The following is a visitor-submitted question or story. For more, you can submit your own sleep story here, or browse the collection of experiences and questions other visitors have shared here.

7-Year-Old Daughter With Sleep Terrors Nightly

by Heidi
(Missouri)

My son has periodic sleep terrors, but they are getting fewer and fewer and we have learned

to counteract them.

My daughter has had a few throughout the last year, but in December started having them
nightly. There are maybe 7 nights in the last two months that she did not wake up trembling
in fear, crying and breathing heavily. She gets up and walks around the house quickly as with
a purpose. She is impossible to get up in the morning.

Any suggestions?

Comments for 7-Year-Old Daughter With Sleep Terrors Nightly

Click here to add your own comments

Jul 04, 2012
 Same problem with 7yr old son NEW
by: Jessica

My 7 yr old son does the exact same thing! every night of the week he wakes up no matter what time or place he goes to sleep. having him sleep in his own room is very hard because of this. he awakens 1-3 times a night. its not so bad if he is in my bed. im a single mother of one with a king size. he doesn't snore but every night he wakes up usually screaming mommy while jolting up he gets up to run stand or jump around. he has been diagnosed with adhd takes adderall to help concentrate at school but recently its been harder to get him to sleep so doc wanted to try clonidine. (sp?) an old BP medication. since typing this he has sat up and spoke twice. this seems pretty deep..
Oct 20, 2014
 A difficult road NEW
by: Anonymous

I hope your children grow out of their Sleep Terrors. Most do. Mine (at 13) has not. We've had two sleep studies. One indicated that perhaps a tonsillectomy/adenoidectomy might help. (They noticed some apneas, but borderline.)

That helped decrease his frequency from 6 nights per week down to 1 or 2.

A second sleep study (after the t/a surgery healed) indicated that he had fairly dramatically bad sleep architecture. Only 1 to 2 % REM sleep per night vs I think 20% as per normal. They prescribed melatonin after the second.

Melatonin has helped a little to decrease the severity of the attacks but has had little affect on the frequency. Also, although he's no longer screaming, we believe his sleep walking/talking still stays high, so we don't think his quality of sleep has improved. We still see disruptions in his cognition and emotions after bad nights. Also, when he has a night terror night, we've decreased from a night terror night consisting of 4 episodes to 1 or 2 episodes.

We haven't had a 3rd study to see if that's due to some correction in his sleep architecture or the melatonin is having some other effect.

All of this is predicated, of course, on impeccable sleep hygiene. Regular bedtimes, no stimulating activities (computer, tv, etc) for at least an hour before bed, soothing baths/aromatherapy, etc. Easier said than done, but we do our absolute best.

There's no magic bullet. Many kids grow out of it. Some don't. Get a 504 plan from your school that allows your child to come to school late after a bad night so s/he can catch up on sleep. Sleep deprivation is cumulative and also seems to trigger further incidents. If you break the cycle by letting them sleep once they finally fall asleep, you'll decrease the frequency. I think that did more good than the t/a or the melatonin, but it's hard to say for sure.

Best wishes for sweet dreams,
Sleepy Dad

Click here to add your own comments

Join in and write your own page! It's easy to do. How? Simply click here to return to Stories of Sleep Terrors.



Enjoy this page? Please help us pay it forward to others who would find it valuable by Liking, Sharing, Tweeting, Stumbling, and/or Voting below.

About This Site

Welcome! This site is continuously being created by students of Dr. William C. Dement's Sleep And Dreams course at Stanford University.

We made this site as a call to action for people all over the world to live healthier, happier, safer, and more productive lives by learning about their own sleep. We have faith that reading the information provided on this site will motivate you to be smart about your sleep deprivation and strategic about your alertness in order to live life to your fullest, most energetic potential.

In fact, we challenge you to do so! What do you say, are you up for the challenge?

A Note On Visitor-Submitted Questions:

Publishing sleep stories and questions from our visitors is meant to create a forum for open and proactive dialogue about an extremely important portion of our lives (one that occupies 1/3 of it and affects the other 2/3) that isn't talked about enough. It is not meant to substitute a trip to the doctor or the advice of a specialist. It's good to talk; it is not good to avoid consulting someone who's profession it is to help you with this kind of stuff.

If you are in any way concerned about your sleep health, don't wait for an answer on here, and don't necessarily rely on them. See a sleep specialist in your area as soon as possible.

More Questions:

Ask | Answer

The Stanford Sleep Book

Stanford Sleep Book Picture

Dr. Dement's pioneering textbook has been the core text for Sleep and Dreams since 1980, but it has just recently been made available to the wider public for the first time.

In it you'll find a more detailed account of the most important things you need to know about sleep, alertness, dreams, and sleep disorders. Studies, statistics, plus plenty of Dr. Dement's classic anecdotes painting the history of sleep medicine.

Preface | Intro | Contents | Get A Copy

More Sleep Resources

The Zeo

Track Your Own Sleep With Zeo

A revolution in personal sleep tracking, the Zeo is a wireless headband that transmits your brainwaves in realtime to a dock (pictured here) or your smartphone. The result? You can wake up and see exactly what stages of sleep you were in during the night! Unprecedented personalized sleep knowledge.

Sleep Paralysis: A Dreamer's Guide

Sleep Paralysis Treatment Book

Ever woken up paralyzed? A surprising number of us have, believe it or not. But few know the actual causes of this phenomenon, and fewer still how to exert control over it. Dream researcher and sleep paralysis expert Ryan Hurd shares breakthrough insights into how to do just that.

Important Disclaimer

Please Note:

The information found on this page and throughout this site is intended for general information purposes only. While it may prove useful and empowering, it is NOT intended as a substitute for the expertise and judgments of healthcare practitioners.

For more info, see our
Terms of Use.