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.

My 2 Year Old Son's Sleep Terrors

by Nora
(UK)

Mine is more of an explanation of what my son does and any help/advice would be greatly appreciated as to why my son is doing this.


My son was born with a reflux problem, I have been told this is common and he eventually grew out of it by 8 months old. I breast fed my son for 18 months, as a baby he tended to be very gassy and fed for short amounts of time (5 mins a feed) and threw up constantly.

This did not worry me as he was growing and gaining weight perfectly for his height etc. and he is a very healthy boy at 2 years and 3 months old he is 93.5cm and 16.36kilos in weight, he is very clever and tall for his age, he loves his fruit and veg, the only major problem is he has never slept though!

Since his reflux stopped he would cry over 4 times a night and this is still going on, sometimes he just cries for me and is awake and I cuddle him and put him back to sleep, but recently he has been waking up screaming, punching the air, kicking and shouting and even though I try to hug him or call him he is fast asleep with his eyes tight shut.

He does talk in his sleep now and again but these screaming episodes are worrying me. his father when I married him talked in his sleep now and then, but he too has escalated into full shouting, getting up or mistaking me for a burglar etc. and lashing at me, I have not been hurt as he tends to wake up quickly but since then we have separated and apparently his brother told me he has almost climbed out a window while he was asleep.

I am worried my son is taking after his father. My son hasn't gotten out of bed when he wakes up screaming he just sits there and eventually falls asleep or till I pick him up but he is getting louder and I am getting more and more concerned. Is this normal?

My son during the day is a happy child, we play, I take him to the park, he eats well, he does throw the odd tantrum if he doesn't get his way or I say no, he does throw stuff but he is no way violent; say he wants a treat and I say no he will throw his toy or cup against the floor (not at me- never does that) but I tell him off and he knows he has done wrong.

We see his cousins and friends so he is around other children. He seems fine to me it's just now at least once a night he moans or cries and shouts but is not awake, I would say there is one major episode of this a night now, please advise me on what to do.

Thanks


Resources:

Sleep Terrors
REM Sleep Behavior Disorder
Sleepwalking

Click here to post comments

Join in and write your own page! It's easy to do. How? Simply click here to return to Experiences With Sleep Disorders In Children.




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

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.