we have been told nothing can be done until jan 9th . and even then not much can be done as 1000`s of children suffer from night terrors .

what a ****** country we live in .. they said if he hurts himself he will be taken into hospital to watch him ... they may as well say tough ... sort it out we don`t care .

Rog
 
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